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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
As told to Dave Simpson

PP Arnold on her star-studded life in music: ‘Peter Gabriel and I used to hang upside down in gravity boots’

Head and shoulders shot of PP Arnold wearing a blue top with lacy sleeves and smiling at the camera
‘My whole career is all about the unexpected’ … PP Arnold. Photograph: Courtesy of Gered Mankowitz/Iconic Images

You’ve played with a lot of incredible artists – Tina Turner, the Small Faces, Nick Drake, Dr John, George Harrison, Peter Gabriel, Roger Waters, the KLF, Ocean Colour Scene and so many more. If you could collaborate with absolutely anyone, who would it be? Harrison1986
I love to collaborate – basically, I like collaborating with people who want to collaborate with me. I’ve just worked with Paul Weller and Cast, but a lot of people I’d love to have worked with are no longer with us. Top of my list on a production level would be Quincy Jones. Vocally, how about something with Prince?! And I love Mavis Staples, who’s still with us; I’ve met her. It would be great to do something with Mavis.

Of all the artists you’ve collaborated with, who stands head and shoulders above the rest? Aubrey26
Tina Turner. Simply the best – and what a joy to have her start a career I never planned on. I was in a very abusive teenage marriage. I said a prayer to ask God to take me out of that situation and a couple of hours later I was in Tina’s living room, singing Dancing in the Street. I’d gone there to help some other ladies – Gloria Scott and Maxine Smith – get the gig, but another girl didn’t show up for the audition. Maxine remembered I used to sing in church and the rest is history. My whole career is all about the unexpected. It think it has a lot to do with manifesting dreams, although being called a “legend” doesn’t pay the bills.

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