Dana Gillespie & The London Blues Band — The Next Chapter

This is not really a gig. It's day one.

On 25 September, Dana Gillespie starts releasing a live double album — nineteen tracks, recorded in this room, put out one track every Friday for the next five months. No label. No campaign budget. A 77-year-old woman uploading her own masters and cutting her own videos, the same way a nineteen-year-old would.

She has made more than seventy albums across sixty years and roughly twenty labels. This is the first one that will be entirely hers.

And it's happening in a building that won't be here much longer. The Temple of Art and Music closes in December to make way for flats. So the record is a live album from a venue that is about to stop existing, released to fund the TAM Open Music Academy — the programme that goes on backing grassroots artists after the room is gone.

7–8pm · The Golden Hour

Before Dana plays a note, the artists she has been mentoring perform her songs back to her — from 1966 to now. Rarities, deep cuts, things she hasn't sung in decades. She'll be sat watching.

The night opens with Mbayang, a sixteen-year-old dancer and singer from Thomas's College, performing "What Makes Me Human" — a new song written and produced by Dana Gillespie, released on the night. Proceeds support the Thomas's Foundation and the TAM Open Music Academy.

Sixty-one years between the two of them, in the same hour.

8.30–9.30pm · First set
10–11pm · Second set

Dana Gillespie & The London Blues Band play the album live:
Evan Jenkins (drums) · Dino Baptiste (keys) · Dom Stockbridge (guitar) · Harry Whitty (bass) · Cameron Rossi (sax)

Old School. Weren't Born A Man. Andy Warhol — the song David Bowie wrote for her, not the other way round. Big Daddy Blues. Om Shakti. Move Your Body Close To Me. Glam, bawdy blues, funk and a standard, in one sitting, because that is genuinely what sixty years sounds like.

The cameras will be rolling.

A feature documentary about Dana is in production, with a director whose previous films you have almost certainly seen. We'll announce who when we're allowed to.

This night is part of it. Which means the room matters — the audience on 25 September isn't watching the story, it's in it. Whoever is standing in this building on the night will be in the film about the building.

Tickets

Standard — £25
Entry, both sets, the Golden Hour.

Supporter — £75 (40 available)
For the people who want to be part of this rather than just present at it.
· Entry, reserved seating
· Your name in the film's credits, under Supporters
· The full double album on release, before it goes public
· A signed copy of the album booklet
A larger share of this ticket goes to the TAM Open Music Academy, which continues after the venue closes.

Patron — £200 (20 available)
Everything in Supporter, plus the two rooms you can't get into any other way.
· An invitation to Dana's Christmas Party at TAM — 16 December. The last Christmas this building will ever host.
· An invitation to the first private screening of the documentary
· Your name in the film's credits, under Patrons
every Patron ticket goes directly to the TAM Open Music Academy — the programme that outlives the building.

Twenty Places. Then the door closes on both rooms.

What your ticket actually does

It puts you in the room. It funds the TAM Open Music Academy, which carries on after the building doesn't. And it starts the clock on nineteen weeks of releases that end on 12 February — with the fourteenth landing on 8 January, David Bowie's 80th birthday.

There are 108 places. There is one of these nights.

This event will be filmed and recorded. By attending you may appear in footage used in the documentary and in promotional material.

Dana Gillespie’s musical journey began in the vibrant London music scene of the early 1960s. As a teenager, she was captivated by American Blues – an infatuation sparked by attending the American Folk Blues Festival and watching British Blues pioneers like The Yardbirds and John Mayall. Blues may have been her first love, but Gillespie initially found her footing performing folk and pop songs. She cut her first single at just 15 years old (with folk icon Donovan accompanying on guitar) and became a regular on the U.K. folk club circuit​. In those early days, she mingled with future rock legends – even having a young Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones (later of Led Zeppelin fame) play on her first Decca LP 'Foolish Seasons'. These formative years saw Gillespie evolving from a folk-pop singer into an artist with an expanding musical palette, setting the stage for the genre-spanning career to come.

Dana Gillespie originated the role of Mary Magdalene in the original London production of Jesus Christ Superstar (1972), earning recognition for her performance in the West End​ of London. This role marked her early success beyond music and highlighted her talent as an actress.

One of the most pivotal friendships of Gillespie’s career was with David Bowie. The two met as teenagers in mid-1960s London, sparking a close personal and professional relationship that lasted through the late ’60s and mid ’70s​. Bowie quickly became a champion of Gillespie’s talent as he penned the song “Andy Warhol” specifically for her, and he invited her to sing backing vocals on his iconic Ziggy Stardust album, and even co-produced with her 1973 record Weren’t Born a Man alongside Dana herself and guitarist Mick Ronson​. During this glam-rock era, Gillespie and Bowie were both managed by Tony Defries of the famed MainMan organization.

In 1980 Dana began fronted her own group, the London Blues Band​, and from that point on, her recordings and performances were firmly rooted in the Blues genre, allowing her powerful voice to shine. She immersed herself in Blues music, touring extensively across Europe and beyond. In 2002, for example, Gillespie and her London Blues Band made history by embarking on the first-ever major concert tour of India by a Western Blues act, organised by the British Council and filling venues from Darjeeling to Cochin and bringing the Blues to thousands of new fans​.

In the 1990s she was voted “Top British Female Blues Vocalist” four years in a row (1992–1996) and was eventually inducted into the British Blues Hall of Fame​. Dana Gillespie’s dedication to the Blues, and her ability to channel its emotion with grit, humour, and passion, firmly established her as one of the leading voices in Blues world.

Even after more than sixty years in the business, Dana Gillespie shows no signs of slowing down. She remains remarkably prolific and to date she has been involved in the recording of over 74 albums​ and continues to perform for audiences around the world. In 1995 Dana Gillespie co-foiunded with Basil Charles OBE the now famous Mustique Blues Festival, a Caribbean event that draws international talent and raises money for charity​.

Gillespie’s enduring appeal across generations is evident in the company she keeps. In 1997, none other than Bob Dylan, an old friend from the ’60s, invited her to join him as the opening act on his U.K. tour, including a sold-out show at Wembley Arena. Whether on stage, on record, or even on the airwaves (she had her own radio show for 11 years called Globetrotting With Gillespie), Gillespie’s passion remains undiminished. Her continued presence and energy inspire both longtime Blues aficionados and new fans alike, as she proves that authentic music only grows richer with time.

With a career that has spanned folk, rock, and blues​, Dana Gillespie has carved out a singular place in music history. She is often hailed as a “multiple award–winning Blues legend”​, an artist who not only mastered the craft of Blues singing but also tirelessly promoted the genre across the world. Few performers can claim her level of versatility, from sharing stages with 1960s folk heroes and rock superstars, to becoming a matriarch of the British Blues scene, Gillespie has done it all. Through changing musical eras, she has continually evolved herself while staying true to the soulful, rebellious spirit that defined her art. Trends have come and gone, but Gillespie’s bold personality, witty songwriting, and powerhouse voice have remained constants, endearing her to generations of listeners.

Today, Dana Gillespie stands as a living link between musical eras, a true embodiment of rock and Blues heritage. Her influence and longevity are a testament to the timeless quality of the music she loves. Celebrating her career at this event is something truly special. It’s an opportunity to honour an artist who has given six decades of music her heart and soul. For both lifelong fans and those discovering her for the first time, experiencing Dana Gillespie’s story and songs in person promises to be an unforgettable celebration of a unique and enduring musical legacy.​

Dana Gillespie has captured her 60 years in music with the release of her memoirs, Weren’t Born A Man, offering fans an intimate look into her extraordinary journey through Rock, Blues, and beyond. From her early days in the London folk scene to working alongside legends like David Bowie, Jimmy Page, and Bob Dylan, Dana’s story is one of resilience, reinvention, and rock ’n’ roll spirit.

For those who prefer to hear it straight from Dana herself, an Audible version of the book is also available, bringing her incredible tales to life in her own unmistakable voice.

🎶 Want a piece of history? You can purchase a signed copy of Weren’t Born A Man at the Temple of Art and Music, a perfect keepsake for any true music lover.

This memoir isn’t just a book—it’s a backstage pass to one of the most fearless careers in music history.