Diane Shaw
| Diane Shaw | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Manchester, UK |
| Genres | Soul, Northern Soul, Motown Sound |
| Labels | Mecca Records |
| Website | http://www.dianeshaw.co.uk |
Diane Shaw (born Diane Delores Hunte August 30, 1962) from Manchester is a UK Soul Singer, touring and performing for 20 years. In that time Shaw has gained a considerable following around the UK particularly on the Northern Soul scene.
Early career
Performing for some years around pubs and clubs in the North of England, she was entered by a booking agent into the ITV show Stars in Their Eyes in 1998. After passing the audition, under her marital name of Diane Birkinshaw, she went on to win her televised heat (Episode 12) performing the Diana Ross song "I'm Still Waiting", and appeared on the Live Grand Final,[1][2] finishing 6th overall, with the show being seen by a record 15 million viewers.
Motown Show
Shaw continued to tour professionally for the next 15 years with her live show performing female Motown and Soul classics, firstly backed by a 7 piece band, but later as a solo artist.
During this time various overseas performances have included Spain, Dubai, France, Cyprus[3] and Turkey.
In 2011, Shaw reformed her backing band, and has been touring with them ever since, with various members swapping and changing over the years.
Shaw has supported many artists over the years including Soul Stars such as George McCrae, Sister Sledge, Alexander O'Neal, Clem Curtis, Tommy Hunt and Grammy Award winner Kirk Whalum.
Northern Soul
Numerous times over the last 15 years, Shaw was invited to perform at Northern Soul events, and started gathering her own fanbase in the genre, incorporating covers of Northern Soul songs into her show.
Shaw was an early adopter of sites such as YouTube, and released many videos of her live performances, which helped gain her many more fans wanting to see her live show.
In 2013 Shaw was contacted by original Wigan Casino DJ Russ Winstanley to perform at the "Wigan Casino 40th Anniversary Concert"[4] at Butlins Skegness.
Winstanley also booked the Diane Shaw Band to provide the musical backing for Motown stars; Martha Reeves, Brenda Holloway, and Chris Clark among others. She also arranges all the 3-part harmonies for her Background singers on visiting artists shows.
Live shows
Some of the many highlights of Shaw's 20 year performing career include the Jazz Cafe in London, the Albert Dock in Liverpool for Smooth Radio and Under the Bridge in London supporting Tito Jackson.
In 2014 Shaw performed for a second year at the Butlins Northern Soul Survivors Weekender,[5] as well as backing other artists such as Judy Street, The Flirtations and Eddie Holman.
In July 2015 Diane Shaw and her band supported the legendary Tito Jackson on his show in London. Tito also used Diane's 12 piece band as the musical backing for his album launch.
September 2015 saw the Diane Shaw Band return to the Butlins Soul Survivors Weekender, and perform in front of 8,500 people. Her band also provided the musical backing for artists such as Kim Weston, Brenda Holloway and Prince Philip Mitchell
In November 2015, Shaw embarked on a 20 date UK Tour with the US Soul Legends The Stylistics, and performed at venues such as IndigO2 and the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall.
Debut single
In 2014, Diane Shaw's debut single "Leave a little Love",[6] written by acclaimed UK songwriter Les Reed, was released through her own Record Label 'Mecca Records' gaining considerable sales though iTunes, Amazon, and a run of Vinyl 45 Singles.
During 2015 the single has received various plays on BBC Radio 2 and BBC 6 Music by renowned DJ Craig Charles, and has also been championed by notorious BBC Radio DJ Tony Blackburn, playlisted on BBC Radio London. Critical acclaim came through an article[7] by Soul journalists David Nathan and Sharon Davis on SoulMusic.com
Debut album
Released in June 2015, the debut Album 'Love, Life & Strings' was received to great critical acclaim, and went straight to the No.1 position in the UK Soul Chart, where it stayed for two weeks.
Album reviews include Lois Wilson in Record Collector giving the album 4/5 stars, and Sharon Davis from Soulmusic.com giving it 9/10. Soultracks in the USA also gave the album their highest rating of 'Highly Recommended'
References
- ↑ Live Grand Final 5 June 1999 Results List of Stars in Their Eyes episodes Wikipedia. Retrieved 12th Feb 2015
- ↑ Stars in their Eyes results at SolarNavigator.net. Retrieved 12th Feb 2015
- ↑ Children in Need N.Cyprus - Near East Bank article Near east Bank Retrieved 12th Feb 2015
- ↑ Butlins Skegness Weekender Musicriot Review. Retrieved 12th Feb 2015
- ↑ Soul Survivors Weekender . Review by The Vinyl word, Retrieved 12th Feb 2015
- ↑ Discogs: Diane Shaw 'Leave a little love' MCR1401
- ↑ Sharon Davis Interview at SoulMusic.com Retrieved 12th Feb 2015