Johnnie Walker Talking to Kiki Dee After singing with a local band in Bradford in the early 1960s, Dee began her recording career as a session singer. She sang backing vocals for Dusty Springfield, among others, but did not achieve solo success in the UK for many years. In 1963, Dee released her first single, "Early Night", and recorded her debut album, I'm Kiki Dee, which included a series of Phil Spector-style tracks and covers. Her 1966 release "Why Don't I Run Away From You" (a cover of Tami Lynn's "I'm Gonna Run Away From You") was a big hit on Radio London and Radio Caroline, and she sang the B side "Small Town" in her appearance in Dateline Diamonds the same year.
Her 1968 release "On a Magic Carpet Ride", has remained popular with the Northern Soul circuit. Much of her early recorded work for Fontana Records was released on 24 January 2011, on the CD compilation I'm Kiki Dee.
