Kiki Dee kicked around Britain as a white soul singer for the better part of the late '60s and early '70s -- even becoming the first British Caucasian signed to Motown -- before hooking up with
Elton John, who signed her to his Rocket Records label and produced her first notable hit, "I've Got the Music in Me." In 1976, at which time
John was the biggest pop star in the world, he wrote and duetted with
Dee on the single "Don't Go Breaking My Heart," which promptly topped the charts all over the world. It did not, however, make
Dee a long-term star, though she scored a couple of subsequent hits in England and turned to the stage with some success, especially by starring in Blood Brothers in the West End. In 1993, she and
John recorded another duet, on Cole Porter's "True Love" (previously recorded as a duet by
Bing Crosby and
Grace Kelly).
–
William Ruhlmann, Rovi