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Chris ReaDriving Home For ChristmasOn The BeachThe Road To Hell
He is well known for his 1978 hit song "Fool (If You Think It's Over)" that charted #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent three weeks at #1 on the U.S. Billboard adult contemporary chart. The song was later covered by Elkie Brooks and was a top 20 hit in the UK. Although Rea had limited success in the United States, two of his
albums, The Road to Hell and Auberge, topped the UK Albums Chart.[3]
The book Guinness Rockopedia described him as a "gravel-voiced
guitar stalwart".[5] Rea was born in Middlesbrough, England, the son of an ice-cream
producer, Camillo Rea (died 2010), who, together with his brother,
Gaetano, owned an ice-cream factory and ran twenty-one cafés.[6]
Rea attended St Mary's College, which was a Catholic boys' grammar
school, in Middlesbrough, at that time. After leaving school Rea worked in casual labouring jobs, including working in his father's ice cream business. It was at the comparatively late age of 22 that Rea bought his first guitar and began his musical career, inspired by the music of Joe Walsh and Ry Cooder.[7] A natural left-hander, Rea nevertheless learned to play the guitar right-handed. In 1973, he joined the Middlesbrough band Magdalene, replacing David Coverdale who later created Whitesnake.[5] Rea then went on to form the band Beautiful Losers, which he left when he secured a solo recording deal with Magnet Records[7] and released his first single, entitled "So Much Love",[8] in 1974.[9] In 1977 he performed on Hank Marvin's album The Hank Marvin Guitar Syndicate and also guested on Catherine Howe's EP, The Truth of the Matter.[1] Whatever Happened to Benny Santini? was Rea's debut album. It was released in June 1978 and produced by Elton John's music producer, Gus Dudgeon. The title of the album was a reference to "Benjamin Santini," the stage name that Rea's record label suggested he should adopt.[1] The first single taken from the album, "Fool (If You Think It's Over)," was Rea's biggest hit in the United States, peaking at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and reaching #1 on the Adult Contemporary Singles chart. "Fool (If You Think It's Over)" was nominated for a Song of the Year Grammy, losing out to Billy Joel's "Just the Way You Are". Like most of Rea's early singles, "Fool (If You Think It's Over)" failed to appear on the UK Singles Chart on its first release, and only reached #30 when re-released in late 1978 to capitalise on its US achievement.[3] The singer Elkie Brooks enjoyed greater success with the song in 1982, when she charted her cover version at #17.[1][10] It was also the first record played by Radio Caroline, after a long period off the air.[11] Another cover of "Fool (If You Think It's Over)" by Kenny Craddock was used as the theme tune for BBC sitcom, Joking Apart. Dudgeon went on to produce Rea's next album, entitled Deltics. Rea has since spoken about the difficult working relationship that he had with Dudgeon at the time, who he felt 'smoothed out' the blues influenced elements of his music in order to make it sound more like that of Elton John or Billy Joel.[12] Rea's second and third albums failed to provide any further hit
singles. By the time his fourth album was released, Rea's relationship
with his record company had deteriorated to the extent that it was
not even given a title but was simply called "Chris Rea". By 1983 Rea's record company had become so uninterested in him that they released the raw demo tapes as his fifth studio album. The album, entitled "Water Sign" (likely a nod to Rea's Pisces star sign), became a surprise hit in Ireland and mainland Europe, selling over half a million in just a few months and the single "I Can Hear Your Heartbeat" taken from it entered the top 20 across Europe.[9] With the success of "Water Sign" Rea began to focus his attention on touring continental Europe and built up a significant fan base there. It was not until 1985's Shamrock Diaries and the songs "Stainsby Girls" and "Josephine" that UK audiences began to take notice of him. His following albums were On The Beach (1986) and Dancing with Strangers (1987).[5] The Dancing with Strangers tour in 1987, saw Rea sell out stadium size venues for the first time across the world, and Rea played Wembley Arena twice. His following album was the New Light Through Old Windows compilation album, which saw studio reworkings of his earlier work.[5] His next full album was to be his major breakthrough.[5] The Road
to Hell (1989) enjoyed massive success and became his first #1 album
in the UK. This accomplishment could not be mirrored in the US,
where it only reached #107, in spite of the single track "Texas"
achieving extensive radio airplay. The title track was released
as a single and reached the UK Top 10. Rea appeared on the Band
Aid II project's single in December 1989.[5] His next album, Auberge,
was also a European hit, reaching the top spot in the UK. After Auberge, Rea released God's Great Banana Skin, which reached #4 in the UK.[5] The album returned Rea to the rockier sound of Road to Hell, and the single "Nothing to Fear" gave him another Top 20 hit. A year later Espresso Logic hit the Top 10 and "Julia", written about his second daughter, gave him his eleventh Top 40 position. The album was part promoted by Rea taking part in the British Touring Car Championship, although he was eliminated in the first round.[5] A period of ill health meant his next album did not appear until 1998. The Blue Cafe made the UK Top 10, though it proved to be Rea's last. In 1999, 10 years after Road to Hell, Rea released The Road to Hell: Part 2, which received no promotion and never made the Top 40. In 2000, he released King of the Beach, receiving critical praise and a healthy Top 30 placing. In 2000 a remix of Rea's 1986 "On the Beach" single by
York was released and enjoyed moderate success on the dance floor. After being diagnosed with pancreatitis, Rea underwent an operation
called a Whipple procedure (pancreaticoduodenectomy), with a predicted
50% chance of survival. In 2001, Rea promised himself that if he
recovered, he would be returning to his blues roots. This near brush
with death was the catalyst for a change in musical direction and
motivation. The resulting Blue Guitars eleven CD collection of 137
blues-inspired tracks recorded in eighteen months, complete with
his own paintings as album covers, is seen by himself as his finest
work to date.[citation needed] In an interview with The Britsound
Radio Show, Rea revealed that "it’s not until you become seriously
ill and you nearly die and you’re at home for six months, that you
suddenly stop to realise that this isn’t the way I intended it to
be in the beginning. Everything that you’ve done falls away and
start wondering why you went through all that rock business stuff."[13]
In 2002, Rea released Dancing Down the Stony Road following recording
sessions in France and the UK. (An abridged version of the album
was later released under the title Stony Road.) The album was followed
by a DVD of the same name, comprising a documentary and footage
from a concert in Cologne. Rea set up his own JazzeeBlue label in
2003 to free himself from the pressure of record company expectations.
Since then he has released the blues albums Blue Street (Five Guitars)
(an instrumental jazz-blues album) and then The Blue Jukebox. He
has worked with David Knopfler for two albums: Wishbones (2001)
and Ship of Dreams (2004). Following the release of the box set, Blue Guitars, in 2005, it
was announced that Rea would not record any further solo albums.
He has stated that he would continue to make records with some of
his favourite players under the name The Memphis Fireflies.[14]
A double DVD set and a separate double CD set was released in 2006,
including live selections from Rea's farewell tour entitled The
Road To Hell & Back. In November 2007, Rea announced a new tour and a new album featuring 38 new tracks on three CDs and two vinyls, which included a hardback book in the style of a slightly tatty 12" vinyl sleeve. The Return of the Fabulous Hofner Blue Notes (a dedication to the 1960s guitar of the same name) was released in February 2008. In writing the album, Rea dreamed up a band that had never existed — a pastiche instrumental group from the late 1950s called The Delmonts. The release of the album was followed by a European tour. The band was introduced as "The Delmonts featuring Chris Rea", and played in various venues across the UK, including the Royal Albert Hall in London. His song "Driving Home for Christmas", which originally reached #53 in the UK chart when first released in 1988, re-entered at #33 nineteen years later in December 2007, making it the first time the song had made the UK Top 40.[3] In a live interview on the BBC Radio 4 programme Today on December 16, 2009 Rea said he wrote “Driving Home for Christmas” many years before he first recorded it. His wife had come down to London to drive him home to Middlesbrough in her Austin Mini to save money because it was cheaper to drive than travel by train. Inspiration for the song came as she and Rea were stuck in heavy traffic heading out of London with a long drive to Middlesbrough ahead of them. Rea said "Driving Home for Christmas" is a “car version of a carol”.[15] In October 2009, Rhino released a new 2-disc best of compilation. Still So Far To Go - The Best of Chris Rea contained some of his best known hits over the last thirty years, many of them less well known, as well as more recent songs from his "blues" period. There are also two new songs "Come So Far, Yet Still So Far to Go" and the ballad "Valentino", a song about his dog that had died. The album was Rea's highest charting album in 15 years, reaching #8 and staying in the Top 50 for four weeks. In 2010 Rea performed on a European tour called Still So Far to Go. His special guest on stage was an Irish musician Paul Casey. The tour ended on 5 April in Belfast, United Kingdom. In September 2011, Chris Rea will release "The Santo Spirito
Project" containing two feature-length films on DVD written
and directed by Chris and 2 accompanying CDs of related songs and
music. Rea is the son of Italian, the late Camillo Rea (died December 2010), and Winifred, of Irish descent (died September 1983)[16]. He has two brothers, Nick and Mike, and four sisters, Catherine, Geraldine, Paula and Camille. He is married to Joan, with whom he has two daughters (Josephine, born 16 September 1983, and Julia Christina, born 18 March 1989). He used to live at in Cookham, Berkshire. The Sol Mill Recording Studios was where he produced some of his later albums. He also produced albums for other artists such as Sylvin Marc, and Robert Ahwai on his JazeeBlue label. The property was sold in 2006. The name Rea was well-known locally thanks to the chain of "Rea's
Ice Cream" shops owned by Rea's father.[5] In later years the
chain folded except for one shop operated by Camillo himself. Chris
Rea holds a season ticket with Middlesbrough F.C.. Rea is a huge fan of motor racing and races a Ferrari Dino[17]
and a 1955 Lotus 6.[18][19] He recorded a song, "Saudade,"
in tribute to three-time Formula One world champion Ayrton Senna.
It featured prominently in the BBC documentary that can be watched
in full here [20] (UK users only) and was released on The Very Best
of Chris Rea (2001). In August 2008, it was erroneously reported that Rea had donated
£25,000 to the Conservative Party.[21] This was followed by further
incorrect reports in April 2010, just weeks before the UK general
election, that Rea had donated a further £100,000 to the Conservatives.[22]
The donations were in fact made by a businessman called Chris Rea
and not the musician. This error has been acknowledged by The Daily
Mail newspaper, which printed a retraction.[23] The Times reported
in 2009 that Rea has been a longtime supporter of the Conservative
Party.[24] Rea supported the Conservative Candidate for Middlesbrough
in the 2010 general election by allowing use of his song "Steel
River" to highlight the plight of the local Corus steel workers
who had lost their jobs. Rea has also been an actor, playing the lead in the 1999 comedy film, Parting Shots, alongside John Cleese, Bob Hoskins and Joanna Lumley.[25] Rea played a character who was told that cancer gave him six weeks to live, and decided to kill those people who had badly affected his life.[5] He also had a cameo role in the 1996 film, La Passione, for which
he wrote the soundtrack.[5] Rea has acknowledged that many of his songs were 'born out of Middlesbrough,' his home town. Perhaps the most famous of these is the song "Stainsby Girls," from the album Shamrock Diaries, which he wrote and composed in tribute to his wife Joan, who had attended Stainsby Secondary Modern School years before it was renamed Acklam Grange Secondary School. The song "Steel River," on the same album, reflects Rea's feelings about the re-development of Middlesbrough town centre while he was out of the country touring: "I went back to see me father after me mother had died and the fuckers had knocked the whole place down. I'd been gone three years, hard touring in Europe. I literally went to drive somewhere that wasn't there. It was like a sci-fi movie. The Middlesbrough I knew, it's as if there was a war there 10 years ago."[26] "Steel River" is also another name for the River Tees.[27]
In the song there is a mention of 'salmon who have lost their steel
mother' and, in the 1980s, it looked like they were gone for good.
However, salmon stocks are slowly beginning to recover.[28] Whatever Happened to Benny Santini? (1978)
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