After Dinner Speakers: Heather Small, Jim Bowen, Martine McCutcheon

Born and raised on a West London council estate, Heather battled with shyness and a profound desire to sing from an early age. Captivated by gospel music's inspirational elements and influenced by '70s reggae and soul, she joined her first group, the blues and soul-tinged band 'HotHouse' while still in her teens. Although their potential was never fully realised, Heather had a fortuitous meeting with Mike Pickering, a DJ at Manchester's famed Hacienda nightclub. After hearing Heather's unique voice he persuaded her to collaborate with a group he'd just formed. A group called M People. A group that would go on to sell over 10 million records worldwide. Although Heather's statuesque vocals have become synonymous with the sound of M People, they took on a new identity on 'Proud', her debut solo album which was the most unexpected album of 2000. On it her distinctive voice simply flows, reminding listeners of the vast talent she possess and shares. What marks Heather out as a unique talent in the producer-led r&b environment or the teen-obsessed pop market is not just her unique, weighty voice, but that her songwriting retains an inner strength. Although Heather's material is steeped in the influence of stellar r&b names (Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye, Sarah Vaughan, Nina Simone, Gladys Knight and Mavis Staples), it communicates an emotional feeling without encouraging a feeling of despair. Over the Olympic period 'Proud' became the 'unofficial Olympic theme.' It was used as the sound bed for the daily round up of all activity! In November 2000, Heather teamed up with the legendary Tom Jones on the single 'You Need Love Like I Do'. Since 'Proud' Heather has been spending time bringing up her son as well as performing guest spots with the Snake Davis Band and doing a few private shows. A duet with Michael McDonald in Mexico in January 2003 for a private show was one of the high points of her career. She has also been involved in the 'Gaia' album project to benefit Global Education, which was written by Alain Simon and involved 350 musicians and 20 guest stars, including members of Fleetwood Mac and Jane Birkin. The album is being released worldwide between the 17th of March 2003 and the 15th of May 2003. The Gaia project was the event of the year at this year's Midem festival where Heather performed. Her one-off concert at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in December 2002 was a sell-out success and a testament to her loyal fan base. More recently Heather has been working hard on writing new material and recording songs for a new solo album. Her appearance on the Parkinson show in April was the most highly-rated episode of the season. She has a short solo tour coming up in June 2003 when she will be performing in York, Manchester, Cambridge and London, showcasing her new material as well as performing a mix of her favorite jazz and soul standards. This will be followed by further shows with the Snake Davis Band at the Southport Theatre and the Soho Palace Theatre.