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VETERAN musician Julian Dawson has put his life on the back burner while he investigates the career of one of rock¹s ultimate unsung heroes.
Dawson is currently penning a biography of the late Nicky Hopkins - often described as the most important session man in British rock and roll.
Hopkins featured on scores of albums including hits by The Kinks, The Who, the Rolling Stones and Donavan.
And the task of charting his life and times has proved a major project.
Said Dawson: "I had no idea that I¹d taken on such a mammoth task.
"My musical activities are currently taking a definite second place to my desk-bound work.
"Last year the realisation finally dawned that the book won¹t be finished as long as I am trying to run two sides of my life in parallel.
"My current rhythm is to spend as much time as possible on the book and pop out every week or two for concerts."
Dawson is used to setting himself challenging targets.
At the end of a recent German tour gig he played a song by every band featured on posters on the venue¹s wall.
The list included The Doors, the Animals, Led Zeppelin, the Ramones, the Beatles, the Stones and Bob Dylan - and the gig ran over by 90 minutes.
He said: "I don't often have need of that part of my brain, but it is fun every now and then to play people's favourite music as well as my own songs."
Dawson recently celebrated 30 years in the music business with a 50-date European tour playing his own blend of pop, folk, country and blues.
And he marked the occasion with the release of an unusual new album - Nothing Like A Dame.
It features his versions of songs either written or sung by famous females like Doris Day and Aretha Franklin.
He said: "I guess growing up with six brothers and spending 10 years in Catholic boys' schools, it's not surprising that the opposite sex and what makes them tick fascinates me.
"I thought the songs would sound really different coming from a man - a crazy concept but one I am proud to have seen through."
The list of people Dawson has worked with during his career reads like a Who's Who of the music business.
It includes Duane Eddy, Richard Thompson, Gerry Rafferty, Glenn Tilbrook and Del Amitri.
ends
Copyright: Bernie Saunders, April 2007
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