Bradford-bound Dennis finds a new Hook (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Chart star talks about his 'cool' new album

8:55am Monday 8th February 2010 in Star Turn By Jim Greenhalf

In Italian the name Locorriere is said to mean The Messenger.

During a sell-out concert tour of the UK three years ago, singer-songwriter and guitarist Dennis Locorriere delivered this message to a concert audience: “For 15 years I toured 300 days a year with Dr Hook, but in 1985 we split up and for 15 years I kept my head down until I decided to pop it up again. Nights like this make it all worthwhile.”

The down-to-earth 60-year-old from New Jersey, who made his name as lead singer with Dr Hook with songs such as Sylvia’s Mother, Sexy Eyes and When You’re In Love With A Beautiful Woman, is gearing up for another UK tour and a new album of songs with the Miles Davis-like title, Post Cool.

He says: “In the past I have put out two solo albums, collections of songs with friends. It was introspective. This time I went into the studio with Pete Brown (son of guitar man Joe Brown) and musicians and we cut a proper album.

“I played him songs I had written and he picked 13. It was interesting for me to hear that as a body of work. It’s nice. It’s cool. The title I had in my head for years;’ it’s about not worrying about what’s cool.

“For the first time ever I’ll be going on stage playing songs with the musicians who recorded them. The concert will showcase new songs and Dr Hook classics.

“It’s nice to have a history, but if you have an illustrious history it can make you feel inferior today. If I thought I was going on stage singing Sexy Eyes and nothing else I would have stopped long ago.

“I had a wonderful time with Dr Hook, but I didn’t like all the music. Hook’s biggest successes were calculations.”

He says he did the Dennis Locorriere Celebrates Dr Hook, Hits And History, three years ago (the last time he played St George’s Hall) to introduce himself to an audience who hadn’t thought about him for 30 years. Evidently it paid off. He got a top ten album out of it.

For the past five years he has made his home in Sussex, reflecting perhaps the UK public’s warmer response to him as a solo artist.

“I have not had a lot of solo success in the United States. There seems to be for me a greater sense of familiarity in the UK; people seem to know my history. I really don’t understand America right now, especially as regards what I have to do.

“Rod Stewart, he’s done the great American songbook, volumes 1-4; he’s done the soul songbook; but if he went back to a record label and said, ‘I’ve written 12 songs you’re going to love’, they’d say: ‘Next!’”

He says: “I get plenty of offers to re-record the hits or sing the theme from Titanic. But it seems a little hackish to be everybody’s favourite singer.

“I try to tell people: there’s a life going on here, I am not just a homepage, there’s a heartbeat here. How I feel about what I do is always going to matter to me.

“I understand why an audience wants to remember what it was like at 15 years old. But for me, it doesn’t seem like I am involved in that. I say if the old days were so great, why don’t you go back to your ex-wife?”

Or as Bob Dylan once said to a querulous fan who asked him why he no longer played Blowin’ In The Wind: “Would you ask the Beatles why they no longer do I Wanna Hold Your Hand?”

Dennis Locorriere and Andy Fairweather Low and the Low Riders play St George’s Hall on February 19. The concert starts at 7.30pm. For tickets, ring (01274) 432000.