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R.E.S.P.E.C.T. - The Art of Backing Vocals

From 50s doo-wop, via The Beatles, to multi-tracked Joni Mitchell, Nick Barraclough celebrates the unsung singers. From 2009.

Nick Barraclough pushes aside the lead singer and delves into the world of the backing singer.

With the help of musicians, composers, and vocalists, he draws a straight line from the medieval canon to 50s doo-wop, celebrating the innovations of The Beatles and the multi-tracked world, inhabited by the likes of Joni Mitchell, along the way.

Producer: John Leonard

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2009.

Available now

30 minutes

Last on

Wed 8 May 201901:30

Broadcasts

  • Sat 23 May 200910:30
  • Thu 24 Sep 200911:30
  • Fri 4 Dec 201506:30
  • Fri 4 Dec 201513:30
  • Fri 4 Dec 201520:30
  • Sat 5 Dec 201501:30
  • Tue 7 May 201906:30
  • Tue 7 May 201913:30
  • Tue 7 May 201920:30
  • Wed 8 May 201901:30

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Radio 4 on Music

Re-releasing music documentaries from the Radio 4 Archive.