36 JERSEY EVENING POST SATURDAY 30 SEPTEMBER 2017 The Weekend The Big Read Soul survivor from the Swinging Sixties

Soul singer PP Arnold is performing at the Jersey Opera House on Friday to celebrate both 50 years in the music business and the belated release of her legendary ‘lost’ album, Turning Tide. She speaks to Tom Ogg about her poor upbringing, auditioning for Ike and Tina Turner and hanging out in London with Jimi Hendrix

n PP Arnold at the height of her success in the 1960s Picture: GERED MANKOWITZ PP Arnold today Picture: GERED MANKOWITZ BARRY Gibb. Jimi Hendrix. Mick Jagger. kept fighting for many years for it to come Turning Tide. Tina Turner. . The list of out.’ ‘To be honest, Robert Stigwood wasn’t musicians with whom PP Arnold has Produced by Barry Gibb, Turning as excited about Barry working with worked throughout her career reads like Tide was intended to cement Patricia’s me as Barry was,’ laughs Patricia. a Who’s Who of rock and roll royalty. reputation as one of the most daring and ‘Understandably, he just wanted Barry to But then, there are many music fans – exciting female soul singers of the 1960s, get back together with his brothers. But this writer included – who would argue but instead it was unceremoniously he also wanted to keep Barry happy and that Patricia Ann Cole herself deserves to ‘‘ shelved as a result of – as she puts it – ‘a so he signed me up.’ be ranked as a bona fide music legend. I’m an American whole lot of politics’. Together, Barry and Patricia began Now in her eighth decade, the Los ‘As an artist, I have always tended to laying down tracks for the album, the Angeles-born soul singer first found fame soul singer who was work with producers who are artists bulk of which were written by Gibb. in the 1960s, when The First Cut is the themselves,’ she says, ‘but this means But then Stigwood – fearful that RSO Deepest and Angel of the Morning landed produced by British that if they have things going on in their Records was heading for the same fate as her in the UK Top 20 and made her one of producers and in a camp, then it affects whatever I’m doing Immediate – insisted that the Bee Gees the most recognisable faces of London in with them. reunite and, as a result, Patricia’s album the Swinging Sixties. British way, and so ‘At the time that Barry Gibb and I were was postponed indefinitely. Since then, she has recorded alongside working on Turning Tide – that period The Turning Tide saga didn’t quite some of the biggest names in the business, my sound is totally from ’68 to ’69 – the Bee Gees weren’t end there, however. Although initially from Peter Gabriel and The KLF to recording together as a band, but Barry it seemed that Gibb’s departure had Primal Scream. Those glorious female different to Motown or wanted to keep working.’ sounded the death knell for the album, vocals that light up The ’ The pair had met through Patricia’s ex- it soon transpired that another music (‘It’s all too beautiful’)? Yep, any of the American husband, Jim Morris, who worked with legend was interested in working with that’s her, too. stuff. I think that Robert Stigwood, the late RSO record Patricia: step forward, Mr Eric Clapton. Today, Patricia is enjoying the latest label founder and long-time manager and ‘At that time, Eric was getting ready of several career resurgences, with an really makes my producer of the Bee Gees (he would later to go on the road to do the Delaney & autobiography on the horizon and a prove instrumental in catapulting the Bee Bonnie & Friends tour, along with George national tour in full swing. music quite unique Gees to global fame). Harrison and Billy Preston,’ says Patricia. ‘We did our first gig in Skegness last ‘Barry had wanted to meet me ‘Stigwood landed me the opening slot on week at the Northern Soul Weekender because he liked my version of To Love the tour and it went really well.’ festival,’ says the 70-year-old, chatting singing all of her best-known songs. More Somebody,’ says Patricia. ‘We were After the tour, Eric and Patricia entered over the phone from her UK home. exciting still, she and the band will also both at a crossroads at the time. I didn’t the studio to resume work on Turning ‘[Ocean Colour Scene guitarist] Steve be performing tracks from her legendary have a record label – my previous label, Tide and recorded a number of gritty Cradock has been kind enough to lend me ‘lost’ album, Turning Tide, which is Immediate Records, had folded – and I cover versions of songs that were popular his band for the tour and they’re really finally due an official release in October – didn’t know where I was going. And as at the time. great musicians. We spent a whole week almost five decades after it was recorded. they say in this business: you’re only ‘We did Medicated Goo and Brand New putting the set together before the festival ‘We’re doing six tunes from Turning as good as your last record. So I was Day and the Stones’ You Can’t Always Get and it went down a storm. We’re really Tide in the show,’ she says. ‘I’m really searching to find myself a new musical What You Want,’ she says. ‘These tracks looking forward to coming to Jersey.’ pleased that the album is finally being home.’ were really important for me because The concert will be held at the Opera released because I’ve believed in it It was at this uncertain time that Barry they connected me to my gospel r ’n’ b House on Friday and will see Patricia forever. I’ve never given up on it and I’ve and Patricia began working together on roots. Pop singer PP Arnold was just pop,