Cliff Richard

Sir Cliff Richard (born Harry Rodger Webb in Lucknow, India, on October 14, 1940) is the stage name of one of UK's most popular singers. During the last six decades he has charted more than 100 hit singles and holds the record (along with Elvis Presley) as the only act to make the UK singles charts in all its active decades (1950s–2000s).

Brief biography

Recording career

Cliff Richard, a guitarist and lead singer, was one of the founding members of The Drifters (not to be confused with the American group of the same name). At the suggestion of a manager, who thought it would be good to have someone's name out front, they became Cliff Richard and the Drifters and later Cliff Richard and the Shadows.

Related Topics:
Guitar - The American group of the same name - The Shadows

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Cliff gained a contract with EMI in the summer of 1958, where he remained until signing with Decca in 2004. Cliff went into Abbey Road Studios to record his first record on July 24, 1958, but the producer, Norrie Paramor, had little faith in the Drifters and consequently brought in two experienced session men, Ernie Shears & Frank Clarke, to provide backing on lead guitar and bass. This marked a major point in Cliff's career. From then on, he would be a solo star rather than merely a member of a group. For instance, Cliff and the Drifters (subsequently the Shadows) would be contractually separate entities, and the group would not receive any performer royalties for the records they made backing Cliff. However, they were not a backing group just like any other. Within a short period, they won an EMI recording contract of their own and were making major instrumental hits by the middle of 1960. They continued to appear and record with Cliff and wrote many of his hits. In the early 1960s, Cliff and the Shadows were virtually inseparable as the biggest concert draw in Britain. Typically, the Shadows closed the first-half with a 30-minute set of their own and then backed Cliff on his show-closing 45-minute stint.

Related Topics:
EMI - 1958 - Decca - 2004 - Abbey Road Studios - July 24 - Norrie Paramor - 1960 - 1960s

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On the first 1958 record, Norrie Paramor provided a a song called "Schoolboy Crush", a cover of an American record by Bobby Helms. But Cliff was allowed to record one of their own for the B-side. This was "Move It", written by Ian "Sammy" Samwell, who was at the time a new member of the group. There are a number of stories about why the A-side song was replaced by the B-side. One story says that their producer Norrie Paramor played the record to his daughter, and she raved about the B-side instead of the A-side. Another possible reason for the flip was that influential TV producer Jack Good, who used the act for his TV show Oh Boy!, said the song to be sung on his show had to be "Move It!". The single was flipped and went to number 2 in the charts.

Related Topics:
Cover - Bobby Helms - TV producer - Jack Good - TV show - Oh Boy!

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The Drifters did not actually back Cliff on record until his third release, "Livin' Lovin' Doll" (not to be confused with the subsequent smash "Living Doll"). By that time, the band's lineup had changed. As Jet Harris, Tony Meehan, Hank Marvin, and Bruce Welch joined, some very significant "lucky events" happened, for the band, and also for the world. Popular music could have been totally changed if certain events did not happen, especially in one single day in Soho. On that day, Cliff's manager John Foster was looking for a new lead guitarist. He went back to the 2 I's club, a popular hangout for musicians.

Related Topics:
Jet Harris - Tony Meehan - Hank Marvin - Bruce Welch - Soho

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The man being looked for was Tony Sheridan, whom the Drifters knew, and who later recorded in Hamburg with The Beatles as his backing band, which led them to getting a recording contract in Britain. Tony was not there when Foster arrived, and Foster was in a hurry and could not wait long. Foster was then told of a a brilliant guitarist, and so Foster met Hank Marvin. Hank then said he teamed with Bruce Welch, and so Foster on that day brought in two new members to the Drifters. If Sheridan had been in the club that day, The Beatles may have never been heard.

Related Topics:
Tony Sheridan - Hamburg - The Beatles

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Tony Meehan and Jet Harris eventually left the group and teamed up very successfully in the charts. One member of Jet and Tony's band was John Paul Jones, later a member of Led Zeppelin, and Jimmy Page (also later of Led Zeppelin) also recorded with them.

Related Topics:
John Paul Jones - Led Zeppelin - Jimmy Page

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A serious accident halted Jet's success, but he later re-emerged as a member of The Faces with Jeff Beck (of The Yardbirds), Ron Wood (of The Rolling Stones), and Rod Stewart. However, this group did not last long.

Related Topics:
The Faces - Jeff Beck - The Yardbirds - Ron Wood - The Rolling Stones - Rod Stewart

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The Shadows had a few more bass players and also took in Brian Bennett on drums. In the period between 1958 and 1963, Cliff Richard and the Shadows stood as the biggest thing in Britain. They toured the United States and most often stole the show from the accompanying American acts of the time. The problem was that the record company did not provide strong enough support for album distribution, among other matters, and so the chances were lost. It was the same with their appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show (which was responsible for much of the Beatles' success, but did not really help Cliff and the Shadows). As a result, Cliff Richard remains almost completely unknown in the US. However, Cliff and the Shadows basically re-wrote convention in British recording companies and opened EMI up to the importance and strength of rock n' roll music. It was due to them that Parlophone were looking for a "second" Cliff and the Shadows, eventually signing the Beatles.

Related Topics:
Brian Bennett - 1963 - The Ed Sullivan Show - Rock n' roll - Parlophone

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Many well known groups of the 1960s and 1970s started off as imitators of Cliff and the Shadows, singing and playing only Cliff and the Shadows' material, and groups were trained by imitating them. The Beatles were taken to Cliff and the Shadows concerts and instructed about clothes, stage presence, and various other facets, and being of the same fold at Abbey Road, were good friends with the band.

Related Topics:
1960s - 1970s

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Television and films

Cliff and the Shadows appeared in a number of films, most notably in The Young Ones (which would give its name to 1980s TV sitcom The Young Ones, a show which also made reverent references to Richard), Summer Holiday, Wonderful Life and Finders Keepers. These movies created their own genre known as the "Cliff Richard musical" and led to Cliff being named the #1 cinema box office attraction in Britain for both 1962 and 1963. Cliff's first straight acting role took place in the 1968 film Two a Penny, which saw him as a young man who gets involved in drug dealing while questioning his life after his girlfriend changes her attitude. He also represented the UK twice in the Eurovision Song Contest, both times unsuccessfully, though his first attempt, "Congratulations", was a massive hit in Britain and most of the world and has become a standard, still sung on suitable occasions.

Related Topics:
The Young Ones - 1980s - TV - Sitcom - The Young Ones - Summer Holiday - Wonderful Life - Genre - 1962 - 1963 - 1968 - Drug dealing - Eurovision Song Contest

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In the early days, Cliff sometimes recorded without the Shadows, mainly to cater for other styles. Hits in this mould included "It's All in the Game", "Constantly", "The Minute You're Gone", and "Wind Me Up".

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In 1960, the Shadows (though having previously recorded as the Drifters without Cliff) released Apache, which saw the birth of British rock guitar instrumental music. The record set the Shadows on a path of their own, and they soon became an instrumental group.

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Throughout the 1960s, Cliff stayed at the top, even at the height of Mersey music. However, he did not have the advantage the new acts had of being able to release music and having it go directly to the USA as well. The Beatles had became huge once America took to them, and this in turn opened up the path across the Atlantic.

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During the 1970s, Cliff became heavily involved in tv shows, like It's Cliff Richard, many of which also starred Hank Marvin. The tv shows made Cliff into a tv personality and not necessarily primarily a recording singer. In 1972, Cliff made a short BBC television comedy film called The Case with appearances from comedians and dueting on songs with Olivia Newton-John, the first female with whom he ever sung a duet. Cliff was in everyone's homes, and gave enjoyment to all the family, and although still recording and being successful, Cliff and others (like his former Shadow, Bruce Welch) decided that they would once again bring Cliff out as a "rock" artist again. The collaboration produced the landmark Cliff album I'm Nearly Famous, which brought about the classic rock guitar-driven track "Devil Woman" and the haunting "Miss You Nights". It was not just Cliff and the fans who were excited that the man who had begun and led British rock from the start was back in strength, but also a host of big music names. People like Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, and Elton John began being seen sporting big "I'm Nearly Famous" badges on their clothes, so pleased that their icon was getting heavily back into the heavy rock that he began his career in.

Related Topics:
1970s - It's Cliff Richard - 1972 - Comedian - Olivia Newton-John - Eric Clapton - Elton John

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A number of other strong albums were produced, and in 1979 he went to #1 with We Don't Talk Anymore. A true Cliff revival was happening. In the next years into and through the 1980s, Cliff was the biggest pop star in the country, and he became a magnet for other music greats. In the space of a few years he had worked with Elton John, Mark Knopfler, George Harrison, Julian Lennon, Freddie Mercury, Stevie Wonder, Phil Everly, Janet Jackson, and Van Morrison, to name a few. He also did more work with Olivia Newton-John, and to cap the decade off, filled the Wembley Stadium for a few nights with a spectacular simply titled "The Event".

Related Topics:
1979 - 1980s - Mark Knopfler - George Harrison - Julian Lennon - Freddie Mercury - Stevie Wonder - Phil Everly - Janet Jackson - Van Morrison - Wembley Stadium

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Conversion to Christianity

Another important aspect of Cliff's life was his conversion to Christianity in 1964. To stand up publicly as a new Christian was a decision which affected his career in various ways. First of all, Cliff believed that he should quit rock 'n roll, as he thought he could no longer be the rocker who had in the early years been called a "crude exhibitionist" and "too sexy for TV" and a threat to parents' daughters, although his image had already become tamer due to his film roles and well-spoken voice on radio and TV. He intended at first to reform his ways and become a teacher, but Christian friends told him that he did not need to abandon his career just because he had become a Christian. Soon after, Cliff re-emerged and performed with Christian groups and recorded some Christian material. He still recorded secular songs with the Shadows, some of which introduced revolutionary recording techniques which influenced the Beatles and other groups, but he gave a lot of his time to Christian work. As time progressed, Cliff balanced his life and work, enabling him to still be one of the most popular singers in Britain while also one of the best known Christians.

Related Topics:
Christianity - 1964

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After the Shadows split in 1968, Cliff Richard recorded without his band. He had already become accustomed to the Shadows' absence during his recording sessions, and he was able to record in any setting. Although many fans, such as John Lennon, had in the early 1960s regretted Cliff trying out songs which were not strictly in the rock 'n roll area, this slow process of getting used to recording with the Shadows as the "rock group", while at other times singing with other musicians, without a doubt is at least partly responsible for Cliff becoming what he has become.

Related Topics:
1968 - John Lennon

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The Shadows later re-formed (and later again split), and recorded on their own, but reunited with Cliff in 1978 and 1984 for some concerts.

Related Topics:
1978 - 1984

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Personal life

In 1974, Cliff denied the rumor that he had asked his good friend Olivia Newton-John for her hand in marriage. Later, his relationship with tennis player Sue Barker was the subject of much gossip, but they disappointed those who expected them to marry. Cliff remained a tennis fan, however, delighting Wimbledon crowds with an impromptu singalong on one rainy afternoon in 1996.

Related Topics:
1974 - Sue Barker - Tennis - Wimbledon - 1996

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Knighted

Cliff Richard reached the pinnacle of his career when he was knighted. Sir Cliff is number 56 in the 2002 list of 100 Great Britons, sponsored by the BBC and voted for by the public.

Related Topics:
Knighted - 2002 - Great Britons - BBC

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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.

Related Topics:
The Ultimate Pop Star - Channel 4 - 2004 - Elvis Presley

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Sir Cliff has become joint owner of the Arora International Hotel in Manchester, which opened in June 2004.

Related Topics:
Manchester - June 2004

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After having not performed as Cliff and the Shadows since 1989/1990, Cliff joined the Shadows on stage on June 14, 2004, 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 the Shadows.

Related Topics:
1989 - 1990 - June 14 - 2004 - London Palladium

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