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Colt1861Navy

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Re: Colt1861Navy post# 759

Saturday, 06/29/2002 4:37:23 PM

Saturday, June 29, 2002 4:37:23 PM

Post# of 1767
Rock 'n' Roll Artists...Chris Rea

http://www.helsinki.fi/~wikgren/chrisrea.html

Full name: Christopher Anton Rea (pronouced 're-ah')
Date of birth: 4th March, 1951
Place of birth: Middlesbrough, Cleveland, U.K.
Lives now in: Cookham, by the Thames, in U.K.
Height: 178cm (5'10")
Eyes: Grey/Blue
Hair: Originally maybe light brown, changes every now and then
Handedness: Left-handed
Family:
2 brothers - Nick and Mike
4 sisters - Catherine, Geraldine, Paula and Camille
Father Camillo
Mother Winifred (died Sept 1983)
Origins: Italian/Irish/Yugoslav.
Family details:
Married to Joan Lesley Rea (born Sept 17th 1950 in Middlesbrough)
2 daughters - Josephine (born Sept 16th 1983)
Julia Christina (born Mar 18th 1989)
Hobbies: Ferraris (sports cars in general) and racing then, gardening, cooking, painting and music.
Guitars:
1962(?) Pink Fender Stratocaster, in E-tuning,
Light Blue Fender Stratocaster, in open tuning,
Fender Semi-Accoustic.

His backing band 'The Fireflies':
Max Middleton - piano/keyboards
Martin Ditcham - drums/percussion
Sylvan Marc - bass

1970

While working in his family's ice cream parlour in Middlesbrough and doing part-time labouring, Rea buys his first guitar after being inspired by Joe Walsh and Ry Cooder. He went round to a friend's house and everything changed. "He put on a record" says Chris. "It was Joe Walsh. Suddenly the sky lit up. I remember looking out of the window at the sunset and thinking 'this is it'. I went out and bought a guitar and a slide. Instant cure for depression. I was like a child with his first paint box and a blank piece of paper."

1973

He becomes proficient enough guitarist to join local professional band Magdalene, who's singer David Coverdale has just left to join Deep Purple, and he begins to develop his songwriting skills.

1974

In May Rea cuts "So much love", a one-off for Magnet Records, but to little notice.

1975

Magdalene changes it's name to The Beautiful Losers and wins Melody Makers' Best Newcomers of 1975 award but little comes of this accolade.

1977

Rea splits from the group to sign to Magnet as a soloist and works with producer Gus Dudgeon on a debut LP. The Beautiful Losers splits.
In November he is one of the many guitarists guesting on LP The Hank Marvin Guitar Syndicate, a solo instrumental by the Shadows' lead guitarist.

1978

In April "Fool (if you think it's over)" is released and initially does nothing. In June the Dudgeon-produced LP "Whatever happened to Benny Santini" is released. The title refers to Magnet having considered at one time re-christening Rea Benny Santini to capture the American market. Rea claims the LP sounds 'too American' and that Dudgeon has smoothed away all the rough edges of his style. In the post-punk UK musical climate it is also dismissed as wimpish M.O.R. by most reviewers.
In the less new-wave-obsessed US market "Fool" is released on United Artists, gets airplay and climbs to US No 12 pulling the LP to US No 49 and a gold disc for half million sales. Rea is offered a major US tour but turns it down to concentrate on further recordings in UK.
The single's US success prompts Magnet to re-promote it in UK in September and this time "Fool" makes UK No 30.

1979

In February "Fool" is nominated for a Grammy in the US, but does not win.
In May, LP "Deltics" produced by Gus Dudgeon is Rea's first UK LP chart debut at No 54 but fails in the US.

1980

In April, Rea's first self-penned LP "Tennis" reaches UK No 60. He spends most of the next two years on the road in UK continuing to write songs but exchewing recording in favour of stage work. He also marries long time girlfriend Joan.

1982

In March LP "Chris Rea" reaches UK No 52. In the US it marks a new deal with CBS/Columbia but does not chart. "Loving you", the opening track, is his first hit single in three years reaching UK No 65 and US No 66.

1983

"In 1983 it was just about rock bottom", says Chris. "I was ready to give up" (and so was his record company). What saved him was a call from Ireland; an offer to promote his next album, "Water sign", and a tour. Moving to London he set about rebuilding from the ground up, operating 'like a French hotel family business'. He found that Europe welcomed his heartfelt gritty sound and set off on the first of many continental tours 'starting from Finland and working down'.
In October "I can hear your heartbeat" taken from this album climbs in the UK chart to No 60 but is a bigger hit in Ireland and on the continent. It hits Top 20 in several countries, as does the LP. This helps build his European reputation to a level far exceeding his still cult-sized UK following. His tour affords him near superstar status.

1984

In March, 'I don't know what it is but I love it', a taster from his next LP clibms to UK No 65.
In May, LP "Wired to the moon" peaks at UK No 35.

1985

In May, "Stainsby girls" following strong UK airplay, reaches UK No 27, and in June, LP "Shamrock diaries" is Rea's first UK Top 20 LP reaching No 15, and going gold in UK, Holland and Belgium, platinum in Germany.

1986

In May, LP "On the beach" is Rea's best seller in the UK making No 11 with a 24-week chart run, going gold in Australia, New Zealand and Japan.

1987

In July, Rea's self-penned "Let's dance" reaches UK No 12 to become his all-time biggest-selling UK single. LP "On the beach" also re-charts in the UK reaching No 75, its sales revitalised by the success of "Let's dance".
In September, self-produced LP "Dancing with strangers" which includes "Let's dance" hits UK No 2 earning a gold disk in its first week of release and confirming Rea's star status in UK comparable to that in which he operates on the continent. In US "Let' s dance" - Rea's first release via a deal with Motown - makes US No 81.
Meanwhile, he makes his first concert tour of Australia, followed by another European trek.

1988

In August "On the beach Summer '88", a remixed version of the earlier hit, is Rea's first single for WEA, which has acquired Magnet Records, and makes UK No 12. WEA repromotes LP "On the beach" which makes UK No 37.
Compilation LP "New light through old windows" hits UK No 5 in November.

1989

In October Rea releases his 11th album "The road to hell" which is his first No 1 in the album chart and goes triple platinum. Rea embarks upon a 52-date UK and European tour.

1990

In January, "Tell me there's a heaven", from the new album, is released and reaches UK No 24. He completes his tour in March, andin April 'Texas' is released.

1991

February; release of LP "Auberge", which goes to No 1 in week of release and quickly reaches platinum status. The single of the same name reaches UK No 16.
In October Rea embarks upon a 50-date UK and European tour. "Winter song", the fourth single from the "Auberge" album reaches UK No 27.

1992

In October Rea's new album "God's great banana skin" is released and reaches UK No 4. The single "Nothing to fear" reaches UK No 16.

1993

UK and European tour from January to April.
Single "Soft top, hard shoulder" is released to coincide with release of film of the same name for which Chris has written entire soundtrack.
In November his 14th album "Espresso logic" is released and reaches UK No 8. As a promotion exercise for the album Chris raced in the British Touring Car Championship race at Donington.
Chris is working on a musical film project called "La Passione".

1994

A small European-Canadian-US was planned for February/March, but the US dates had to be cancelled. Chris is approached by the Ford Motor Company to write the music for a commercial launching one of their new cars, the Ford Probe. The song is relesed as a single in October and charts at No 28 in UK. Rea's new compilation album "The best of Chris Rea" is also released in October and enters the UK chart at No 3.
Chris had been unwell for some time and had several operations. "First I had a collapsed colon, which needed immediate surgery, then I had a post-operational abscess which gave me full-scale peritonitis."

1995

Chris is recovering from the operations, and concentrating on his musical film project 'La Passione'.
The soundtrack from the film is planned to be released in 1996 and it will be called "La Passione", with a single due out shortly beforehand.
Currently, Chris is concerned with storyboarding and pre-production, and he is putting the final touches to the music.

1996

The filming of 'La Passione' started in February. The album is released in November, and the film is shown at the London Film Festival.

1997

The album is re-released in May, as the film opens in cinemas across the UK.

As Middlesbrough FC reaches the F.A. Cup final in May, a special version of "Let's dance" is released as a single; Chris sings together with Bob Mortimer and the Middlesbrough FC. (unfortunately, Boro loses the final against Chelsea)

In the autumn, Chris is busy being a movie star, in Michael Winner's new film "Parting Shots".
In the winter, Chris records a new album called "The blue cafe". The title track is written for an episode of the German film series "Schimanski", and Chris also performs the song in the same episode.

1998

"The blue cafe" is released in January, with several singles following. Three concerts are held in London in January, but the actual tour is in April and May with dates in the UK, France, Belgium, Holland, Switzerland, Germany, and Russia.

The film "Parting Shots" is shown at film festivals during the year, and should open at cinemas during the winter 1998-99.

1999

Chris writes and releases the album Road to hell Part 2.

Discography

http://www.helsinki.fi/~wikgren/chrisrea.html

Photos

http://www.helsinki.fi/~wikgren/chrisrea.html



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