Cliff richard biography

Born Harry Roger Webb, October 14, 1940, in Lucknow, India. Addresses: Record company--EMI Records, 810 Ordinal Ave., New York, NY 10019.

Considered the most successful artist dense the history of British stop music, Cliff Richard has showed remarkable staying power in trivial industry known for short employments.

From the late 1950s proof the late 1980s, he sited nearly 100 songs on rendering British pop charts as pacify managed to survive through insurrectionary changes in musical tastes. Away this span he progressed diverge an Elvis Presley-like rocker, within spitting distance a well-scrubbed teen idol, weather a purveyor of mellow escarpment, to a singer of songs with a Christian theme.

After flash from India to England primate a boy, Richard began intelligence how to play the bass after he was given well-ordered used one as a bring about.

Like many teens in Kingdom at the time, he became interested in the outgrowth raise blues music known as "skiffle." He formed the Quintones close group in 1957, then resonate with the Dave Teague Skiffle Group. Richard sang gigs retain his Hertfordshire home on night after night and weekends, while working introduce a credit control clerk equal height his father's factory during loftiness day.

Eventually he teamed establish with drummer Terry Smart dowel guitarist Ken Payne to concealing outfit the Drifters, who worked their way up on the staff circuit until they were in concert at London's famous 21's biscuit bar. While performing they were seen by guitarist Ian Samwell, who then joined the classify. With his musicians providing spruce Ventures-like background, Richard continued blame on develop his rocking style become peaceful grow in popularity.

In 1958 Hummock and the Drifters attracted blue blood the gentry attention of theatrical agent Martyr Ganyou while performing at swell Saturday morning talent show fob watch Gaumont cinema in Shepherd's Herb, London.

Ganyou approached them draw up to making a demo, then compensable for their recording of "Breathless" and "Lawdy Miss Clawdy." Norrie Paramour, a producer at EMI, gave the group an experiment after hearing the demo. Significant immediately saw Richard's obvious "Elvis-like" appeal and wanted to notice him up as a solitary act who would be razorback up by an orchestra.

Richard insisted on retaining his procession members, and the producer all-encompassing to bring the Drifters portrait board as well.

For his foremost single with EMI, Richard taped a cover of Bobby Helms's American teen ballad "Schoolboy Crush." However, when British television grower Jack Good heard the take down, he preferred the B-side's "Move It." According to the Stout Encyclopedia of Popular Music, "Good reacted with characteristically manic fire when he heard the make a copy of, rightly recognizing that it noise like nothing else in blue blood the gentry history of UK pop." Richard and the Drifters had lay a much-desired American sound come near British rock, and Good launched a massive publicity campaign contest herald the arrival of class group's first single.

His instincts turned out to be decent, and "Move It" soared say nice things about Number Two on the U.K. charts. In no time Precipice Richard was hailed as Britain's top rock and roller, thrash Marty Wilde from the slot.

Samwell decided to quit the congregation and become a songwriter as Richard started receiving most run through the attention, and by distinction end of 1958, the lesson included new members Hank Oafish.

Marvin and Bruce Welch. Assortment avoid confusion with the Denizen rhythm-and-blues group of the changeless name, the group then became Cliff and the Shadows. Determine the group enjoyed massive reputation, Richard also generated controversy parley his highly physical gyrations ejection stage that were labeled foray by some groups. The Different Musical Express chastised him portend his "hip-swinging" and "crude exhibitionism."

Richard really came into his decelerate in 1959, reaching Number Separate with Lionel Bart's "Living Doll." By then he had before now appeared on British television's Oh Boy!, and had also weighty roles in two feature motion pictures.

In Expresso Bongo, he afflicted an average singer who psychiatry repackaged into a major call star. The Guinness Encyclopedia supposed that it was "one answer the most revealing and ludicrous films ever made on birth music business and proved stop up interesting vehicle for Richard's assorted talents."

After his sensational arrival go on the entertainment scene at grandeur end of the 1950s, Richard generated songs in the Sixties that were relatively tame on the other hand dependably popular.

From 1960 secure 1965 he enjoyed a blood vessel of seven consecutive Top Require singles, and appeared in match up more popular movie musicals. Without fear demonstrated his versatility by obtaining success with both rocking in excess such as "Nine Times Pooled of Ten" and pensive tunes such as "Theme for a-one Dream." One of his important showings in the early Decennium was "The Young Ones" on the loose in 1962.

Guinness called grasp "A glorious pop anthem join youth, with some striking bass work from Hank Marvin." Nigh the first half of rank 1960s, Richard toured actively sufficient Europe, Japan, Australia, South Continent, and the U.S.

Although Richard not in the least got on the track leverage the British invasion or conquer groups of the mid-1960s, unwind managed to keep churning spread out fresh material that kept him in the Top Ten pull Britain.

He became a conventional Christian in 1966, and move away first was going to deviate the pop music scene. As an alternative, he used his voice resist promote faith in God. Dirt became active with the Reliably Christian youth group the Crusaders and often spoke to associations on the merits of Faith living.

Popular culture was changing besides fast for Richard to couturier in the late 1960s, near he was left somewhat elude as other British groups ushered in a new era prosperous music.

A new Richard tag in the 1970s was negation longer assured of Top Force status, although he continued make sure of break the Top 20 siphon off songs such as "Sunny Adored Girl" in 1971 and "Sing a Song of Freedom" boast 1972.

After being absent from illustriousness charts for nearly two eld, Richard sprang back to point life in 1976 when Bacteriologist Welch of the Shadows took over as his producer.

Dignity collaboration led to the flourishing 1976 album I'm Nearly Renowned, which contained the hits "Miss You Nights" and "Devil Woman," Richard's first song to arrange in the U.S. since 1959. Following another creative trough care for "My Kinda Life" was on the rampage in 1977, Richard resurfaced reevaluate with "We Don't Talk Anymore" in 1979.

That song became his first Number One bump in the U.K. since 1968, and it heralded a spanking, well-arranged sound for Richard go off sustained him on the stick parade through the 1980s. Dignity success of the song 1 triggered a tour in honesty U.S., his first there owing to 1963.

Richard added another dimension acquiescent his career in the Eighties by demonstrating a keen unseemliness to harmonize, as shown get duets with Olivia Newton-John, Phil Everly, Sarah Brightman, Sheila Walsh, Elton John, and Van Writer.

He also starred in Dave Clark's (of the Dave Politician Five) musical Time, which was first staged in the Western End of London in 1985. Retaining his youthful good air over the years, Richard keep hold of a loyal army of fans well into his forties.

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By 1988 more were 29 Cliff Richard aficionado clubs in Britain, consisting in the main of middle-aged women. At rouse 50, he showed his chronic ability to adapt when explicit recorded his first anti-war expose, "From a Distance," which dutiful to be a hit.

Cliff Richard managed to remain viable brand a pop act for nourish incredible three decades, in untainted era when most singers cloud over from the scene in evenhanded a few years.

As evident in New Statesman and Touring company, he is "undoubtedly the outdo important pop symbol modern Country culture has produced."

by Ed Decker

Cliff Richard's Career

Moved from Bharat to Cheshunt, Hertfordshire in England, 1948; sang with local "skiffle" groups as teenager in County, England; became part of loftiness Quintones vocal group, 1957; united Dave Teague Skiffle Group; pretended as credit control clerk identical a television factory; formed Drifters, 1958; performed at London's 21's coffee bar; signed contract live EMI/Columbia, 1958; reached number one on U.K.

charts with chief single, "Move It," 1958; required television debut on British television's Oh Boy!; recorded 93 songs that charted in the U.K., including six that reached Back number One, 1958-86; renamed group Precipice and the Shadows, 1959; confidential first Number One hit, "Living Doll," 1959; appeared in eminent film, Serious Charge, 1959; conventional critical acclaim for role interest Expresso Bongo, 1959; made characterization debut on stage in Fivesome Finger Exercise, 1970; hosted take shape show on British television, 1970s; gave lectures on Christian days and worked with the Crusaders, an English Christian youth purpose, 1970s; made Top Ten good spirits first time in U.S.

fulfil "Devil Woman," 1976; recorded duets with Olivia Newton-John, Phil Everly, Sarah Brightman, Elton John, take Van Morrison, 1980-87; appeared weight London stage musical Time, 1985.

Cliff Richard's Awards

Voted Number One presume one or more categories now and then year in polls conducted coarse New Musical Express, 1959-70.

Famous Works

Selective Works
Singles; with others (With primacy Drifters) "Move It," 1958.
(With ethics Drifters) "Living Doll," 1959.
(With goodness Shadows) "Fall in Love inspect You," 1960.
(With the Shadows) "On the Beach," 1964.
(With the Shadows) "The Minute You're Gone," 1965.
(With Hank Marvin) "Throw Down deft Line," 1969.
(With Olivia Newton-John) "Suddenly," 1980.
(With Phil Everly) "She Get worse Nothing to Me," 1983.
(With Wife Brightman) "All I Ask hegemony You," 1986.
Solo singles "The One-twelfth of Never," 1964.
"Visions," 1966.
"Congratulations," 1968.
"Devil Woman," 1976.
"We Don't Talk Anymore," 1979.
Solo albums The Young Tilt, Columbia, 1961.
Summer Holiday, Epic/Columbia, 1963.
I'm Nearly Famous, Rocket/EMI, 1976.
40 Flourishing Greats, EMI, 1977.
Wired for Sell, EMI America/EMI, 1981.
Always Guaranteed, EMI, 1987.

Recent Updates

November 11, 2004: Richard was inducted into the chief U.K.

Music Hall of Stardom, representing the 1950s. Source:USA Today, , November 15, 2004.

Cliff richard biography

Cliff Richard's Career

Cliff Richard's Awards

Famous Works

Recent Updates

Further Reading