Cliff Richard - biography
Sir Cliff Richard OBE (born Harold Rodger Webb on 14 October 1940) is an English singer, actor and businessman.Although never able to achieve the same impact in the United States as in Britain (in spite of several chart singles there), Richard has remained a popular music, film, and television personality in the UK; he also retains a following in many other countries.Childhood
Cliff Richard was born at the King George Hospital, Victoria Street, Lucknow, India in 1940 to parents Rodger Oscar, a steward, and Dorothy Marie (born Dazely) Webb.Before their first large scale appearance, at the Regal Ballroom in Ripley in 1958, they adopted the name "Cliff Richard and the Drifters".The four members of the band were Webb, Ian "Sammy" Samwell on guitar, Terry Smart on drums and Norman Mitham on guitar.In the summer of 1958 Richard obtained a recording contract with EMI's Columbia label for himself only, leaving the band behind.In the early days, Cliff Richard was marketed as the British equivalent to Elvis Presley.They would become contractually separate entities from Cliff, and the group would not receive any performer royalties for the records they made backing the singer.In 1960, they recorded and released "Apache", hitting the top of the charts in more than one country, the single set the Shadows on a path of their own.On more than one occasion, a Shadows instrumental replaced a Richard song atop the British charts."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 entertainer (along with a few contemporaries such as Adam Faith and Billy Fury).The Shadows added a few more bass players, and also took on Brian Bennett on drums.In the early days, Cliff Richard sometimes recorded without The Shadows, mainly to cater to other styles.Billy Sherrill in Nashville yielded two more top two hits: "The Minute You're Gone" and "Wind Me Up" in 1965.Cliff Richard and The Shadows were unable to parlay their UK stardom into hit status in the United States.As a result, Cliff Richard remained obscure in America.Richard with visible dancing skills), Wonderful Life and Finders Keepers.These movies created their own genre known as the "Cliff Richard musical" and led to Cliff being named the number one cinema box office attraction in Britain for both 1962 and 1963.Standing up publicly as a Christian affected his career in several ways.Richard intended at first to 'reform his ways' and become a teacher, but Christian friends advised him that he did not need to abandon his career just because he had become a Christian.He still recorded secular songs with the Shadows, but he gave a lot of his time to Christian work, including his appearances with the Billy Graham crusades.Cliff Richard's first straight acting role took place in the 1968 film Two a Penny, in which he played a young man who gets involved in drug dealing while questioning his life after his girlfriend changes her attitude.This time, Cliff took valium in order to overcome his nerves and his manager was almost unable to wake him for the performance.He presented the Eurovision preview programmes for the BBC in 1971 and 1972.After the Shadows split in 1968, Cliff Richard recorded without the band.This versatility extended Richard's career prospects.During the 1970s, Richard took part in television shows, such as It's Cliff, many of which also starred Hank Marvin and Una Stubbs.These shows, for a time, branded Cliff Richard as a television personality more than a recording artist.In 1973 he starred in the film Take Me High.Comeback
In 1976 the decision was made to repackage Cliff Richard as a "rock" artist.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.For example, Small Corners from 1978 contained the single Yes He Lives.In 1980, the singer officially changed his name by deed poll from Harry Webb to Cliff Richard.Dreaming also reached the top ten.John was a Top 20 hit in America.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.It contained the two top ten hit singles, "My Pretty One" and "Some People".The next few years saw Richard concentrate on bringing the musical Heathcliff to the stage.UK, with this concert heralded as their final ever concert as "Cliff and the Shadows."Sir Cliff
Cliff Richard was knighted on 25 October 1995, the first rock star to be so honoured.In 1999, controversy arose regarding radio stations refusing to play his records.EMI, Richard's label since 1958, refused to release his latest single.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".Sir Cliff Richard finished number 56 in the 2002 100 Greatest Britons list, sponsored by the BBC and voted for by the public.Adored especially by baby boomer women, many of whom camp out for his concert tickets, he has become a fixture of the British entertainment world.The Ultimate Pop Star, a Channel 4 programme broadcast in 2004, revealed that Cliff Richard had sold more singles in the UK than any other music artist, ahead of the Beatles in second place and Elvis Presley in third.Richard has become joint owner of the Arora International Hotel in Manchester, which opened in June 2004.Richard's mother, Dorothy Webb, suffered from advanced Alzheimer's disease.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 latter 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."The most radical rock star ever"
Cliff Richard openly laments the lack of commercial support from radio stations and record labels.Take Another Look", he points out that many documentaries charting the history of British music fail to even mention him.Cliff Richard's protracted chart success undermines radio stations' claims that he does not enjoy the support of their target audiences.UK, more than any other artist other than Elvis Presley, the Beatles, and Westlife.As a performer, Cliff Richard has scored the most top 10 hits on the UK singles charts (67), the most top 20 hits (94) and the most top 40 hits (118).This does not reflect his total sales as the data used to compile the charts in the early part of his career was only partial.Cliff has had top ten hits in each of the last six decades.The following list shows the number of chart toppers Cliff has achieved in each decade.Christmas songs
Cliff Richard has aimed for the Christmas number one single on several occasions, sometimes successfully.He also featured on the 1989 Christmas number one by Band Aid II, thus appearing at the top of the charts for three consecutive Christmases.Hostages To India: OR The Life Story of the Anglo Indian Race.Cliff Richard has himself stated that the latter theory is the correct one; interviewed for the first episode of the BBC Four programme, Pop Britannia, broadcast on 4th January 2008.External links
Cliff Richard's official website
Cliff Richards New Album
cliffrichard.Album Poll 2005, In Concert
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Y!An accomplished singer with a genuine feel for the music, Richard's artistic legacy...Karaoke: Somewhere Over The Rai...To share this media with a friend, you must have AIM installed.Want More Cliff Richard?Sir Cliff Richard OBE (born Harold Rodger Webb on 14 October 1940) is an English singer, actor and businessman.With his backing band The Shadows, Richard dominated the British popular music scene in the late 1950s and early 1960s, before and during the The Beatles' first year in the charts.Christianity and subsequent softening of his music led to his having more of a pop than rock image.According to his website, he has sold over 250 million records.Discography
4 Awards
4.Childhood
Cliff Richard was born at the King George Hospital, Victoria Street, Lucknow, India in 1940 to parents Rodger Oscar, a steward, and Dorothy Marie (born Dazely) Webb.He was christened on 2 November 1940 at St Thomas' Church, Dehradun, India.For three years the Webbs did not have their own home and stayed with relatives.Success and stardom
Beginning as a member of an obscure skiffle group, Harry Webb soon became the lead singer of the rock and roll group the Drifters (not to be confused with the American group of the same name).Before their first large scale appearance, at the Regal Ballroom in Ripley in 1958, they adopted the name "Cliff Richard and the Drifters".The four members of the band were Webb, Ian "Sammy" Samwell on guitar, Terry Smart on drums and Norman Mitham on guitar.For his debut session, Paramor provided Richard with a song called "Schoolboy Crush", a cover of an American record by Bobby Helms.In the early days, Cliff Richard was marketed as the British equivalent to Elvis Presley."High Class Baby", Lionel Bart's "Living Doll" were followed by "Mean Streak" which carried a rocker's sense of speed and passion.By that time the band's lineup had changed with the arrival of Jet Harris, Tony Meehan, Hank Marvin, and Bruce Welch.Throughout the early sixties his hits were consistently in the top five.The Shadows added a few more bass players, and also took on Brian Bennett on drums.In the early days, Cliff Richard sometimes recorded without The Shadows, mainly to cater to other styles.Billy Sherrill in Nashville yielded two more top two hits: "The Minute You're Gone" and "Wind Me Up" in 1965.Cliff Richard and The Shadows were unable to parlay their UK stardom into hit status in the United States.As a result, Cliff Richard remained obscure in America.It was owing to their popularity that Parlophone were looking for a "second" Cliff and the Shadows, eventually signing The Beatles.These movies created their own genre known as the "Cliff Richard musical" and led to Cliff being named the number one cinema box office attraction in Britain for both 1962 and 1963.The irreverent 1980s TV sitcom The Young Ones took its name from Richard's 1962 movie, and also made references to the singer.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.He still recorded secular songs with the Shadows, but he gave a lot of his time to Christian work, including his appearances with the Billy Graham crusades.He was a leading figure in the Nationwide Festival of Light of 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 straight acting role took place in the 1968 film Two a Penny, in which he played a young man who gets involved in drug dealing while questioning his life after his girlfriend changes her attitude.It lost by just one point to Spain's La La La.In 1973 he sang the British entry Power to All Our Friends.This time, Cliff took valium in order to overcome his nerves and his manager was almost unable to wake him for the performance.After the Shadows split in 1968, Cliff Richard recorded without the band.During the 1970s, Richard took part in television shows, such as It's Cliff, many of which also starred Hank Marvin and Una Stubbs.These shows, for a time, branded Cliff Richard as a television personality more than a recording artist.In 1973 he starred in the film Take Me High.Comeback
In 1976 the decision was made to repackage Cliff Richard as a "rock" artist.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.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 officially changed his name by deed poll from Harry Webb to Cliff Richard.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.Richard record his Always Guaranteed album, which became his best selling album of all new material."Mistletoe and Wine" was his biggest seller to that point.Dave Clark musical Time.The production was a resounding success, but the time it took seemed to take a toll on his reinvigorated chart status.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.Sir Cliff
Cliff Richard was knighted on 25 October 1995, the first rock star to be so honoured.In 1999, controversy arose regarding radio stations refusing to play his records.EMI, Richard's label since 1958, refused to release his latest single.Richard's next album (2001) was a covers project, Wanted, followed by another top ten album with Cliff at Christmas.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.Sir Cliff Richard finished number 56 in the 2002 100 Greatest Britons list, sponsored by the BBC and voted for by the public.The Ultimate Pop Star, a Channel 4 programme broadcast in 2004, revealed that Cliff Richard had sold more singles in the UK than any other music artist, ahead of the Beatles in second place and Elvis Presley in third.My Kinda Life, How Did She Get Here, Hey Mr.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.Another compilation album, Love..."The most radical rock star ever"
Cliff Richard openly laments the lack of commercial support from radio stations and record labels.Cliff Richard's protracted chart success undermines radio stations' claims that he does not enjoy the support of their target audiences.As a performer, Cliff Richard has scored the most top 10 hits on the UK singles charts (67), the most top 20 hits (94) and the most top 40 hits (118).Based solely on data used to compile the Official UK Singles Charts, Cliff has sold more singles in the UK than any other act, with sales exceeding twenty million copies.Cliff has had top ten hits in each of the last six decades.UK Singles chart in 1952.Christmas songs
Cliff Richard has aimed for the Christmas number one single on several occasions, sometimes successfully.Hostages To India: OR The Life Story of the Anglo Indian Race.Cliff Richard has himself stated that the latter theory is the correct one; interviewed for the first episode of the BBC Four programme, Pop Britannia, broadcast on 4th January 2008.External links
Cliff Richard's official website
Cliff Richards New Album
cliffrichard.This page was last modified 10:51, 11 February 2008.See Copyrights for details.
