Judie Tzuke is best known for her 1979 hit single ‘Stay With Me Till Dawn’. When reviewing her Bury gig in 2015 David Randall noted the outburst from a member of the audience. They didn’t quite know the proper title but were keen to hear Jude play it so they could get the last bus. She duly obliged.
For Randall that gig interaction remains a highlight from a long period of covering the singer songwriter. For many readers she will have been off their radar for the best part of four decades but since establishing her own label (and independence) in the mid-1990s she has produced some of her finest work.
Pete Whalley remains a big fan and recognised ‘…her fortitude, her willingness to work with emerging artists and explore new musical avenues, and for her creativity in producing some of her best works in the latter half of her career. ‘
Reviewing the two Songs collections in 2008 Pete brought the story up to date:
The late 90s and the turn of the decade saw Judie quietly (self) release a clutch of excellent albums – Secret Agent and Queen Secret Keeper – as good as anything in her career, as well as her 2003 covers album The Beauty Of Hindsight, and the last album of her ‘own material’ The End Of The Beginning (2004). And the last couple of years have seen her busier that ever.
Two years later Jason Ritchie reviewed Jude at the Leatherhead Arts centre commenting ‘One of the most enjoyable gigs I have been to in a long time and Judie Tzuke is now firmly on my radar to get her albums for my collection.’
Jason actually identifies the theme behind the ‘GRTR! Greats’ series, encouraging the less familiar reader or listener to venture out and explore back catalogue and maybe a gig. In this respect Judie Tzuke does not disappoint.
On the same tour, about a week later Pete Whalley witnessed the Manchester gig at The Lowry. He identified a voice that had got better with age, a setlist that could be pored over due to the sheer weight of inevitable exclusions and a frustration that her tours were rare.
Judie Tzuke remains a rare talent and one to be treasured. Invest in her music and catch her on tour if you can.
That tour was promoting an excellent CD compilation bringing together all the significant tracks since the 1970s. In 2000 she had managed to get the rights back to her first three albums released by Rocket Records so this material was not off-menu.
“… Moon On A Mirrorball is an excellent way of rediscovering some re-mastered golden oldies…”
David Randall chatted to Judie Tzuke for Get Ready to ROCK! Radio. First broadcast in April 2010.
Jude is a great collaborator and this album included work with Morcheeba – ‘Enjoy The Ride’ – which also became a regular in her live setlist – along with four new tracks and a couple of re-recordings.
2011′s One Tree Less maintained the high quality of the ‘Songs’ albums and in 2012 the album was toured with a return visit to The Lowry. Pete Whalley noted that some of the best moments were when everything was stripped back, pondering whether a full setlist of just voice and piano would be desirable.
David Randall chatted to Judie Tzuke for Get Ready to ROCK! Radio. This is Part 1 of a two part special. First broadcast September 2016.
Part 2 of the interview special first broadcast on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, September 2016.
Jude’s next projected album – ‘Women Overboard’- suffered delay and the accompanying tour suffered some cancelled dates due to her throat infection. Nevertheless another album was available that year – Song Club – available directly from www.tzuke.com and maintaining the high quality of the scheduled main release. The 13 tracks had been only available as a download previously and highlights that Jude was dealing direct to her fanbase and offering music via a subscription set-up.
Photo: David Randall/GRTR!
2014 saw Kate Bush’s comeback and Pete Whalley noted, reviewing the Salford gig:
It’s ironic that while Kate Bush’s return to the stage has seen her badged a national treasure, Judie – who quietly continues to ply her trade – has yet to be fully appreciated for the ongoing quality of her work. Her vocal timbre may have weathered but that has added a poignant dimension to her delivery that was absent in her early years.
Songs & Stories was a good humoured evening that left everyone present with a warm glow. Judie Tzuke had bravely opened the window to her world and you just wanted to give her a hug and say ‘well done Jude, you were brilliant’. What a thoroughly nice woman and a wonderful artist.
In May 2015 she embarked on an extensive ‘Songs & Stories’ tour which pretty much answered Whalley’s earlier suggestion.
What made the ‘show’ different to almost any other I’ve seen was the ‘an audience with’ format, with Jude telling stories and taking questions from the floor. And it was how she told those tales and anecdotes – as if she was just having a ‘natter’ over a cup of tea – that won the audience over. It was so ‘natural’ that you really felt like she was your new best friend.
This format took Jude through 2016 whilst the following year her album Peace Has Broken Out made our end of year ‘Best of’ selections. She never hurries her album releases and Pete Whalley noted the six year gap between this and ‘One Tree Less’. This was essentially the so-called ‘Women Overboard’ piece that was delayed, not least due to the artist’s personal troubles and cancer scare.
Since 2017, and notwithstanding the pandemic, Jude has toured with Beverley Craven and Julia Fordham releasing the album ‘Woman To Woman’ in 2018 and in 2023 the latest studio album ‘Jude The Unsinkable’ a fair enough description of the singer songwriter who has enchanted the faithful since the late 1970s whilst consolidating her undoubted power in the millennium. She tours with Beth Nielsen Chapman in October 2025 and has announced a new solo album for release in 2026.
Pete Whalley sums up why he thought she won the gong for singer songwriters, after a period of reviewing 8 studio albums and a compilation.
‘…contrasting styles that comes from the heart, reflective of her own personal ups and downs. And you can’t ask for more than that.’
Main story; David Randall
Main contributors: David Randall, Jason Ritchie, Pete Whalley
UK Tour Dates 2025
18 Oct The Apex Bury St. Edmunds
19 Oct St George’s Bristol
21 Oct Buxton Opera House Buxton
22 Oct Theatre Severn Shrewsbury
23 Oct Cadogan Hall London
25 Oct The Stables Wavendon
31 Oct The Haymarket Basingstoke
02 Nov The Fire Station Sunderland
03 Nov The Queen’s Hall Edinburgh
05 Nov RNCM (Royal Northern College of Music) Manchester
06 Nov The Atkinson Southport
08 Nov Turner Sims Concert Hall Southampton
09 Nov De La Warr Pavilion Bexhill On Sea
Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK
Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions,
Check out videos here: https://www.facebook.com/getreadytorockradio
David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 16 November 2025.
UK Blues Broadcaster of the Year (2020 and 2021 Finalist) Pete Feenstra presents his weekly Rock & Blues Show on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT as part of a five hour blues rock marathon “Tuesday is Bluesday at GRTR!”. The show is repeated on Wednesdays at 22:00, Fridays at 20:00). This 600th show was first broadcast on 18 November 2025
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Power Plays w/c 1 December 2025
We feature all the artists selected in this sequence in 2025.
Featured Albums w/c 1 December 2025
09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003 – 2025 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003 – 2025 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003 – 2025 (Singer Songwriter)
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