She has recorded with, and played guitar alongside, some of the greats of the music world. From Prince to Mick Jagger, and Cyndi Lauper, with whom she’s toured the world many times over the decades, as well as Zucchero, the father of Italian blues music.
Dyson was recently in Australia on tour with Lauper and gave this column a sneak look at the life of a touring musician.
“As every tour is unique and every artist is different, it has different creative processes” Dyson said.
“Cyndi and I have been working together since the ’90s, so with this Australian tour, it was a great return to her awesome catalogue of music but also a touring family atmosphere.
“The band and crew work seamlessly together to bring her vision into reality on stage.
“That is our goal, and we have fun doing it.”
Has she found that attitudes have shifted and changed for the better, in such a male-dominated music industry, towards women such as herself working in the industry?
“The industry has responded to societal evolution as far as the acceptance of women in the workplace in general,” she said.
“Attitudes are slow moving, but the more skilled women become in all fields, the better.
“Progress can’t be denied.”
While Dyson keeps to a busy touring schedule, in between tours, she also stays active with various other projects, including a Los Angeles-based group whose music is best described as a, “modern twist on ’70s soul and funk music”.
“I am a part of an awesome musical collective of pro musicians called Bella Brown & The Jealous Lovers,” she said.
“We have a new record coming out soon, and which will be made available on vinyl, as well as streaming on Spotify and other digital platforms.
“And I will continue to do live performances with Cyndi, as they happen, and touring with Italian blues/rock artist Zucchero.”
For more on Kat, check out her official website: www.katdyson.com
Music news
The Rolling Stones have been teasing a new album, Hackney Diamonds, which is purportedly scheduled for release in September. The album will be their first without drummer Charlie Watts, who died in 2021.
Is ABBA’s Agnetha Fältskog about to relaunch her solo career at the age of 73? A new album is reportedly in the works and is due to appear later this year.
Mega popstar Ed Sheeran will release a new album, titled Autumn Variations, his seventh album to date, on 29 September.
Are pop-punksters Blink-182 about to release a new studio album? According to the band’s guitarist/vocalist Tom DeLonge, it’s literally “weeks away”.
American country music star Morgan Wallen has created a first for country music. His recent US and Australian number 1 hit song, Last Night, has become the most streamed song during the US summer, the first country song to achieve this milestone.
Taylor Swift is set to release her next album, 1989 (Taylor’s Version), on October 27. The album is a re-recording of her 2014 album 1989 and will be the fourth in her series of albums that she has re-recorded.
Behind the song
Dire Straits, Telegraph Road (1982)
In an interview I conducted with Dire Straits guitarist Hal Lindes in 2010, he shared with me the following story about the writing of one of Dire Straits’ epic tracks, the 14-minute Telegraph Road, which appeared on their Love Over Gold album.
“Mark Knopfler first began writing that track back in the fall of 1980 while on the US leg of the group’s Making Movies tour. He would stay on after sound checks working on composing the music on the stage piano. It was while the band’s tour bus was slowly inching its way into Detroit, frozen in the concrete-and-pylon-encased traffic jam, that Mark sat alone at the front of the tour bus and began scribbling the lyrics to Telegraph Road. It was later added to the set list during the world tour and had the opportunity of being well played in before it was recorded.”
Fun fact
Did you know that in 2015, Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield released an album of music, titled Space Sessions: Songs From A Tin Can, that he had recorded while aboard the International Space Station?
Readers can send feedback, suggestions, music-related stories, music news items and more to: MusicalMusings@mmg.com.au
