Dee Shipman
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Dee Shipman began her professional career as an actress and singer, both in the theatre, and on TV, where she appeared in series such as ‘The Avengers (Propellant 23)’ and ‘Emergency Ward Ten’. She then went on to a very successful career in radio, including co-presenting a weekly series for the BBC ‘Teen Scene’, and having two series of her own for Radio Luxembourg ‘Ready Steady Radio’ and ‘Kids Like Us’. During this period Dee was signed to Decca Records, and released a single of Mel Tormé’s classic ‘Comin’ Home Baby’. Dee also wrote for the magazine Pop Weekly, in which she had her own weekly column.
As a singer, Dee recorded a twelve track LP that was produced by Norman Newell. The album featured such evergreen standards as ‘What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life’, ‘The Way You Look Tonight’ and ‘One Hand, One Heart’.
Dee has made several films, which included starring as Mrs. Burke in the 1972 motion picture ‘Burke And Hare’ opposite Harry Andrews and Derren Nesbitt, and which Dee described as “Glamorous no! Culture no! But fun? YES!”
Dee first started writing lyrics when she began her song-writing collaboration with composer Roger Webb. Their considerable output included writing ‘Sad Song Lady’ for Blossom Dearie, ‘The Rainbow Bridge’ for Danny Williams and ‘Making It By Myself’ for the Kenneth Tynan and Clifford Williams musical ‘Carte Blanche’ at the Phoenix Theatre in London……...the show wasn’t well reviewed - but the song got rave notices! Dee and Roger also composed music and lyrics for three musical concepts ‘ A Kid For Two Farthings’ (based on the 1955 film of the Wolf Mankowitz modern classic story); ‘The Last Touring Love Show’; and ‘Emma’ (based on the life of Emma Hamilton).
Dee went on to write songs with Marc Wilkinson, Werner Becker, George Garvarentz, Albert Van Dam, Ralph Lewin, and Herbert Chappell.
In 1976, Dee began a very important partnership with Charles Aznavour, which still continues. Their songwriting partnership produced the Aznavour cult favourite ‘Pretty Shitty Days’ as well as ‘A Very Private Christmas’ and ‘You Make Me Hungry For Your Loving’ amongst many others. It was Aznavour who introduced Dee to Petula Clark, and Dee and Petula wrote their first song together in 1978, and have been friends and partners since then. The Clark – Shipman partnership produced the original stage musical Someone Like You which toured the United Kingdom and transferred to the West End in 1990. Dee and Petula have also written over 50 songs together for Clark’s commercial albums and singles plus their second musical concept ‘Zola’.
In 1989, while continuing to write all Aznavour’s English lyrics, and also working on two musicals with Petula Clark, Dee wrote the script and co-produced the TV docu-drama ‘Petain’, charting the life of the French marshal. The film featured Harry Andrews as Petain, in his last film role.
Charles and Dee together also devised and wrote the songs for a musical workshop of Molly Bloom’s soliloquy from James Joyce’s ‘Ulysses’, which was performed at the Edinburgh Festival by Eartha Kitt.
Charles Aznavour’s musical ‘Lautrec’, with English lyrics by Dee, premiered at the Theatre Royal, Plymouth in March 2000 before transferring to the Shaftesbury Theatre, London. Currently Charles and Dee are working together on several new songs to be included in a US and Canadian production of the show.
Dee is an NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) Master Coach, Trainer, and Master Practitioner, and is a partner with Paul Jacobs in New Oceans. Together they run regular Life, Business, Education, Coaching, and Performing & Creative Arts trainings, workshops, and seminars, and are also extremely successful life coaches.
In 2006, Dee and Wes McGhee co-wrote a CD of ‘NLP Songs For Change’, a unique musical introduction to the tools and techniques of NLP.
Dee has also written three books of short stories, based on her NLP experiences:- The Sunbeam Collection Vol.1, The Sunbeam Collection Vol.2, and All We Are Is Our Stories. Vol.1. Dee is currently writing Volume 2. of All We Are…… , and also The Book Of Inspirational Parenting.
