Chris Rea

Born: 1951-03-04

Christopher Anton Rea (born 4 March 1951) is an English rock and blues singer and guitarist from Middlesbrough. A "gravel-voiced guitar stalwart", known for his slide guitar playing, Rea has recorded twenty-five solo albums, two of which topped the UK Albums Chart. Described as "rock's ultimate survivor", given his recovery from several bouts of serious illness, Rea was "a major European star by the time he finally cracked the UK Top 10" with his single "The Road to Hell (Part 2)". The album, The Road to Hell (1989), topped the album chart, as did its successor, Auberge (1991). His many hit songs include "I Can Hear Your Heartbeat", "Stainsby Girls", "Josephine", "On the Beach", "Let's Dance", "Driving Home for Christmas", "Working on It", "Tell Me There's a Heaven", "Auberge" and "Julia". He also recorded a duet with Elton John, "If You Were Me". Rea was nominated three times for the Brit Award for Best British Male Artist: in 1988, 1989 and 1990. He has never toured the United States, where he is best known for the 1978 single "Fool (If You Think It's Over)", which reached No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart, earning him a Grammy nomination as Best New Artist in 1978. A decade later, "Working On It" topped the Mainstream Rock chart. He has sold more than 40 million records worldwide. Christopher Rea was born on 4 March 1951 in Middlesbrough in the North Riding of Yorkshire to an Italian father, Camillo Rea (died December 2010) originating from Arpino in the Province of Frosinone, and an Irish mother, Winifred K. Slee (died September 1983), as one of seven children. His family were of the Roman Catholic faith. The name Rea was well known locally thanks to his father's ice cream factory and café chain. When he was twelve, he worked clearing tables in the coffee bar and making ice cream in the factory. He wanted to improve the business, but his ideas got no support from his father. After leaving, he was replaced by one of his brothers. At that time he wanted to be a journalist and attended St Mary's College, Middlesbrough. ... Source: Article "Chris Rea" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0.


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Parting Shots

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Released: 1999-05-14

Harry Sterndale, a failed photographer, is given a diagnosis of cancer and told that he has only...

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Curves Contours & Body Horns

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Released: 1993-12-12

Now recognized as one of the best electric guitars ever designed, Leo Fender's Stratocaster is a...

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Chris Rea: The Road to Hell and Back

as Self
Released: 2006-11-06

Two DVD set that follows singer/songwriter Chris Rea as he embarks on his last tour as a solo...

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Willie and The Poor Boys - The Movie

as uncredited
Released: 1985-01-01

Get back to the Boogie-Woogie/R&B roots with the boys performing classic cover tunes such as...

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Chris Rea: Stony Road

as Self
Released: 2002-12-10

"Dancing Down The Stony Road" DVD includes a superb 75-minutes documentary about recording...

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Chris Rea: Montreux Jazz Festival

as Self
Released: 2014-07-05

This English singer and guitarist is quite familiar with Montreux, having come four times but...

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Top of the Pops

as Self
First aired: 1964-01-01

The biggest stars, the most iconic performances, the most outrageous outfits – it’s Britain’s...

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Champs-Elysées

as Self
First aired: 1982-01-16

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Shooting Stars

as Self
First aired: 1993-12-27

Shooting Stars is a British television comedy panel game broadcast on BBC Two as a pilot in...

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The Kenny Everett Television Show

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First aired: 1982-02-25

Sketch comedy show starring Kenny Everett.

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Auf los geht's los

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First aired: 1977-01-22

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Parkinson

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First aired: 1998-01-09

Michael Parkinson returns for a second run of his iconic talk show.

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Téléthon

as uncredited
First aired: 1987-12-04

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De TV Show

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First aired: 1981-11-06

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The Marti Caine Show

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First aired: 1979-01-08

Marti Caine presents a star studded variety show in which she performs comedy material, sings...

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