Chris Rea
British singer and guitarist Chris Rea was born in the city of Middlesborough. A mixture of Italian, Irish and Yugoslav blood flows through his veins.
He has initially associated with the band Magdalene, replacing David Coverdale, who left for Deep Purple. In 1975, the band changed its name and as the Beautiful Losers won a national talent competition, but despite these successes, he still did not sign any contracts and did not release a record. Then Rea left the group.
Chris, as a soloist, made his debut in 1978 – he recorded his first album “Whatever Happened to Benny Santini?”. Unexpectedly, the album conquered the music market in the United States. The hit “Fool (If You Think It’s Over)” from this album celebrated its triumph in the USA. And although at first it went unnoticed in Great Britain, the success in the United States caused interest in the single also in Chris’s homeland.
The musician gained the greatest popularity in Europe in the 80s and 90s. Then the albums “On the Beach” from 1986 appeared on the market; “The Road To Hell” from 1989 (considered by many to be the best album in the artist’s achievements) and “Auberge” from 1991, which topped the British album charts.
Hits such as “Josephine” (dedicated to the artist’s newborn daughter), “Let’s Dance”, “On The Beach”, “Driving Home For Christmas”, “The Road To Hell” and “Looking For The Summer” have strengthened Chris’s position as one of most interesting vocalists and guitarists on the music market.
The Briton’s next album, “Auberge” (1991), was also well received by the audience. At the end of the 90s, Rea tried to refer to the success of a decade by releasing the album “The Road To Hell, Part 2” (1999). A year later, he underwent pancreatic cancer surgery. After these experiences, the musician, so far known from rock melodies, began to record albums with a more blues mood, incl. “Stony Road” (2002) and “The Blue Jukebox” (2004).