Cliff Richard

Cliff Richard

Sir Cliff Richard in 2006.
Background information
Birth name Harry Rodger Webb
Born 14 October 1940 (1940-10-14) (age 70)
Lucknow, United Provinces, British India
Genres Skiffle, rock and roll, pop, gospel, CCM
Occupations Musician, actor, entrepreneur
Instruments Vocals, guitar
Years active 1958–present
Labels EMI, Decca, Columbia, Epic, Rocket, Papillon
Associated acts The Shadows, Olivia Newton-John
Website CliffRichard.org

Sir Cliff Richard, OBE (born Harry Rodger Webb; 14 October 1940)[1] is an English singer, musician, performer, actor, entrepreneur and philanthropist.

With his backing group The Shadows, Richard, originally positioned as a rebellious rock and roll singer in the Elvis Presley style, dominated the British popular music scene in the pre-Beatles period of the late 1950s and early 1960s. His 1958 hit single "Move It" is often described as Britain's first authentic rock and roll song, and John Lennon once claimed that "before Cliff and the Shadows, there had been nothing worth listening to in British music."[2][3] A conversion to Christianity and subsequent softening of his music later led to a more middle of the road pop image, sometimes venturing into gospel.

Over a 52-year career, Richard has become a fixture of the British entertainment world. He has amassed hundreds of gold and platinum discs and awards, including three Brit awards and two Ivor Novello awards, making him one of the most successful singers of all time. He has had more than 130 singles (Sold more than 120 million singles worldwide), albums and EPs make the UK Top 20, more than any other artist.[4] He holds the record (with Elvis Presley) as the only act to make the UK singles charts in all of its first six decades (1950s–2000s). He has achieved 14 UK number one singles (or 18, depending on the counting methodology) and is the only singer to have had a number one single in the UK in five consecutive decades: the 1950s through to the 1990s (discounting digital downloads and counting only CDs, he also had a UK number one single in the 2000s). He is the biggest selling singles artist of all time in the UK, with total sales of over 27 million and UK album sales of over 18 million.

Richard holds many records for the amount of concerts held at various venues around the world. In the UK he holds the record for most performances at the Royal Albert Hall, with over 80 performances at the venue with audiences reaching 450,000. He also holds the record for most shows at Wembley Arena, were he has performed over 65 concerts to audiences of nearly 800,000. In Birmingham, Richard has performed over 55 shows at the NIA (totalling 620,000 attendees), in addition to over 20 shows the NEC arena. In Manchester Richard has performed at the MEN arena 8 times with over 120,000 fans attending the shows. He has appeared twice at Wembley Stadium in 1989 in celebration of his 30th year in music, over 144,000 fans attended the sold out shows. Richard has also performed hundreds of times in Australia and New Zealand in cities including Melbourne, Sydney and Auckland performing to hundreds of thousands.

Richard has never achieved the same impact in the United States despite eight US Top 40 singles, three of which peaked in the Top 10, including the million selling "Devil Woman" and "We Don't Talk Anymore" (with the latter, becoming the first act to reach the Hot 100's top 40 in the 1980s who had also been in that chart's top 40 in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s). In the USA, his singles sales stand at around 10 million while his album sales are about 6 million. In Canada Richard achieved moderate success in the 1980s with a couple of albums gaining platinum status, he has sold around 5 million records there. He has remained a popular music, film, and television personality in Australia (where he has sold more than 5 million records), New Zealand, South Africa, Europe (especially in Germany, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Holland and Belgium) and Asia (especially Malaysia, Singapore, Japan and Hong Kong), and he retains a following in other countries also. He has sold more than 260 million records worldwide.

Contents

Biography

1940–58: Childhood

Richard was born on 14 October 1940 at the King George Hospital, Victoria Street, in Lucknow, British India, to Rodger Oscar Webb, a manager for a catering contractor that serviced the Indian Railways, and Dorothy Marie Webb (née Dazely). Rodger Webb was 17 years senior to his wife, Dorothy. Richard was baptised Harry Rodger Webb on 2 November 1940 at St Thomas's Church, Dehradun, India. The family lived in a modest house with other Anglo-Indians at Maqbara, close to the main shopping centre of Hazratganj. The Anglo-Indians living at Maqbara often were employed as musicians; a band from there played at the Royal Cafe Restaurant, Lucknow, and another at the Mohmmad Bagh club, which was the officers' military club serving the large garrison at Lucknow.[5] Dorothy's mother served as the dormitory matron at the La Martinier Girls' School. Anglo-Indians did not enjoy any social status in India and were looked down upon by the British.[5]

In 1948, following Indian independence the family embarked on a three week sea voyage to Tilbury, England aboard the SS Ranchi. The Webbs moved from comparative wealth in India, where they had servants and lived in a company-supplied flat at Howrah near Calcutta, to a semi-detached house in Carshalton, Surrey (which was the also the location of the school he attended, Stanley Park Juniors). In 1949 his father obtained employment in the credit control office of Thorn Electrical Industries and the family moved in with other relatives in Hertfordshire until a three-bedroom council house in Cheshunt was allocated to them in 1950. Harry Webb then attended Riversmead School (which was later renamed Bishopslea School) from 1952 to 1957. As a member of the top stream he stayed on beyond the mimimum leaving age to take GCE Ordinary Level examinations and he gained a pass in English. He then started work as a filing clerk for a company called Atlas Lamps.[6] A development of flats, Cliff Richard Court, has been named after him in Cheshunt.[7]

Harry Webb became interested in skiffle. His father bought him a guitar at 16 and he formed the Quintones vocal group in 1957. He then sang in the Dick Teague Skiffle Group.

1958–1963: Success and stardom

Harry Webb became lead singer of a rock and roll group, The Drifters (not to be confused with the U.S. group of the same name). 1950s entrepreneur Harry Greatorex wanted the up and coming Rock 'n' Roll singer to change from his real name of Harry Webb. The name "Cliff" was adopted as it sounded like cliff face, which suggested "Rock." It was "Move It" writer Ian Samwell who suggested that the former Harry Webb be surnamed Richard as a tribute to Little Richard.[8] Before their first large-scale appearance, at the Regal Ballroom in Ripley, Derbyshire in 1958, they adopted the name "Cliff Richard and the Drifters". The four members were Harry Webb (now going under the stage name "Cliff Richard"), Ian "Sammy" Samwell on guitar, Terry Smart on drums and Norman Mitham on guitar. None of the other three played with the later and better known Shadows, although Samwell wrote songs for Richard's later career.

For his debut session, Norrie Paramor provided Richard with "Schoolboy Crush", a cover of an American record by Bobby Helms. Richard was permitted to record one of his own songs for the B-side; this was "Move It", written by the Drifters' Samwell on a number 715 Green Line bus on the way to Richard's house for a rehearsal. For the "Move It" session Paramor used the session guitarist Ernie Shears on lead guitar and Frank Clark on bass.

There are a number of stories about why the A-side was replaced by the intended B-side. One is that Norrie Paramor's young daughter raved about the B-side; another was that influential TV producer Jack Good, who used the act for his TV show Oh Boy!, wanted the only song on his show to be "Move It".[9] Richard was quoted as saying -

“ It's wonderful to be going on TV for the first time, but I feel so nervous that I don't know what to do. I shaved my sideburns off last night... Jack Good said it would make me look more original. ”

NME - September 1958[10]

The single went to No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart. Music critics Roy Carr and Tony Tyler wrote that it was the first genuine British rock classic, followed by Johnny Kidd and the Pirates' "Shakin' All Over". John Lennon was quoted as saying that "Move It" was the first English rock record.

In the early days, Richard was marketed as the British equivalent to Elvis Presley. Like previous British rockers such as Tommy Steele and Marty Wilde, Richard adopted Presley-like dress and hairstyle. In performance he struck a pose of rock attitude, rarely smiling or looking at the audience or camera. His late 1958 and early 1959 follow-up singles, "High Class Baby" and "Livin' Lovin' Doll", were followed by "Mean Streak", which carried a rocker's sense of speed and passion, and Lionel Bart's "Living Doll". It was on "Living Doll" that the Drifters began to back Richard on record. It was his fifth record,and became his first number 1 single . By that time the group's lineup had changed with the arrival of Jet Harris, Tony Meehan, Hank Marvin, and Bruce Welch. The group was obliged to change its name to "The Shadows" after legal complications with the U.S. Drifters as "Living Doll" entered the American top 40, licensed by ABC-Paramount. "Living Doll" was used in Richard's debut film Serious Charge, but as a country standard, rather than a rock and roll standard.

The Shadows were not a typical backing group. They would become contractually separate from Richard, and the group received no royalties for records backing Richard. In 1959, The Shadows (then still the Drifters) landed an EMI recording contract of their own, for independent recordings. That year, they released three singles, two of which featured double-sided vocals and one of which had instrumental A and B sides. In 1960, they recorded and released "Apache". Reaching the top of the charts in more than one country, the single set The Shadows on a path of their own. They thereafter had several major hits, including five UK No. 1s. The band also continued to appear and record with Richard and wrote many of his hits. On more than one occasion, a Shadows' instrumental replaced a Richard song at the top of the British charts.

Richard's fifth single "Living Doll" triggered a softer, more relaxed, sound. Subsequent hits, the No. 1s "Travellin' Light" and "I Love You" and also "A Voice in the Wilderness "lifted from his film "Expresso Bongo" and "Theme for a Dream" cemented Richard's status as a mainstream pop entertainer along with contemporaries such as Adam Faith and Billy Fury. Throughout the early sixties his hits were consistently in the top five.

Typically, The Shadows closed the first half of the show with a 30-minute set of their own, then backed Richard on his show-closing 45-minute stint. Tony Meehan and Jet Harris left the group in 1961 and 1962 respectively and later had their own chart successes for Decca. The Shadows added bass players and took on Brian Bennett on drums.

In the early days, Richard sometimes recorded without The Shadows in order to cater to other styles. Even after the Beatles' rise he continued to achieve hits, although more often with an orchestra rather than The Shadows: a revival of "It's All In The Game" and "Constantly". A session under the direction of Billy Sherrill in Nashville yielded two more top two hits: "The Minute You're Gone" and "Wind Me Up" in 1965.

Cliff Richard, and in particular The Shadows, never achieved star status in the United States. In 1960 they toured the U.S. and were well-received; however, lacklustre support and distribution from a revolving door of American record labels proved an obstacle to long-term success Stateside despite several chart records by Cliff including the aforementioned "It's All In The Game" on Epic, via a renewed linking of the worldwide Columbia labels after Philips ended its distribution deal with CBS. To the Shadows' chagrin, Apache reached #1 in the U.S. via a cover version by Danish guitarist Jorgen Ingmann which was virtually unchanged from their worldwide hit, save a sound effect Ingmann added evoking whooshing arrows in flight created by flicking his fingers on the fretboard. Cliff and the band appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show, which was crucial for The Beatles, but these performances did not help them gain sustained success in North America.

Richard and The Shadows appeared in six feature films all commercially successful,( although the films title was changed to suit various countrys markets) , including a rather odd debut in the 1959 film Serious Charge but most notably in The Young Ones, (the title song being his biggest hit up to "Mistletoe and Wine"), Summer Holiday (which featured a slimmed-down Richard with visible dancing skills), Wonderful Life and Finders Keepers. These films created their own genre known as the "Cliff Richard musical" and led to Richard being named the number one cinema box office attraction in Britain for both 1962 and 1963 beating that of even James Bond. The irreverent 1980s TV sitcom The Young Ones took its name from Richard's 1962 movie, and also made references to the singer. In 1966, Richard and the Shadows appeared as marionettes in the Gerry Anderson film Thunderbirds Are GO. In the summer of 1963 Cliff and the Shadows appeared for a season in Blackpool, where Cliff had his portrait modelled by Victor Heyfron, M.A.

1964–1975: Changing circumstances

As with the other existing rock acts in Britain, Richard's career was affected by the sudden advent of The Beatles and the Mersey sound in 1963 and 1964. However, his popularity was established enough to allow him to weather the storm and continue to have hits in the charts throughout the 1960s, albeit not at the level that he had enjoyed before. Nor did doors open to him in the U.S. market; he was not considered part of the British Invasion, and despite four Hot 100 hits (including the top 25 "It's All In The Game") between August 1963 and August 1964, the U.S. public had little awareness of him. However, he continued having international hits, including 1967's "The Day I Met Marie", which reached #10 in the UK Singles Chart and #5 in the Australian charts, and is considered a quintessential summer hit, due to its summery nature.

Although baptised as an Anglican, Richard did not appear to practise the faith in his early years. However, in 1964, he became an active Christian and this conversion has become an important aspect of his life. Standing up publicly as a Christian affected his career in several ways. Initially, he believed that he should quit rock 'n roll, feeling he could no longer be the rocker who had been called a "crude exhibitionist" and "too sexy for TV" and a threat to parents' daughters. However, by the time Richard converted, his image had become tamer because of his film roles and well-spoken manners on radio and TV. Richard intended at first to 'reform his ways' and become a teacher, but Christian friends advised him not to abandon his career just because he had become a Christian. Soon after, Cliff Richard re-emerged, performing with Christian groups and recording some Christian material. He still recorded secular songs with the Shadows, but devoted a lot of his time to Christian work, including appearances with the Billy Graham crusades. As time progressed, Richard balanced his faith and work, enabling him to remain one of the most popular singers in Britain as well as one of its best-known Christians. He was a leading figure in the Nationwide Festival of Light during 1971, protesting against the commercial exploitation of sex and violence in Britain, and advocating the teaching of Christ as the key to recovering moral stability in the nation.

Cliff Richard's first serious acting role took place in the 1967 film Two a Penny, released by Billy Graham's World Wide Pictures,[11] in which he played a young man who gets involved in drug dealing while questioning his life after his girlfriend changes her attitude. He released the live album "Cliff in Japan", which featured Olivia Newton-John as backing singer and John Farrar on guitar (Farrar would later be Newton-John's producer).

Also in 1968 he sang the UK's entry in the Eurovision Song Contest: "Congratulations" by Bill Martin and Phil Coulter; it lost by just one point to Spain's "La La La". According to John Kennedy O'Connor's The Eurovision Song Contest—The Official History, this was the closest result yet in the contest and Richard locked himself in the toilet to avoid the nerves of the voting.[12] In May 2008 a Reuters news report claimed that voting in the competition had been fixed by the host country's dictator leader, Francisco Franco, to ensure that the Spanish entry won, allowing them to host the contest the following year (1969). In particular, it is claimed that Spanish TVE television executives offered to buy programmes in exchange for votes.[13][14] This has not been proved beyond doubt, but it is thought likely. The story was widely covered and featured on UK Channel 4 News as a main story, with Jon Snow interviewing author and historian John Kennedy O'Connor about the matter.[15] Eurovision later ended voting by national juries in a bid to eradicate such alleged scams. Nevertheless, "Congratulations" was a huge hit throughout Europe and yet another No. 1 in April 1968.

After the Shadows split in 1968, Richard continued to record. He had already become accustomed to the Shadows' absence, and was able to record in a variety of settings. Although many of his earliest fans regretted that Richard had tried out songs which were not strictly in the rock 'n roll genre, most had got used to his habit of recording rockier material with the Shadows, while producing more middle-of-the-road material at other times; this versatility extended Richard's career prospects.

Portrait by Allan Warren

During the 1970s, Richard took part in television shows, such as It's Cliff, many of which also starred Hank Marvin and Una Stubbs, and which included A Song for Europe. These shows, for a time, branded Cliff Richard as a television personality more than a recording artist. He began 1970 by appearing live on the BBC's review of the sixties music scene, Pop Go The Sixties, which was broadcast across Britain and Europe on 1 January. He performed "Bachelor Boy" with The Shadows and "Congratulations" solo. In 1972, he made a short BBC television comedy film called The Case with appearances from comedians and his first ever duets with a woman, Olivia Newton-John. In 1973 he starred in the film Take Me High.

In 1973 he sang the British Eurovision entry "Power to All Our Friends"; the song finished third, close behind Luxembourg's "Tu Te Reconnaîtras" and Spain's "Eres Tú". This time, Richard took Valium in order to overcome his nerves and his manager was almost unable to wake him for the performance.[16] Richard also hosted the BBC's qualifying heat for the Eurovision Song Contest, A Song for Europe, in 1970, 1971 and 1972 as part of his BBCTV variety series. He presented the Eurovision Song Contest Previews for the BBC in 1971 and 1972.

1976–1994: Comeback

In 1976 the decision was made to repackage Cliff Richard as a "rock" artist. That year he produced the landmark album I'm Nearly Famous, which included the successful but controversial guitar-driven track "Devil Woman" (Richard's first true hit in the United States) and the ballad "Miss You Nights". Richard's fans were excited about this revival of a performer who had been a part of British rock from its early days. Many music names such as Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, and Elton John were seen sporting I'm Nearly Famous badges, pleased that their boyhood idol was getting back into the heavier rock in which he had begun his career.

Notwithstanding this, Richard continued to release Gospel-tinged albums in parallel with his rock and pop albums, for example: Small Corners from 1978 contained the single "Yes He Lives". Despite his 1976 comeback, this single failed to chart in the United Kingdom. In 1980, the singer would legally change his name by deed poll from Harry Webb to Cliff Richard.[17] On 31 December 1976, he performed his latest single "Hey, Mr. Dream Maker" on BBC1's A Jubilee Of Music, celebrating British pop music for Queen Elizabeth II's impending Silver Jubilee.

In 1979, Richard teamed up with the producer Bruce Welch for the pop hit single "We Don't Talk Anymore", written by Alan Tarney, which hit #1 in the UK and #7 in the U.S. Brian Ferry added hummed backing vocals to the song. The record gave Richard the distinction of becoming the first act to reach the Hot 100 in the 1980s who had also reached the Hot 100 in each of the three previous decades. The song was quickly added onto the end of his latest album Rock 'n' Roll Juvenile. It was his first time at the top of the UK singles chart in over ten years, and the song would become his biggest-selling single ever. The accompanying music video was the sixth to appear on American cable channel MTV when it debuted on 1 August 1981.

At long last he had some extended success in the United States following "Devil Woman". The follow-up "Dreaming" also reached the top ten, peaking at #10. His 1980 duet "Suddenly" with Olivia Newton-John, from the film Xanadu, was a Top 20 hit in America, peaking at #20. Richard continued with a string of top ten albums, including I'm No Hero, Wired for Sound, Now You See Me, Now You Don't, and, marking his 25th year in show business, Silver. The singles chart also saw his most consistent period of top twenty hits since the mid 1960s, with three of them on the Hot 100 at the same time at the end of 1980. His 1985 single "She's So Beautiful" reached No. 17 in the UK. 1987 saw Richard record his Always Guaranteed album, which became his best selling album of all new material. It contained the two top ten hit singles "My Pretty One" and "Some People". Richard concluded his thirtieth year in music by reaching number one on the British singles chart with "Mistletoe and Wine", while simultaneously holding the number one positions on the album and video charts with the compilation Private Collection summing up his biggest hits from 1979-1988. "Mistletoe and Wine" was his biggest seller to that point.

In 1986, Richard teamed up with The Young Ones to re-record his smash hit "Living Doll" for the charity Comic Relief. Along with the song, the recording contained comedy dialogue between Richard and The Young Ones. The release went to No. 1. That same year he opened in the West End as a rock musician called upon to defend Earth in a trial set in the Andromeda Galaxy in the multi-media Dave Clark musical Time. Two Richard singles, "She's So Beautiful" and "Born To Rock 'n Roll", were released respectively in 1985 and 1986 from the concept album recorded for Time.

Further top ten albums included Stronger in 1989, which included the UK No. 2 hit "Best Of Me", and UK No. 3 "Just Don't Have The Heart" written and produced by Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman, and From a Distance in 1990. Later that year, Richard scored his second UK Christmas No. 1 single with "Saviour's Day". Richard unsuccessfully bid for the Christmas No. 1 spot again with "We Should Be Together" and "Healing Love" in 1991 and 1993 respectively – the latter being taken from his No. 1 studio album Cliff Richard – The Album. The next few years saw Richard concentrate on bringing the musical Heathcliff to the stage. The production was a resounding success, but the time it took seemed to take a toll on his reinvigorated chart status. Back in the UK during the next years and throughout the 1980s, Richard remained one of the best-known music artists in the country. In the space of a few years he worked with Elton John, Mark Knopfler, Julian Lennon, Freddie Mercury, Stevie Wonder, Phil Everly, Janet Jackson, Sheila Walsh, and Van Morrison. Richard also reunited with Olivia Newton-John. In 1989, he filled the Wembley Stadium for a few nights with a spectacular titled "The Event". Meanwhile, The Shadows later re-formed (and again split). They recorded on their own, but also reunited with Richard in 1978, 1984, and 1989–90 for some concerts. On 14 June 2004 Cliff Richard joined the Shadows on-stage at the London Palladium. The Shadows had decided to re-form for one final tour of the UK, with this concert heralded as their final ever concert as "Cliff and the Shadows."

1995–2009: Sir Cliff Richard

Cliff Richard was knighted on 25 October 1995, the first rock star to be so honoured (Bob Geldof had received his honorary knighthood a full nine years earlier, but not being a British subject, he is not permitted to use the title 'Sir', whether in the UK or abroad). Richard was knighted ahead of Paul McCartney (1997), Elton John (1998), Mick Jagger and Tom Jones.

In 1996 he famously led the Wimbledon Centre Court crowd in singing during a rain delay when asked by Wimbledon officials to entertain the crowd. Richard was not aware this performance was being televised by the BBC and after singing six of his golden greats, TV presenter Des Lynam commented on this and added jokingly "we'll probably get one hell of a bill". The performance was front page headlines on many of the major British newspapers the following day.

In 1998, Richard demonstrated that radio station radios were refusing to play his music by releasing his latest single "Can't Keep This Feeling In" on a white label under the pseudonym of Blacknight. The single was well regarded and featured on playlists until the true artist was revealed.[18] In 1999, controversy again arose regarding radio stations refusing to play his releases when EMI, Richard's label since 1958, refused to release his latest song, "Millennium Prayer". Richard took it to an independent label, Papillon, which released the charity recording (in aid of Children's Promise). The single went on to top the UK chart for three weeks, becoming his fourteenth No. 1 and the third-highest-selling single of his career. Richard's next album, in 2001, was a covers project, Wanted, followed by another top ten album, Cliff at Christmas. The holiday album contained both new and older recordings, including the single "Santa's List", which reached No. 5 in 2003.

Cliff Richard finished number 56 in the 2002 100 Greatest Britons list, sponsored by the BBC and voted for by the public.

Richard decamped to Nashville, Tennessee for his next album project in 2004, employing a writers' conclave to give him the pick of all new songs for the album Something's Goin' On. Though the collection was critically well-received, it had disappointing sales. Nevertheless it was yet another top ten album, and produced three top fifteen singles: "Something's Goin' On", "I Cannot Give You My Love", with Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees, and the lively "What Car". Richard did not hide his disappointment with the album's lacklustre sales, and it was speculated that it might have been his last ever album of original songs.

Two's Company, an album of duets released in 2006, was another top 10 success and included newly recorded material with Brian May, Dionne Warwick, Anne Murray, Barry Gibb and Daniel O'Donnell, plus some previously recorded duets with artists such as Phil Everly, Elton John and Olivia Newton-John. Two's Company was released to coincide with the UK leg of his latest world tour, "Here and Now", which included a number of lesser known but fan-favourite songs such as "My Kinda Life", "How Did She Get Here", "Hey Mr. Dream Maker", "For Life", "A Matter Of Moments", "When The Girl In Your Arms", "Every Face Tells A Story", "Peace In Our Time" and the Christmas single "21st Century Christmas", which debuted at No. 2 on the UK singles chart.

Richard's mother, Dorothy Webb, suffered from dementia. In a September 2006 interview with the Daily Mail, he spoke about the difficulties he and his sisters had in dealing with their mother's condition.[19] On 18 October 2007 a statement on the star's website read, "We are sad to report that Cliff's mother, Dorothy, passed away early on 17 October; she was 87."

Another compilation album, Love... The Album was released on 12 November 2007. Like Two's Company before it, this album includes both previously released material and newly recorded songs, namely "Waiting For A Girl Like You", "When You Say Nothing At All", "All Out Of Love", "If You're Not the One" and "When I Need You" (the last was released as a single, reaching number 38; the album peaked at number 13). The concept of the project has divided fans who anticipate an album of new material.

50th Anniversary Tour, Wembley
50th Anniversary Tour, Wembley

2008, Richard's 50th year in music, saw the release of the 8 CD box set And They Said It Wouldn't Last (My 50 Years In Music).[20] In September, a single celebrating his 50 years in pop music, titled "Thank You for a Lifetime" was released. On 14 September 2008 it reached No. 3 on the UK music charts. On 2 November 2008, British newspaper The Mail on Sunday gave away a free promotional CD entitled 50th Anniversary containing 12 tracks picked by Richard himself. On 11 November 2008, Cliff Richard's official website announced that 20 years after their latest concert together, Cliff and The Shadows would reunite to celebrate their 50th anniversary in the music business. A month later they performed at the Royal Variety Performance. In 2009 Cliff and The Shadows will bring their partnership to an end with the "Golden Anniversary concert tour of the UK". A new album by Cliff Richard and the Shadows was released in September 2009. Titled Reunited, It was their first studio project in forty years. The 28 tracks recorded comprise 25 re-recordings of their earlier classics, with three "new" tracks, originally from that era (and earlier), the single "Singing the Blues", along with Eddie Cochran's "C'mon Everybody" and the Frankie Ford hit "Sea Cruise". The tracks are to be spread across the single and its bonus tracks, a limited edition version of the album, as well as a standard CD release. The album charted at number 6 in the UK charts in its opening week and peaked at number 4. The reunion tour is to continue into Europe in 2010.

In June 2009 it was reported by Sound Kitchen Studios in Nashville that Cliff was to return there shortly to record a new album of original recordings of jazz songs.[21] He was to record fourteen tracks in a week. He also stated his intention to record with bluegrass singer Alison Krauss.

2010: Bold as Brass – 70th birthday

Sir Cliff performed "Congratulations" at the 70th birthday celebrations of Queen Margrethe II in Denmark on 13 April 2010.

In October 2010 Cliff Richard will celebrate his 70th birthday. To mark the occasion Richard will be performing a series of six concerts at the Royal Albert Hall, London. Tickets for the concerts went on sale on 7 March and sold out within a few hours. To accompany the concerts a new album of cover versions of swing standards, Bold as Brass, is to be released on 11 October. The album, an ode to the early jazz and big band era, features many classic standards such as "I've Got You Under My Skin", "They Can't Take That Away From Me" and "I Just Want To Make Love To You". The album was recorded in Nashville and produced by Grammy Award-winning Michael Omartian.

Lack of commercial support

Cliff Richard openly complains about the lack of commercial support he receives from radio stations and record labels. He spoke about this on The Alan Titchmarsh Show on ITV in December 2007, pointing out that while new bands needed airplay for promotion and sales, long-established artists like himself also relied upon airplay for the same ends. He did note, however, that so-called eighties radio stations did play his records and that this went some way to help sales and maintain his media presence. In the recent BBC Radio 2 documentary "Cliff – Take Another Look", he pointed out that many documentaries charting the history of British music (e.g. I'm in a Rock 'n' Roll Band!) fail to even mention him.[22]

Cliff Richard's protracted chart success undermines radio stations' claims that he does not enjoy the support of their target audiences. Richard believes he is "the most radical rock star there has ever been".[22] Richard's premise is that his decision not to adopt the "sex, drugs and alcohol" image expected of rock stars, then and now, was the truly avant-garde choice.

Personal life

Richard is a lifelong bachelor.[23] He has said that he once considered marriage to the dancer Jackie Irving and later to the former tennis player Sue Barker. Asked about rumours in the media about him being homosexual, Richard has said: "I am sick to death of the media’s speculation about it".[23] Richard currently lives with a former Roman Catholic priest, John McElynn, whom he met in 2001 while doing charity work in the United States;[23] McElynn has been described as Richard's property manager and looks after the properties whilst Richard is away. Richard describes McElynn as a close friend and companion, and Richard declines discussion about their relationship: "what business is it of anyone else’s what any of us are as individuals? I don’t think my fans would care either way."[23]

Richard has called on the Church of England to affirm people's commitment in same-sex marriage.[23][24] In his autobiography he states that "... many of my friends are gay – let's face it, homosexuality has been legal for more than thirty years. For me, the commitment is what counts – and I'll leave the judging to God."[25]

In a letter written in October 1961 to "his first serious girlfriend",[26] Australian dancer Delia Wicks, and made public in April 2010 after her death from cancer, Sir Cliff writes: "Being a pop singer I have to give up one priceless thing – the right to any lasting relationship with any special girl."[26] The pair had been dating for 18 months. In the letter he goes on to say: "I couldn't give up my career, besides the fact that my mother and sisters, since my father's death, rely on me completely. (...) I have showbiz in my blood now and I would be lost without it."[26]

Richard's father, Roger Webb, died in 1961, and his mother Dorothy died in 2007.

According to the Sunday Times Rich List 2010, Richard is worth £50m. As well as owning various houses and apartments around the world, Richard has become joint owner of the Arora International Hotel in Manchester, which opened in June 2004. He also owns a Quinta in the Algarve, Portugal, where he is involved in the production of wines at the Adega do Cantor (“Winery of the Singer”), a state-of-the-art winery in Guia, near Albufeira. In 2006 Cliff Richard received Portugal’s equivalent of a knighthood in recognition of his 40 years of personal and business involvement in that country.

Charitable and humanitarian interests

Works and achievements

Discography

Awards

Brit Awards
TV Times
The Sun Reader Polls
NME Reader Polls[27]
Ivor Novello
Melody Maker
Disc & Music Echo
Bravo Magazine (Germany)
Record Mirror
1960s
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s

Tours and concerts

Filmography

Film

TV series

Stage musicals

See also

Further reading

References

  1. ↑ Cliffennium, Volume 1, retrieved 12 March 2008.
  2. ↑ Tony Meehan Obituary, The Times, 30 November 2005.
  3. ↑ Anon. "Tony Meehan". Spectropop remembers. http://www.spectropop.com/remembers/TMeehanobit.htm. Retrieved 4 December 2009. 
  4. ↑ Top Hits from EveryHit
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Stark, Herbert Alick. Hostages To India: OR The Life Story of the Anglo Indian Race. Third Edition. London: The Simon Wallenberg Press: Vol 2: Anglo Indian Heritage Books
  6. ↑ Cliff Richard,Penny Junor (2008). My Life, My Way. Headline Publishing Group. ISBN 0-755-31588-X. 
  7. ↑ Google maps
  8. ↑ http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=7524
  9. ↑ Cliff Richard himself stated that the latter theory is correct; interviewed for the first episode of the BBC Four programme, Pop Britannia, broadcast on 4 January 2008.
  10. ↑ Tobler, John (1992). NME Rock 'N' Roll Years (1st ed.). London: Reed International Books Ltd. p. 58. CN 5585. 
  11. ↑ Two a Penny (1967) IMDB.com
  12. ↑ O'Connor, John Kennedy. Richard says: Spain is the best of Eurovision Song Contest.
  13. ↑ Reuters
  14. ↑ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/celebritynews/1926993/How-Franco-cheated-Cliff-of-victory-in-Eurovision.html Telegraph article
  15. ↑ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hiF3Ylj6oRM&feature=channel_page
  16. ↑ O'Connor, John Kennedy. The Eurovision Song Contest - The Official History. Carlton Books, UK. 2007. ISBN 978-1-84442-994-3
  17. ↑ London Gazette: no. 48318, p. 13397, 24 September 1980. Retrieved 17 June 2009.
  18. ↑ "Sir Cliff foils radio ban". BBC News. 11 October 1998. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/191194.stm. Retrieved 30 April 2010. 
  19. ↑ Daily Mail
  20. ↑ cliffrichard.org - And They Said It Wouldn't Last (My 50 Years In Music)
  21. ↑ http://www.soundkitchen.com/newsitem.cfm?uid=06152009143535 Sound Kitchen Studios
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 BBC
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 23.3 23.4 Sir Cliff Richard calls on Church to bless gay marriage. The Times. Published 4 September 2008. Accessed 5, September 2008.
  24. ↑ Green, Chris (6 September 2008). "Sir Cliff speaks frankly about his 'companion' the ex-priest". The Independent (London). http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/sir-cliff-speaks-frankly-about-his-companion-the-expriest-920825.html. Retrieved 30 April 2010. 
  25. ↑ My Life, My Way, Cliff Richard with Penny Junor, Vox Rock Ltd., London, 2008, p. 39
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 "Sir Cliff picked music over love". BBC News. 10 April 2010. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8612817.stm. Retrieved 30 April 2010. 
  27. ↑ "Rocklist.net...NME Lists readers Pop Poll Results...". www.rocklistmusic.co.uk. http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/poppoll.html. Retrieved 2010-09-03. 

External links

Preceded by
Sandie Shaw
with "Puppet on a String"		 UK in the Eurovision Song Contest
1968		 Succeeded by
Lulu
with "Boom Bang-a-Bang"
Preceded by
The New Seekers
with "Beg, Steal or Borrow"		 UK in the Eurovision Song Contest
1973		 Succeeded by
Olivia Newton-John
with "Long Live Love"
Cliff Richard
Albums (UK)
Cliff · Cliff Sings · Me and My Shadows · Listen to Cliff! · 21 Today · The Young Ones · 32 Minutes and 17 Seconds · Summer Holiday · When in Spain · Wonderful Life · Aladdin and his Wonderful Lamp · When in Rome · Love is Forever · Kinda Latin · Finders Keepers · How Wonderful to Know · Cinderella · Don't Stop Me Now · Good News · Cliff in Japan · Two a Penny · Established 1958 · Sincerely · About that Man · Tracks n Grooves · His Land · All My Love · Live at the Talk of the Town · Take Me High · Wanted · Something's Goin' On · Two's Company The Duets · Love... The Album · And They Said It Wouldn't Last (My 50 Years In Music) · Reunited – Cliff Richard and The Shadows
Original EPs (UK)
Serious Charge  · Expresso Bongo
Films
Serious Charge (1959)  · Expresso Bongo (1959)  · The Young Ones (1961)  · Summer Holiday (1963)  · Wonderful Life (1964)  · Finders Keepers (1966)  · Two a Penny (1967)  · Take Me High (1973)
Related articles
Discography  · Concert tours  · The Shadows
Wikipedia book Book:Cliff Richard
Selected participants in Congratulations: 50 Years of the Eurovision Song Contest

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