Cliff Richards

Sir Cliff Richard, (born Harry Roger Webb on 14 October 1940) is an English singer, actor and businessman. With his band The Shadows, he dominated the British popular music scene in the late 1950s and early 1960s. During six decades, he has charted many singles, and holds the record (with Elvis Presley) as the only act to make the UK singles charts in all of its decades (1950s–2000s) selling some 250 million records.

Cliff Richard was born at the King George Hospital in Lucknow, British India to Roger Oscar Webb, a steward, and Dorothy Marie (born Dazely) Webb. He is known to have mixed Indian and White ancestry. In 1947, following Indian independence, the family moved to Britain.

He became lead singer of the rock and roll group, the Drifters (not to be confused with the U.S. group of the same name). In 1958 they adopted the name "Cliff Richard and the Drifters". In the summer of that year he was signed to a recording contract with EMI's Columbia label for himself only, leaving the band behind. He remained with EMI until signing with Decca in 2004. Richard recorded his first single on 24 July 1958. For his debut session, he was given "Schoolboy Crush", a cover of an American record by Bobby Helms, and was permitted to record one of his own songs for the B-side; "Move It", written by the Drifters' Samwell on a number 715 Green Line bus on the way to Richard's house for a rehearsal. Music critics Roy Carr and Tony Tyler wrote that it was the first genuine British rock classic, followed by Johnny Kidd and the Pirates's "Shakin' All Over".

In the early days, he was marketed as the British equivalent to Elvis Presley, adopting Presley-like dress and hairstyle. His late 1958 and early 1959 follow-up singles, "High Class Baby", and "Living Doll" were followed by "Mean Streak". It was on "Living Doll" that the Drifters began to back Richard on record. The group was obliged to change its name to "The Shadows" after legal complications with the U.S. Drifters. The Shadows would end up having several major hits own their own, including five UK #1s.

Richard's fifth single "Living Doll" triggered a softer, more relaxed, sound. Subsequent hits, the #1s "Travellin' Light" and "I Love You" and also "A Voice in the Wilderness" and "Theme for a Dream" cemented Richard's status as a mainstream pop. Throughout the early sixties his hits were consistently in the top five.

His career took a sudden turn because the sudden advent of The Beatles in 1963 and 1964 and he would never again enjoy the amount of success as before. Nor did doors open to him in the U.S. market; he was not considered part of the British Invasion, despite four Hot 100 hits (including the top 25 "It's All In The Game") between August 1963 and August 1964. Although baptised as an Anglican Christian, he did not appear to practice 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. Soon after, he 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.

In 1976 the decision was made to repackage him 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 (his first true hit in the United States) and the ballad Miss You Nights. In 1979, he teamed up with the producer Bruce Welch for the pop hit single We Don't Talk Anymore, which hit #1 in the UK and #7 in the U.S. The record gave him 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.

In 1986, he teamed up with The Young Ones to re-record his smash hit "Living Doll" for the charity Comic Relief. The release went to no.1. 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" and yet another number one with The Album in 1993. Cliff Richard was knighted on 25 October 1995, the first rock star to be so honoured. He finished number 56 in the 2002 100 Greatest Britons list, sponsored by the BBC and voted for by the public. This year, Richard's 50th year in music, will see the release of the 8CD box set, And They Said It Wouldn't Last (My 50 Years In Music). Find out more about this living British legend at his website: http://www.cliffrichard.org/

Research info gathered at: www.wikipedia.org


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