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About Chris Rea

How Chris Rea became rock's ultimate survivor

From industry sharks to cancer and strokes, nothing can sink Chris Rea. Rock’s great survivor looks on the bright side of life

a portrait of chris rea

Few experiences in life are more humiliating than spluttering up the driveway of Chris Rea’s country pile in a decrepit Seat Altea. The veteran bluesman’s home is a trove of automobile porn: a gleaming Ferrari, a pristine Caterham 620, racing overalls, press clippings of Rea himself burning up the track. It’s becoming apparent why he wrote Road Songs For Lovers , his new semi-concept album, on which he admits that he finds peace only behind the wheel.

“I love it,” he says with a twinkle, that burnished face crinkling into a walnut. “I always have. I don’t know why. How do you explain love?”

Rea looks good, all things considered. Last week he had an MRI scan, the latest two-step in the 66-year-old’s long-standing dance with abdominal cancer. It turns out there are other ailments afoot.

“I had a stroke in the autumn,” he reveals. “Boy, that was a big shock. When I first got home I couldn’t play slide guitar. It was horrific. Very scary moment. I couldn’t play F major 7th. I got it into my head that my perception of pitch had gone with the stroke. And it took a lot of convincing from people saying there’s nothing wrong with what you’re playing. I’m getting it back now, hopefully, for the tour.”

You’d defy anyone to detect an issue on Road Songs . Rea’s supple, dextrous slide work is the fairy dust on these bluesy songs of open-road escapism, his desert-dry vocal wrapping them in parchment. He recorded his parts here, in his home studio.

“They have to drag albums off me,” he says. “If you’re not careful, you just polish. And that’s a weakness of mine. Because I don’t have a big ego. I don’t think I’m any good, really. I’d love to play something and think: ‘Yep, that’s the best thing I’ve ever done,” but I never do.”

He’s proud of these songs, though. Apart from the sinister trudge of Last Train , it’s easy to cast this album as a love letter to cars, the second great passion of Rea’s when he was younger.

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“You’re a little boy in Middlesbrough,” he reflects. “There are no colours, nothing glamorous. Everything is black and white. Then you’re stood with your dad and a German racing car goes past you at 180 miles an hour. Even if it did that now it would be incredible. Imagine the relative perception in 1956.

“They’re not an indulgence,” he stresses of his collection of cars. “I’m a proper racing driver. I’ve got an international C licence. I race a 1957 Morris 1000 police car. It’s not exactly a Lamborghini, is it? But I adore it. I’m an anorak. It’s about the engine, all that. It’s not about status. The Caterham will be my last car. It’s the heroin of car addicts. Nick Mason [Pink Floyd drummer and fellow petrolhead] once said to me: ‘You don’t have to take drugs to be an addict,’ y’know?”

Aren’t cars stereotypical things for a rock star to write songs about?

“I’m not a rock star!” Rea puffs, indignant. “There have been moments when I wish I was. When I see a Ferrari 250 GTO and it’s going for twenty-five million pounds, for about ten seconds I wish I was a rock star. It’s very difficult to be a rock star. When I’ve met people who are rock stars, they’re focused like you wouldn’t believe. They’re bothered about their hair. They’re constantly having something done to their face. How you look and how you sound is everything. It’s narcissistic. I’m not.”

Fame has always repelled him, Rea reminds me. Digging his heels in all the way, his reluctant ascent began with his 1978 hit Fool (If You Think It’s Over) , which he despised, and when the real circus began he was in too deep to walk away. “I signed a record contract that was the only one available to me at the time. I signed with the wrong record company for what I wanted to do, and I’ve been playing catch-up ever since.

“When I did The Old Grey Whistle Test , the other band that was on with me was Dire Straits. I knew that day that that was what I should be doing. But it was too late. If Mark Knopfler had asked me to join them that night, I would have. And I would have gone to court with my record company. But I don’t think my record company would have let me go. They’d have let me starve rather than let me go. Because somebody in Los Angeles had told the head of my record company: ‘Never let that boy go.’ It was quite sinister when you look back. “When someone said: ‘If you’re doing that TV gig, you’ve got to wear a leather jacket,’ I should have just said no to all that. But then I mightn’t have got this far. You’re constantly juggling what you want to do and what you have to do.

“We had all this when I went back to the blues. They all shit themselves. What they didn’t realise is that Chris Rea fans like that. That’s the bit they like, better than the poppier side or trying to have a hit single. One German journalist for a rock magazine said: ‘The best thing you can ever see is a Chris Rea sound-check, because they’re just grooving and playing.’ They used to have to get us off stage: ‘For fuck’s sake, we’re opening the doors.’ We’re playing away, happy as pigs in shit – because we love it.”

Last time we met, you said that the fallout from fame left you bad-tempered and aggressive.

“Terribly aggressive. Y’know, I was four times a week at the gym and I was sixteen and a half stone. And fearful and paranoid that some twat was gonna take me back to the old pop record days. I became horrendously paranoid. There’s nothing to be paranoid about any more.”

Aren’t you wary of Road Songs becoming a hit and the whole cycle starting again?

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“I don’t think we are. All through the spring I was saying to my manager: ‘John, promise me this. When it doesn’t happen, just stay calm. I don’t want any fucking getting drunk and having fights.’

“One of the things I’ve noticed is that I don’t think people care if you bring a new record out or not. When you go to Harley Street, all the doctors’ names are on brass plates, and underneath it tells you what they do. Well, that’s what we are. You’ve got ‘Mark Knopfler: Money For Nothing, Sultans Of Swing ’. Doesn’t matter what else he does, that’s his brass plate. ‘Chris Rea: Road To Hell, On The Beach, Driving Home For Christmas ’. If I made a triple album of the world’s best-ever music, better than Beethoven, they’d still want On The Beach .”

Does that realisation hurt famous musicians?

“It hurts accordingly to the size of your ego. The bigger the ego, the bigger the hurt. We’re all brass plates. I mean, Elton John brought a fabulous album out last year with the American producer [T Bone Burnett]. There won’t be one person at the next twenty thousand Elton John concerts that will wait for a song off that album. You’ve also got people who get the brass plate and put it in neon and do ‘best of’ tours. In fact, in Germany, the venue they’ll put you in and the type of money they’ll put up is totally dependent on what songs you’re contractually going to play. If you’re going to do all your hits, they’ll put you in the big arena in Dortmund; if not, they’ll put you in a club down the road in Cologne.”

Given Rea’s troubled relationship with paydirt, perhaps the most fascinating song on the new album is Money , a rare deviation from the car theme, on which New Orleans brass jousts with his grizzled commentary on modern avarice.

“That was me listening to the money programme [ Money Box ] on Radio Four,” he explains. “Everyone sees their politics from where they stand financially. That’s why everyone’s worried about Jeremy Corbyn, because he doesn’t have any financial desires, so he thinks you can live on thruppence. But when he wins… And he is going to win. There’s no doubt about it. I’ve got a bet. I’ve got sixteen to one. Him and his chancellor will decide how much money they think you need, everything else will go to the government.”

That’s bad news for millionaire musicians like you, isn’t it?

“No, because I think he’s right. A lot of people are like: ‘Fucking hell, Chris, don’t tell me you’re a Corbyn fan. For fuck’s sake, don’t tell anyone!’ I’ve written a song about him. It’s called What’s So Wrong With A Man Who Tells The Truth? Because he’s standing there, even his own party are laughing at him, and I thought: ‘You’re all laughing at your own peril.’ And yes, in the old way, Corbyn is useless. Because he says the wrong things. But the young people have had enough.

“Because of my health I’m constantly in some of these hospitals. And we need more money. Of course, Newsnight will say: ‘Yeah, but where’s he gonna get it from?’ Tax. It’s as simple as that. One of my musician friends said: ‘Well, we’re all going to leave the country.’ And I think the people who are left behind will say: ‘Good riddance.’”

Rea reckons Road Songs , released on his Jazzee Blue label, will cover his expenses but perhaps not much more.

“Well, touch wood, it’s not costing me money. But ten years with Jazzee Blue, you find out some of the things you just can’t get if you’re not with a big record company. There’d just be this mystery of why you couldn’t get in that magazine. It’s even happening now with gigs. Trying to get on a gig that Live Nation don’t own is extremely difficult. You find yourself not being able to get a venue. You don’t know why. The men at the top are still the men at the top. Most bands have become casualties of the business, but at the top of the business they’re on the same money as they always were. That bit hasn’t changed.”

How do you feel about other developments in show business?

“This is probably the only interview in the world this week where it’s you and me sat talking to each other,” says Rea. “Nowadays they’ll send emails and just say: ‘Answer the following questions.’ It saves money.

“One of my big shocks lately is how people – even in the business – listen to music. It’s frightening. When I first started, there was a man who went round Warners’ offices all day long, every day, resetting people’s hi-fis and playback systems. Now they’re all listening to it on a PC. And modern music has changed because of that. Young kids make music for a PC. So they won’t have a big, fat bass, because you can’t hear it on a PC. They’ll make a more pointed, rhythmic bass, and it’ll be quantised. And that’s modern music. One of the final milestones for me was Ed Sheeran at Glastonbury this year,” he continues. “Because people were saying that he was using a little black box, and he didn’t have a band. But the main point of that was nobody cared.

“We have terrible trouble when we tour. The last four people who’ve played the venue you’ve arrived into are saying: ‘Well, we didn’t have any trouble [with the sound].’ And you know that’s because it was all on hard disc. Of course you don’t have trouble, because you don’t have a buzzing 1962 Stratocaster!”

And yet, for all the dodgy live sound and brass-plate audiences, Rea says he’s raring to take Road Songs into its natural habitat when he goes out on his European tour in November.

“Touring is like a holiday,” he says. “And when we do Germany and England on the tour there’ll be an album that comes out of that. I’m already onto my next one now. My problem is it’s almost like having a form of autism. I seriously think it’s quite close, creativity. I get up this morning, quarter to seven. I’ve got to write something. I’m useless at doing nothing.”

Somehow, you suspect Chris Rea is the kind of musician who will never be done – unless his hand is forced by factors beyond his control. Again, where a ‘proper’ rock star would shut down any such enquiries, Rea is an open book on the subject of his gathering health issues.

“The medical is the leveller when you’ve been as ill as me, with permanent damage,” he says. “And it has a lot of effects that I wish it didn’t. But it does. Y’know, there are reasons why I can’t go to the Himalayas. And I’d love to. But the way my body is now, digestion-wise, I couldn’t go up there.”

He brightens. “I’m happy to be here,” he says. “I really am. And y’know, if you lose your pancreas and you’re on morphine for sixteen weeks in hospital, then you can say: ‘What’s wrong with me singing the blues?’”

Road Songs For Lovers is out now via Jazzee Blue/BMG.

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Henry Yates has been a freelance journalist since 2002 and written about music for titles including The Guardian, The Telegraph, NME, Classic Rock, Guitarist, Total Guitar and Metal Hammer . He is the author of Walter Trout's official biography, Rescued From Reality , a music pundit on Times Radio and BBC TV, and an interviewer who has spoken to Brian May, Jimmy Page, Ozzy Osbourne, Ronnie Wood, Dave Grohl, Marilyn Manson, Kiefer Sutherland and many more. 

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Chris Rea is an underrated blues-pop force – his soulful slide playing is well worth investigating

Inspired by the blues greats, the UK singer-songwriter developed a melodic open E slide style that’s very much his own

Chris Rea

Perhaps a lesser known bluesman to the wider guitar playing community, but by no means less successful than any of his peers, is Mr Chris Rea. Hailing from the UK, Chris has had a rich and successful career, with 25 solo albums and many hit singles to his name.

Originally from Middlesborough, the guitar legend actually started his music career quite late in life. Originally wanting to be a journalist, Chris bought his first guitar in his early 20s, and was inspired in particular by Charley Patton, a well-known slide player on whom Chris based his own approach. 

Rea was influenced by Blind Willie Johnson, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Ry Cooder and Joe Walsh. He was also inspired by the Delta blues movement, in particular citing Muddy Waters.

But Rea’s sound and style are definitely more grounded in British rock, rather than blues in particular, and many of his records testify to that foundational sensibility. But he adopted many styles of music in his songwriting. 

Some records sound more classic rock while others have more Motown influence with extended 7th and 9th chords and lush string sections that might be more typically associated with artists like The Temptations. All the while, his distinctive slide guitar was used across all these records giving him his unique blues-pop sound.

In 1974 Rea managed to secure a solo recording deal with Magnet Records after fronting a few local bands, releasing his first single, So Much Love . This led him to further opportunities, including his contribution to Hank Marvin’s album, The Hank Marvin Guitar Syndicate , in 1977.

His own debut release came a year later, with Whatever Happened to Benny Santini ? It peaked at No 49 on the Billboard Hot 200, and was there for 12 weeks. The lead single off this record, Fool (If You Think It’s Over) was his most successful song in the USA, reaching No 1 on the Adult Contemporary singles chart and No 12 on the Billboard Hot 100. Despite this success, he’s had no ambitions to tour in the US and still hasn’t worked there to this day.

Chris had a fair bit of success in the European charts, though, but his major breakthrough wouldn’t come until his 10th studio record in 1989. The Road To Hell was his first UK number 1 album, being certified 6x Platinum by the BPI in 2004.

Rea made a return to his blues roots after many years of success with more contemporary pop and rock sounding records. Therefore, for the purposes of our studies on Chris’s playing, we’ll look at examples of his slide guitar style first in a pop-rock context, and then in a more soulful, Motown-inspired track. Enjoy! 

Get the tone

Amp Settings: Gain 3, Bass 5, Middle 5, Treble 5, Reverb 4

Any guitar, whether single coils or humbuckers will do the job nicely. You’ll need a slide for these solos, so a guitar with a medium action height will benefit you here. A clean amp on the edge of break-up with a touch of reverb will put you squarely in the sonic ballpark. Either neck or bridge pickup will do the trick, as long as you get a clear, singing tone.

Study One

This solo is a great example of Rea’s style from his pop-rock years. Chris plays everything (including regular lead guitar) in open E tuning, but we are in standard tuning here. The solo is constructed mostly around triads that contain notes all on the same frets, so as to accommodate the slide.

This solo is an example of Chris’s playing in a more soulful context. Notice that each idea is a development of what came before. We use the slide to essentially harmonise the original melodic idea using triads to create a choir-like effect that sounds airy and open, unlike conventional guitar strumming.

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Wechsel zu Radio Swiss Pop

Music database

Chris Rea - © Alexandre Boucher: Chris Rea 2009

born on 4/3/1951 in Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom

Christopher Anton Rea ( / ˈ r iː ə / REE -ə ; born 4 March 1951) [1] is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist, recognisable for his distinctive, husky voice and slide guitar playing. [2] The British Hit Singles & Albums stated that Rea was "one of the most popular UK singer-songwriters of the late 1980s. He was already a major European star by the time he finally cracked the UK Top 10 with his 18th chart entry; "The Road to Hell (Part 2)". [3] As of 2009, he has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide. [4]

In America he is best known for the 1978 hit song "Fool (If You Think It's Over)" that reached No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart. This success earned him a Grammy nomination as Best New Artist in 1979. [5] His other hit songs include, "I Can Hear Your Heartbeat", "Stainsby Girls", "On the Beach" (Adult Contemporary No. 9), "Let's Dance", "Josephine", "Driving Home for Christmas", "I Just Wanna Be with You", "Looking for a Rainbow", "Tell Me There's a Heaven", "Auberge", "And You My Love", "Looking for the Summer", "Winter Song", "Nothing To Fear", "Julia", "Working On It" (Mainstream Rock No. 1), and "If You Were Me", a duet with Elton John . [6]

Two of his studio albums, The Road to Hell and Auberge , topped the UK Albums Chart. [3] Rea was nominated three times for the Brit Award for Best British Male Artist: in 1988, 1989 and 1990. [7] [8] [9] The book Guinness Rockopedia described him as a "gravel-voiced guitar stalwart". [10]

Christopher Rea was born in Middlesbrough in the North Riding of Yorkshire to an Italian father, Camillo Rea (died December 2010), [11] and an Irish mother, Winifred Slee (died September 1983). [12] The name Rea was well known locally thanks to Camillo's ice cream factory and café chain. [10] [11] Chris has two brothers, Nick and Mike; and four sisters, Catherine, Geraldine, Stacey, and Camille. Chris was raised Roman Catholic.

1972–82: Early career and "Fool (If You Think It's Over)"

After leaving school Rea worked in casual labouring jobs, including working in his father's ice cream business. [13] It was at the comparatively late age of 21-22 that Rea bought his first guitar, [14] [15] a 1961 Hofner V3. [13] With regards to his guitar playing technique, he developed his own style by [15] listening to Delta blues musicians like Sonny Boy Williamson II and Muddy Waters , [16] and opera to light orchestral classics to develop his style. [12] Rea's early music career began with inspiration of Charlie Patton , [14] [17] Blind Willie Johnson and Sister Rosetta Tharpe , [17] as well by the success of then contemporary Ry Cooder and Joe Walsh . [14] [18] He recalls that "for many people from working-class backgrounds, rock wasn't a chosen thing, it was the only thing, the only avenue of creativity available for them", [16] and that "when I was young wanted most of all to be a writer of films and film music. But Middlesbrough in 1968 wasn't the place to be if you wanted to do movie scores". [16] Due to his late introduction to music and guitar playing compared to Mark Knopfler and Eric Clapton , Rea commented how "I definitely missed the boat, I think". [14]

In 1973 he joined the local Middlesbrough band 'Magdalene', allegedly replacing David Coverdale who went on to join Deep Purple . [10] [13] [15] He began by writing the bands songs, and only took up singing because the singer in the band did not show up. [15] Rea then went on to form the band 'The Beautiful Losers' with which in 1975 he received the Melody Maker Best Newcomers award, but as he secured a solo recording deal with Magnet Records, [18] and released his first single entitled "So Much Love" in 1974, [19] the band split in 1977. [20] 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]

In 1978, Whatever Happened to Benny Santini? was Rea's debut album. It was released in June and was produced by Elton John 's record producer Gus Dudgeon . The title of the album was a reference to "Benjamin Santini", the stage name that Rea sarcastically invented but the record label insisted that he should adopt. [1] [16] The first single taken from the album, "Fool (If You Think It's Over)", was Rea's biggest hit in the US, peaking at No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and reaching No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary Singles chart. 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 No. 30 when was re-released in late 1978 to capitalise on its US achievement. [3] However, as the record label had the idea of him being a mix of piano-playing singer-songwriters Elton John and Billy Joel , [16] it gave the record buyers a different impression of him than what he felt was correct for three or four years. [14] Rea noted that the hit song "is still the only song I've ever not played guitar on, but it just so happened to be my first single, and it just so happened to be a massive hit", [14] and that he "always had a difficult relationship with fame, even before my first illness. None of my heroes were rock stars. I arrived in Hollywood for the Grammy Awards once and thought I was going to bump into people who mattered, like Ry Cooder or Randy Newman . But I was surrounded by pop stars". [21] [22]

Dudgeon went on to produce Rea's next studio album Deltics . Rea has since spoken about the difficult working relationship he had at the time with Dudgeon 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. [16] [23] Rea's second, and following third ( Tennis ) and fourth ( Chris Rea ) studio albums failed to provide further hit singles.

1983–00: European breakthrough, The Road to Hell and Auberge

In 1983, Rea's fifth studio album Water Sign became a surprise hit in Ireland and 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. [19]

With the success of Water Sign and Wired to the Moon Rea began to focus his attention on touring continental Europe and built up a significant fan base. It was not until 1985's Shamrock Diaries and the songs "Stainsby Girls" (a tribute to the girls - including his wife - that he knew from Stainsby secondary modern school near Middlesbrough [24] ) and "Josephine" (a tribute to his daughter) that UK audiences began to take notice of him. His following albums were On The Beach (1986) and Dancing with Strangers (1987), [10] both went Platinum and Dancing with Strangers reached No. 2, being behind Michael Jackson's Bad . 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 his first compilation, New Light Through Old Windows , which sold very well and included re-workings of his then hit singles. [10]

His next studio album was Rea's major breakthrough. [10] The Road to Hell (1989) enjoyed massive success and became his first No. 1 album in the UK. This accomplishment could not be mirrored in the US where it only reached No. 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 and performed on the Band Aid II project's single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" in December 1989. [10] His next album Auberge was also a No. 1 UK and European hit album.

After Auberge , Rea released God's Great Banana Skin which reached No. 4 in the UK, [10] while 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 and sixth Top 20 position. The album was part promoted by Rea taking part in the British Touring Car Championship, although he was eliminated in the first round. [10] A period of ill health meant his next album did not appear until 1998, when The Blue Cafe made the UK Top 10. In 1999, 10 years after Road to Hell , Rea released electronica album The Road to Hell: Part 2 , which never made the UK Top 40. In 2000, he released King of the Beach , which hit the UK Top 30.

2001–05: Pancreatic cancer and return to the roots of Blues music

Rea had had peritonitis and stomach complications since 1994, as well as several operations. [21] [25] In August 2000, [26] [27] [28] Rea underwent a Whipple procedure after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, by which he lost the head of the pancreas and part of duodenum, bile duct, and gall bladder. [13] [21] Since having his pancreas removed, Rea has had problems with diabetes and a generally weaker immune system and has to take thirty-four pills and seven injections a day. [29] He has since undergone several serious operations. [13] [21] Nevertheless, he found even greater appreciation for life and the things he loves. [13] [21]

In an interview, 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] Although the record company offered him millions to do a duets album with music stars, [12] having promised himself that if he recovered he would be returning to his blues roots, [17] he recorded Dancing Down the Stony Road (2002) and set up his own independent Jazzee Blue label in 2003 to free himself from the pressure of record company expectations. [12] [13] He has since released the Blue Street (Five Guitars) (2003), Hofner Blue Notes (2003), and The Blue Jukebox (2004), [13] blues albums and in 2005 he released Blue Guitars , a 11 CD collection of 137 blues-inspired tracks, with his own paintings as album covers. [22] Rea concluded: "I was never a rock star or pop star and all the illness has been my chance to do what I'd always wanted to do with music [...] the best change for my music has been concentrating on stuff which really interests me". [22]

2006–present: The continuation of Blues albums and tours

In February 2008, Chris Rea released a new album, The Return of the Fabulous Hofner Blue Notes (a dedication to the 1960s Hofner guitar), featuring 38 new tracks on three CDs and two vinyl, which included a hardback book of his paintings. [13] 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.

In October 2009, Rhino released a new 2-disc best of compilation Still So Far to Go which contained some of his best known (and lesser known) hits over the last thirty years, as well as more recent songs from his "blues" period. [22] Two new songs were included, "Come So Far, Yet Still So Far to Go" and the ballad "Valentino". [22] The album was a success as it reached No. 8 and was certified Gold by BPI. In January 2010 Rea started the European tour, called "Still So Far to Go". [22] His special guest on stage was Irish musician Paul Casey. The tour ended on 5 April at Waterfront Hall in Belfast. [22]

In September 2011, Chris Rea released Santo Spirito Blues , which contained two feature-length films on DVD written and directed by him, and two accompanying CDs of the soundtracks, and one regular CD of studio album songs. [30] In October and November, he underwent two surgical procedures. [31] On February 3, 2012 the Santo Spirito Tour started at Congress Center Hamburg in Hamburg, Germany, with additional visits to Poland, Russia, Ukraine, Hungary, Switzerland, Netherlands, Belgium and France. The United Kingdom part of the tour commenced in the middle of March and finished on April 5 at Hammersmith Apollo in London. [30]

In November 2014, Rea embarked on a European tour called The Last Open Road Tour, while the UK part of the tour commenced on 1 December in Manchester and ended on 20 December in London. [32] He also performed at the 2014 Montreux Jazz Festival.

In 2016, Rea suffered a stroke, which left him with slurred speech and reduced movement in his arms and fingers. Soon after he quit smoking to deter further strokes, and gradually recovered well enough to record and tour. [33] . The same year he released a re-recording of his 1996 album La Passione . In September 2017, Chris Rea released his twenty-fourth album, Road Songs for Lovers , and embarked on a new European tour starting on October 7 in Amsterdam, which included concerts in France, Germany, Austria, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Russia and the United Kingdom.

Personal life

Family life.

Rea is married to Joan Lesley, with whom he has been in a relationship since they met as 16-years-olds in their native Middlesbrough. [22] They have two daughters, Josephine, born 16 September 1983, and Julia Christina, born 18 March 1989. Rea used to live at Cookham, Berkshire, where he owned Sol Mill Recording Studios and produced some of his later albums. [13] [17]

Other interests

Rea is a fan of historic motor racing and races a Ferrari Dino, [29] a Ferrari 328, [34] and a 1955 Lotus 6, [34] [35] [36] and managed to race at Monza circuit. [37] He owned and raced the 1964 Lotus Elan 26R, [34] [38] [39] and the well known Caterham 7 from the Auberge album cover, [40] until it was sold in 2005 with all proceeds (£11,762) going to the charity NSPCC. [41] He also owned Ferrari 330 which was used as a donor car for the replica of Ferrari 250 Le Mans used in the 1996 movie La Passione . [42] He is currently restoring an original replica of Ferrari 156. [14]

He has taken the opportunity to get involved in Formula One on a few occasions, including as a pit lane mechanic for the Jordan team during the 1995 Monaco Grand Prix. [43] He recorded a song, "Saudade", in tribute to three-time Formula One world champion Ayrton Senna. It featured prominently in the BBC documentary movie. [44]

When he is not writing songs, other interests include gardening and particularly painting. [37] Rea says that he likes to "read a lot and even though I chose music, journalism was my first passion. I wanted to be a journalist and write about car racing [...] somewhere deep down I believe I could have been a decent journalist". [31]

In August 2008, it was erroneously reported that Rea had donated £25,000 to the Conservative Party. [45] This was followed by further claims in 2009 by The Times that Rea has been a longtime supporter of the Conservative Party, [46] and incorrect reports in April 2010, just weeks before the UK general election, that Rea had donated a further £100,000 to the Conservatives. [47] The donations were in fact made by a businessman called Chris Rea and not the musician. [48] This error has been acknowledged by The Daily Mail newspaper, which printed a retraction. [49]

In an interview in 2012, Chris Rea denied those claims and noted that this was a classic example of how dangerous the internet can be, while criticising the politicians and government of the UK and EU as remote from the common people. [31] He is sceptical about the idea of unification of Europe because with a common European market "you cannot force different people to live together [when] they simply do not want to", [31] recalling the downfall of Yugoslavia. [31]

Filmography

One of his childhood dreams was to become a film writer and film music composer. [15] [16] Rea wrote the title track and music score for the 1993 drama film Soft Top Hard Shoulder , [50] [51] 1996 film La Passione , and had a cameo role in it. [10] Rea was the lead actor in the 1999 comedy film Parting Shots , alongside Felicity Kendal, John Cleese , Bob Hoskins and Joanna Lumley. [15] Rea, ironically, 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. [10] [15] Afterwards, four hour-long films were made for the Blue Guitars album projects, while two feature-length films were made for the Santo Spirito Blues , just "so that I could do the music". [15]

References in Rea's lyrics

Rea has acknowledged that several of his songs were "born out of Middlesbrough", his home town. The verse "I'm standing by a river, but the water doesn't flow / It boils with every poison you can think of" from "The Road to Hell", [13] the songs "Steel River" which refers to a nickname for River Tees, [52] [53] and "Windy Town, [13] reflect Rea's feelings about the industrial decline of Middlesbrough and the re-development of the town centre while he was out of the country touring through the years:

"I went back to see my father after my 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." [54]
"I miss the bits of Middlesbrough that aren’t there any more. It’s very hard to accept that Ayresome Park no longer exists. I know I sound very old when I say things like that. Those terraced streets are no longer there. But I miss the old character of the place, the guys with the fruit barrows and all that." [13]

Discography

Studio albums.

  • Whatever Happened to Benny Santini? (1978)
  • Deltics (1979)
  • Tennis (1980)
  • Chris Rea (1982)
  • Water Sign (1983)
  • Wired to the Moon (1984)
  • Shamrock Diaries (1985)
  • On the Beach (1986)
  • Dancing with Strangers (1987)
  • The Road to Hell (1989)
  • Auberge (1991)
  • God's Great Banana Skin (1992)
  • Espresso Logic (1993)
  • La Passione (1996)
  • The Blue Cafe (1998)
  • The Road to Hell: Part 2 (1999)
  • King of the Beach (2000)
  • Dancing Down the Stony Road / Stony Road (2002)
  • Blue Street (Five Guitars) (2003)
  • Hofner Blue Notes (2003)
  • The Blue Jukebox (2004)
  • Blue Guitars (2005)
  • The Return of the Fabulous Hofner Bluenotes (2008)
  • Santo Spirito Blues (2011)
  • La Passione (Remake 2016)
  • Road Songs for Lovers (2017)

Compilation albums

  • New Light Through Old Windows (1988)
  • The Best of Chris Rea (1994)
  • The Very Best of Chris Rea (2001)
  • Heartbeats – Chris Rea's Greatest Hits (2005)
  • Chris Rea: The Ultimate Collection 1978–2000 (2007)
  • Still So Far to Go: The Best of Chris Rea (2009)
  • The Journey 1978-2009 (2011)
  • ^ a b c Strong, Martin C. (2000). The Great Rock Discography (5th ed.). Edinburgh: Mojo Books. pp. 800–801. ISBN 1-84195-017-3.  
  • ^ "www.ChrisRea.nl • Update on 2006 tour" . Chrisrea.nl. 15 November 2005 . Retrieved 19 April 2014 .  
  • ^ a b c Roberts, David (2005). British Hit Singles & Albums . London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 60. ISBN 1-904994-00-8.  
  • ^ "Programmes | Breakfast | 'Still so far to go ' " . BBC News. 5 October 2009 . Retrieved 19 April 2014 .  
  • ^ "Bee Gees Head Lists For 6 Grammy Awards" . Daytona Beach Morning Journal . The News-Journal Corporation. January 9, 1979 . Retrieved April 23, 2010 .  
  • ^ Gregory, Andy, ed. (2002). The International Who's Who in Popular Music 2002 . Psychology Press. p. 424. ISBN 978-1857431612.  
  • ^ "1988 Brit Awards" . Awards & Winners . Retrieved 5 August 2015 .  
  • ^ "1989 Brit Awards" . Awards & Winners . Retrieved 5 August 2015 .  
  • ^ "1990 Brit Awards" . Awards & Winners . Retrieved 5 August 2015 .  
  • ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Roberts, David (1998). Guinness Rockopedia (1st ed.). London: Guinness Publishing Ltd. pp. 354–355. ISBN 0-85112-072-5.  
  • ^ a b Robson, Dave (10 December 2010). "Teesside ice cream legend Camillo Rea dies" . Gazette Live . Retrieved 19 April 2014 .  
  • ^ a b c d Keith Shadwick (26 March 2004). "Chris Rea: Confessions of a blues survivor" . The Independent . Retrieved 28 March 2015 .  
  • ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Middlesbrough superstar Chris Rea speaks exclusively about recovering from illness and his return to touring" . ne4me . 5 March 2010. Archived from the original on 5 April 2015 . Retrieved 27 March 2015 .  
  • ^ a b c d e f g "Singer Chris Rea: 'Coping with not having a pancreas can be pretty awful ' " . Belfast Telegraph. 28 November 2014 . Retrieved 27 March 2015 .  
  • ^ a b c d e f g h Graham Young (5 November 2014). "Chris Rea says Birmingham NIA gig will be a 'holiday' from fighting pancreatic cancer" . Birmingham Post . Retrieved 30 March 2015 .  
  • ^ a b c d e f g John Walsh (3 May 1997). "The reluctant rocker" . The Independent . Retrieved 28 March 2015 .  
  • ^ a b c d Will Hodgkinson (13 September 2002). "Chris Rea interview" . The Guardian . Retrieved 28 March 2015 .  
  • ^ a b Auf Wiedersehen, Pet..., Q Magazine, February 1988, p.33
  • ^ a b Record Collector, December 1986, No.88, p.39
  • ^ Graham Young, Mieka Smiles (5 November 2014). " ' I've had five operations but I just keep going and I'm very lucky for that': Chris Rea on his long fight against cancer" . Gazette Live . Retrieved 30 March 2015 .  
  • ^ a b c d e Garth Pearce (29 September 2009). "If cancer hadn't nearly killed me, I'd be just another selfish celebrity egomaniac, says Chris Rea" . Daily Mail . Retrieved 28 March 2015 .  
  • ^ a b c d e f g h "Chris Rea, past, present and future" . Saga . Retrieved 27 March 2015 .  
  • ^ "Auf Wiedersehen", Pet..., Q magazine, February 1988, p.33-4
  • ^ http://www.jonkutner.com/stainsby-girls/
  • ^ "Rock: torna Chris Rea Un tour anche in Italia" (in Italian). Corriere della Sera. 2 February 1998: 24 . Retrieved 31 March 2014 .  
  • ^ "Chris Rea operato d' urgenza: tolto il pancreas" (in Italian). Corriere della Sera. 4 August 2000: 34 . Retrieved 31 March 2014 .  
  • ^ "Chris Rea plays North East gigs" . BBC News. 18 March 2010 . Retrieved 31 March 2014 .  
  • ^ Rebecca Fletcher (28 September 2002). "Interview: Chris Rea - My Road To Hell; How a Near-Death Experience Made Singer Chris Rea Realise What He Really Wanted out of Life" . The Mirror . Retrieved 31 March 2014 .  
  • ^ a b Gavin Martin (2 October 2009). "Chris Rea's fighting fit and raring to go" . Blogs.mirror.co.uk . Retrieved 19 April 2014 .  
  • ^ a b "Chris Rea announces Santo Spirito tour" . Music-News. 7 February 2012 . Retrieved 27 March 2015 .  
  • ^ a b c d e "Chris Rea: There's no escape from the road to" . Kyiv Weekly. 13 February 2012 . Retrieved 27 March 2015 .  
  • ^ "Chris Rea Announces December 2014 UK tour" . gigwise.com . 8 April 2014 . Retrieved 1 August 2014 .  
  • ^ BBC Interview
  • ^ a b c Rob Widdows (September 2009). "The Racing Bluesman" . Motor Sport . Retrieved 31 March 2015 .  
  • ^ "The aim is to beat Chris Rea" . Stirling Moss. 25 July 2010 . Retrieved 19 April 2014 .  
  • ^ "Chris Rea" . Forums.atlasf1.com . Retrieved 19 April 2014 .  
  • ^ a b Paula Kerr (20 April 2012). "My haven: The musician and aspiring painter, Chris Rea, 61, draws inspiration from the garden of his Berkshire home" . Daily Mail . Retrieved 28 March 2015 .  
  • ^ "Historic Race Meeting - Donington Park" (PDF) . Historic Sports Car Club (HSCC). 5 April 2009 . Retrieved 31 March 2015 .  
  • ^ "1964 Lotus 26R" . Jan B. Lühn. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015 . Retrieved 31 March 2015 .  
  • ^ Martin Buckley (11 December 2009). "Graham Nearn: Engineer and businessman behind the Caterham Seven sports car" . The Independent . Retrieved 31 March 2015 .  
  • ^ "Lot 229: 1987 Caterham 7 Sprint 'Blue Seven ' " . Motorbase.com . Taer limited. 29 September 2005 . Retrieved 31 March 2015 .  
  • ^ Don Standhaft. "Ferrari 250 TRI61 Le Mans" . DMark Concepts . Retrieved 28 March 2014 .  
  • ^ Warwick, Matt (29 May 2016). "Monaco GP: 'I saw Senna's glove - he'd worn through it ' " . BBC Sport . Retrieved 4 June 2016 .  
  • ^ "the career and life of Senna" . BBC News. 1 May 2009 . Retrieved 13 January 2012 .  
  • ^ Kirkup, James (28 August 2008). "Chris Rea among high-profile donors to Conservative Party" . London: Telegraph . Retrieved 19 April 2014 .  
  • ^ Baldwin, Tom; Sherwin, Adam; Simpson, Eva (14 November 2009). "Not the X Factor — more the Why Factor as celebrities snub parties" . London: The Times.  
  • ^ "Tories raise twice the amount of big donations given to Labour in first week of campaign" . London: The Guardian. 20 April 2010 . Retrieved 19 April 2014 .  
  • ^ "The seal of success: Chris Rea" . agendaNI. 10 March 2011 . Retrieved 28 March 2015 .  
  • ^ Doughty, Steve (21 April 2010). "Tories bank £1.45million in donations in first week of election campaign – twice that of Labour" . London: Daily Mail.  
  • ^ "Soft Top, Hard Shoulder - double BAFTA-winning comedy starring Peter Capaldi" . Vimeo . Retrieved 29 December 2013 .  
  • ^ Jim White (28 January 1993). "Hello? Is anybody out there?: Chris Rea: Wembley Arena" . The Independent . Retrieved 30 December 2013 .  
  • ^ "Middlesbrough History" . Englandsnortheast.co.uk. 17 October 1911 . Retrieved 19 April 2014 .  
  • ^ "Chris Rea plays North East gigs" . BBC News. 18 March 2010 . Retrieved 28 March 2014 .  
  • ^ Auf Wiedersehen, Pet..., Q Magazine, February 1988, p.34

External links

  • Official site
  • Chris Rea on IMDb
  • Official site of Rea's record label JazzeeBlue

This article uses material from the article Chris Rea from the free encyclopedia Wikipedia and it is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License .

chris rea tour band members

Chris Rea

British singer-songwriter scored MOR hits in the 1970s, respected blues singer by the '90s.

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Chris Rea Announces UK Comeback Tour

Singer comes out of retirement with a blues quintet and new album

chris rea tour band members

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Chris Rea has surprisingly announced a mammoth UK comeback tour, to take place next Spring.

The singer/guitarist is back from ‘early retirement’ with a newly formed quintet, The Fabulous Hofner Blue Notes – and has prepared over 20 new songs in homage to iconic 60s blues music.

Rea and his band will kick off the UK shows in Cardiff on March 13 – and the stint will also include a show at London’s Royal Albert Hall .

Serious illness which initially caused the singer to announce he would have to quit music two years ago has not stopped him from creating a new, looser, way of performing on stage – hence the quintet’s formation.

Rea said in a statement: “I love being on tour. That’s the best job in the world, if only I had a different body. My state of health can deteriorate any moment, however, which is why I simply had to find a different way of working.”

In the past two years, the guitarist has written a new guitar book called ‘The Return of The Fabulous Hofner Bluenotes’ – dedicated to early 60s guitar – and also including 20 brand new songs , and a new album is due for release this December.

Rea says of the bluesy tributes to his idol BB King: “That is the music that I have always wanted to play: real, genuine guitar music”.

The band members are: Robert Ahwai (guitar), Neil Drinkwater (keyboards), Colin Hodgkinson (bass) and Martin Ditcham (drums).

The band’s full tour dates are as follows:

Cardiff, St Davids Hall (March 13)

Plymouth Pavilions (14)

Bristol Colston Hall (16)

Brighton Centre (17)

Glasgow Royal Concert Hall (19)

Edinbugh Playhouse (20)

Birmingham Symphony Hall (23)

Bournemouth BIC (24)

Nottingham Centre (27)

London Royal Albert Hall (28)

Manchester Apollo (26)

Oxford New Theatre (30)

Liverpool Philharmonic Hall (31)

Newcastle City Hall (April 2)

Sheffield City Hall (5)

Harrogate International Centre (6)

Pic credit: PA Photos

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Related tags, how i got started… chris rea – rea-view mirror.

Veteran songwriter and slide ace Chris Rea looks back on what made him pick up the guitar in the first place.

chris rea tour band members

A portrait of the legendary bluesman Charley Patton takes pride of place on the wall above us as I sit down for a chat with Chrs Rea. “God knows how he managed to play a guitar with hands like that,” says the Middlesbrough-born singer-songwriter and guitarist, who has sold well over 30 million albums worldwide. “They’re proper hands!”

Patton was the first bluesman that Rea heard. “My mother had an alarm clock that was supposed to be a teasmaid and a radio console, but this thing never worked. Then it came on at about three o’clock in the afternoon, and it was just when they’d started the Telstar satellite. They were broadcasting an ‘hour live’ from America and it was something like RKO Memphis, and I started hearing this very strange sound.

“It was all crackles. At first, it sounded like ‘this guy’s playing a violin, but he’s playing the most awesome tunes’. I was desperate to know what instrument it was. So I asked a friend over from a local band and he narrowed it down to something called a bottleneck. I hadn’t a clue what a bottleneck was, but I was sucked in immediately. I got my dad’s guitar and one of my sister’s nail varnish bottles – and that’s how I started!”

Rea grew up in a big family. “There was music around all the time,” he recalls. “I had three older sisters. The eldest was into the Everly Brothers and Elvis Presley, while the two younger ones were into The Beatles and the Stones. I heard everything. The first disc I bought was The Shadows, Frightened City . My imagination went berserk – what is a frightened city and this very sinister kind of tune on the electric guitar?

“I was what you might call a late starter, I didn’t start playing ’til I was 21. Those players around me had already been and gone. I found catching up pretty hard – I never really did catch up… four-finger scales drove me manic! I just went sideways into slide guitar, which of course is what I love.”

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Rea’s first electric was a Hofner Verithin 3. “It cost 32 guineas in a second-hand shop. There was no such thing as a Stratocaster in a music shop in Middlesborough. The Verithin’s a dreadful guitar with an appalling action, but playing slide it didn’t matter – I wasn’t playing blues licks or scales.

“I don’t know why, but we all adored Hofners…   perhaps because there wasn’t anything else!” Rea played the V3 up until 1979, when he got his first Strat. “We went to the City Hall in Newcastle to see Ry Cooder and the whole world changed – and that’s why I got a Strat. I bought it in Doncaster. It’s a ’62 and it was going cheap. A lot of people didn’t like this Strat because there’s something about the sound – it’s not got that classic hard Strat thing, it’s very sweet. It got submerged in water for three months and it’s just swelled up. You’re only talking a millimetre or so, but it does make it a different guitar to your classic Strat.”

Rea continues: “Recently, though, I was looking for something that sounded like the sort of thing somebody might play on a street in a Chicago marketplace. So I went down to Denmark Street and saw this blue thing. It looked disgusting, but I thought, ‘I can imagine that in a second-hand shop in Chicago’. It’s a blue Italia Maranello, really light with two ’buckers. The only trouble is, because it’s semi-hollow inside, we sometimes have trouble with the microphonics on big gigs.

“My latest acquisition is very similar to the ‘bluey’ in that it sounds old and cheap. It’s set up to open B tuning, which is a new tuning for me.” Rea has half a dozen guitars fitted with capos, all in different open tunings.

“I’ve found out over the last five to six years that when I’m in the car or the shower, which is where you always get your best ideas, I always sing in B, which is a bloody awful key! B is dreadful for saxophones. Stevie Ray Vaughan used to tune to open A, but it was actually A b so he could work with horns.”

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Rea’s first amp was a 25-watt Laney. “It cost me nine guineas from the same shop where I bought the Verithin,” he says. “I wish I still had it. It had a lovely tremolo – none of these digital things, they don’t do it for me at all. You can hear the difference, you really can.

“We’re in the middle of doing this Passione project, and when we decided to listen to the original Passione CD, it was like someone had sprinkled fairy dust over the desk. You just can’t beat that analogue thing.” After the Laney, Rea moved on to a Fender Twin. “I had that for a long time and now I’ve got these things…” he says pointing to a pair of amps.

“This is my concert setup, a pair of Fender Blues Juniors. I set them up with two delays, a Tube Screamer and a Boss chorus. People are surprised how small the setup is. I use the Boss chorus as a preamp, and when it slightly overloads you get this lovely sustain.” And the Tube Screamer? “I bought four of them, just in case anything happens.” Returning to the amps, Rea says: “There’s a big debate about which one’s best. One’s got a Celestion speaker, the other’s got a vintage Fender. I prefer the one with the Celestion for recording, as it’s got a little more give. I don’t like hard sounds.”

Rea readily admits that he would have been happier being known as a guitar player in a band that had another singer, but as he says: “The voice got in the way. The whole thing with the voice happened with my first band, the Beautiful Losers. We had a singer and I just used to write the material and play slide guitar – Lowell George was god.

A label scout was coming up to see the band and I was the only one who knew the words, ’cos I’d written them. So I said, ‘sorry, the singer’s had a bit of a do’. I went to the microphone and they just presumed I was the singer and that was it.”

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“The next thing I’m looking for is a good classical – I love the sound of nylon-string guitars… and I’d love to be making films, just to do the music. I wrote a little bit for Pete Capaldi for Soft Top Hard Shoulder . My happiest dream would have been to be a film music guy – I’d swap everything for that.”

Chris Rea’s album and short film project La Passione is out now.

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Chris Rea  

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With his gravelly voice and smooth slide guitar, Chris Rea (4th March 1951), hailing from Middlesbrough, UK, became one of the biggest stars of the 1980s.

Inspired by the music of Joe Walsh and Ry Cooder, Chris Rea picked up the guitar quite late, at the age of 22. Yet it was as a solo artist that Rea achieved success, signing to Magnet Records, releasing his first single, "So Much Love" in 1974.

Following collaborations with Hank Marvin and Catherine Howe, Rea's debut album was then released in 1978, titled "Whatever Happened to Benny Santini?" The album showcased his biggest hit to date in the US, "Fool (If You Think It's Over)" which rocketed to number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100, also receiving a Grammy Award nomination for this song.

Despite this breakthrough, Rea failed to continue this momentum with his second, third and fourth albums, having to wait until 1983, when his record company ambivalently released a selection of raw demo tapes, titled "Water Sign," which became a surprise hit in Ireland and Mainland Europe, with the single "I Can Hear Your Heartbeat" entering the top 20 in several countries. Rea built on this success with "On The Beach" (1986) and "Dancing With Strangers" (1987), embarking on world tours, selling out stadium-sized venues, including two performances at Wembley Arena.

His 1989 album, "The Road to Hell" was his biggest breakthrough hit, becoming his first number one album in the UK. "Auberge" (1991) also topped the UK charts. Following this, Rea continued to release albums, whilst also overcoming pancreatic cancer over the early 2000s. After a successful recovery, Rea has continued touring, alongside sporadic recordings.

Live reviews

Certainly one of the smoothest men ever to emerge from Middlesbrough, Chris Rea is probably one of the few sons of that town to experience not only pop success, but pop success on both sides of the Atlantic, too. In 1978, his track ‘Fool (If You Think It’s Over)’ went to number twelve on the U.S. charts, but whilst he wouldn’t replicate that achievement in the UK immediately, the eighties would see him become a household name in his homeland, with his iconic 1989 full-length The Road to Hell eventually going six times platinum on this side of the pond - the fourth in a run of five LPs that would reach that status and mark Rea out as a legend of AOR. Since recovering from pancreatic cancer in 2001, he’s gone back to his blues roots full-time, turning out a slew of albums from that genre and playing shows that lean that way, too. His last major UK jaunt, in March of 2012, saw him play a greatest hits selection from the eighties as well as a fair few blues tracks; his full live backing band proved equally adept at helping him out with both - like Rea himself, they’re incredibly versatile performers, something that he continues to prove to this day as he continues his blues odyssey.

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Chris Rea and his Band was more than Fantastick.5 new songs this time, he song alone whit out his Guitar and the others song we now was Out standing like always. Chris Rea has a voice like noby else. We have seen him many times before we now he has been sick so we dont think this time will bee fabolus but it was for sure, he is the musick, we just love him, so thanks for this wonderfull show. Kindly Nattodag from Sweden.

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Chris Rea was on our bucket list. We live in Calgary and built our travel this fall around last nights INCREDIBLE show. Road to Hell is always a highlight not to mention dancing to Last Dance. Would do it all over again tonite if we could.Danke Sharon and Mitch

sharon-haladuick’s profile image

Sadly you should know Chris collapsed in Oxford the night before and the rest of the tour This one in Brighton & Bournemouth were cancelled. Glad he seems OK and hope he fully recovers, and does not try to continue and put his health at risk

wendy-carter’s profile image

Very good show.

Good organisation, started in time and the music was charming.

No enough car parking spaces and I would recommend using the tube if you have an event in Hammersmith.

mahmoud-montasser’s profile image

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Chris Rea facts: 'Driving Home for Christmas' singer's age, health, wife and children revealed

19 November 2020, 17:16 | Updated: 8 February 2022, 17:21

Chris Rea

By Tom Eames

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Chris Rea is one of the world's most respected and prolific blues rock musicians of all time.

The singer and guitarist makes a chart comeback every December thanks to his festive hit 'Driving Home for Christmas', but what are his other best known songs and is he married?

Here's all the important facts about the talented star:

What are Chris Rea's most famous songs?

chris rea tour band members

Chris Rea - On the Beach (Official Music Video)

Chris Rea scored an early top 40 hit in 1978 with 'Fool (If You Think It's Over)', a song Elkie Brooks had a bigger success with three years later.

It wasn't until the late 1980s and early 1990s that Chris finally achieved true chart success with Dancing with Strangers and The Road to Hell albums.

His best known hit is probably 'Driving Home for Christmas', which didn't even reach the top 40 the first time around in 1988. However, it has reached the top 40 every year since 2007, peaking at 11 in 2018.

Read more: The Story of... 'Driving Home for Christmas'

His other famous songs include:

- On the Beach

- Josephine

- Let's Dance

- Tell Me There's a Heaven

- The Road to Hell (part 2)

Chris Rea age: How old is he and where is he from?

Chris Rea was born on March 4, 1951, and celebrated his 69th birthday in 2020.

He was born in Middlesbrough in Yorkshire, to an Italian father, Camillo Rea (died 2010) and an Irish mother, Winifred Snee (died 1983).

He was one of seven children, and his family were of the Roman Catholic faith.

What health issues has Chris Rea had?

Chris Rea performing in 2017

In 2000, Chris Rea was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and underwent surgery which resulted in the removal of part of his pancreas and gall bladder.

Since having this surgery, Chris has had issues with diabetes and a weaker immune system, requiring over 30 pills and seven injections a day. He has had several operations since then.

Despite the setback, he stayed positive, saying: "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 realize that this isn't the way I intended it to be in the beginning.

"Everything that you've done falls away and you start wondering why you went through all that rock business stuff."

Chris Rea had a stroke in 2016, which left him with slurred speech and limited movement in his arms and fingers.

He soon quit smoking to halt further strokes, and thankfully was well enough to record more music and tour.

In September 2017, he released his 24th album, Road Songs for Lovers , and went on tour across Europe.

However, in December, Chris collapsed during a performance at the New Theatre Oxford. He was taken to hospital where his condition improved.

Who is Chris Rea's wife and does he have children?

Chris Rea and his daughter Josephine in 2013

Chris Rea is married to Joan Lesley.

They have been a couple since they met as teenagers in 1968 in Middlesbrough.

They have two daughters, Josephine (born 1983), and Julia Christina (born 1989).

Josephine lectures on Renaissance art in Florence, and Julia studied at the University of St Andrews.

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Chris rea and the fabulous hofner bluenotes.

Ladies and gentlemen, the moment you’ve all been waiting for… it’s The Return of The Fabulous Hofner Bluenotes! Wait a minute, isn’t that Chris Rea standing in the middle playing guitar and singing in a voice that sounds like a well used ashtray? Yes, it is, and The Fabulous Hofner Bluenotes is the name given to a new(ish) band that Rea has put together to present his latest take on the music that has inspired him to become the artist he is today.

Chris Rea and the Fabulous Hofner Bluenotes

The more attentive of you may have spotted that the last Chris Rea tour was touted as exactly that, the last Chris Rea tour, and was the vehicle for an unprecedented live album that centred around his 11 CD magnum opus ‘Blue Guitars’ together with a selection of Rea classics. In the sleeve notes, Chris stated that it would be the last tour he would do as ‘Chris Rea’, and that his next project would involve a new band, with a new name in which he would be the singer and one of the guitarists. At the time, the band was to be called The Fireflies, and the next time Rea would be seen in public would be as a member, playing his music written for the band.

What began life as The Fireflies was soon to turn into something else altogether. Band members came and went, ideas formed and tried and either dumped or expanded on, but what became apparent was that The Fireflies was not the right shop front for what was actually being created, and what was required was actually two bands. Ever ambitious and determined to be true to his musical roots, Rea wanted to present his take on two eras of music that formed a central part of his development – the early heroes of the electric guitar from the early 1960s such as instrumental bands The Ventures and The Shadows, mixed with a dose of 60s cool and manifest as The Delmonts!, and a more serious homage to the blues heroes of the late 60s and early 70s, with BB King and Peter Green amongst the familiar references, and coming to life as The Fabulous Hofner Bluenotes. The recorded result is something special to behold and extremely desirable, coming in the form of another ‘earbook’ like Blue Guitars and containing 3 CD’s packaged within a sumptuous book full of 60s iconography. The really authentic touch however is the inclusion of a 12″ heavy vinyl version of each of the CDs, bringing back all the nostalgia of owning vinyl albums that the digital generation has so effectively diluted.

But how to approach this as a live event? The answer is actually quite simple – five excellent musicians, a series of backdrops and some appropriate audio techniques. Standing in front of a shimmering silver backdrop that looks like it’s been pilfered from the Southend Gaumont circa 1961, The Delmonts! open the show with nine instrumental numbers, featuring Robert Ahwai on lead guitar with all the requisite twanginess expected of the genre. It’s forty minutes of pure fun, but it is soon the turn of The Fabulous Hofner Bluenotes, heralded by the disappearance of the silver curtain and an illuminated sign appearing from the blackness. The sound of Rea’s harmonica a crunchy blues riff and that voice are more certain indicators that we’re moving on into familiar territory, and The Fabulous Hofner Bluenotes take us through some of the new material along with choice pieces from Blue Guitars and Dancing Down The Stony Road. Stainsby Girls is the point where we cross the line to classic Chris Rea. So three shows in one really, and the audiences certainly seem to appreciate that they get their money’s worth.

As for the audio, the challenge is to present each section faithfully. The Delmonts!, if we were to be completely true to the time, should sound pretty awful, as live sound technology was all but non-existent in the early 60s. Artists relied on underpowered guitar amps and hopelessly inadequate cinema systems to get themselves heard. It wouldn’t be appropriate or acceptable in this day and age however to present a show sounding that bad, and it’s more about employing techniques and equipment that emulate the sounds of the time to give a feel of authenticity. RG’s endorsement of Digidesign Venue consoles makes this more than possible, as the vast range of plug-ins available covers everything from vintage compressors and spring reverbs to the very best of modern signal processing technology, all faithfully reproduced down to the finest control detail. The sound of this show is all about fine detail – with the quality of input from the band being as high as any engineer could wish for, the opportunity to creatively employ the resources available to shape the sound to the era is both challenging and exciting. Critical listening and fine tuning of the Synco W8LC line array goes a long way to forming the basis of getting a great, but genuine sound. Some mic techniques that would horrify many rock ‘n’ roll engineers go some way to generating an open sound, and for The Delmonts! set, copious use of spring reverb is essential. The Fabulous Hofner Bluenotes require a tighter, drier sound, where simulated tape compression plays a part, and the classic Chris Rea demands the fidelity and power expected from some of the defining music of its time.

The 2008 tour covers most of Europe, taking in The Balkans, Baltic states and Russia, and then into the UK where the highlights are sure to be The Royal Albert Hall, two nights in Newcastle and two nights in Birmingham Symphony Hall. It’s a long haul, but whatever he might say at the time, it’s unlikely that Rea is about to stop touring just yet. His creativity just won’t let him, and with some of the ideas that have been floating around, just about anything is possible!

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  • October 3, 1987 Setlist

Chris Rea Setlist at Lyric Theatre, Sydney, Australia

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  • Nothing's Happening by the Sea Play Video
  • Stainsby Girls Play Video
  • I Can't Dance to That Play Video
  • Windy Town Play Video
  • Ace of Hearts Play Video
  • Candles Play Video
  • Midnight Blue Play Video
  • Josephine Play Video
  • Fool (If You Think It's Over) Play Video
  • On the Beach Play Video
  • Loving You Again Play Video
  • Joys of Christmas Play Video
  • Gonna Buy a Hat Play Video
  • I Can Hear Your Heartbeat Play Video
  • Let's Dance Play Video
  • I Don't Know What It Is But I Love It Play Video
  • Steel River Play Video
  • It's All Gone Play Video
  • September Blue Play Video

Edits and Comments

4 activities (last edit by otteg , 9 Jun 2020, 19:49 Etc/UTC )

Songs on Albums

  • Gonna Buy a Hat
  • I Can't Dance to That
  • Joys of Christmas
  • Loving You Again
  • September Blue
  • Stainsby Girls
  • Steel River
  • I Can Hear Your Heartbeat
  • Midnight Blue
  • Nothing's Happening by the Sea
  • It's All Gone
  • Let's Dance
  • On the Beach
  • Ace of Hearts
  • I Don't Know What It Is But I Love It
  • Fool (If You Think It's Over)

Complete Album stats

Chris Rea setlists

More from this Artist

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Chris Rea Gig Timeline

  • Dec 27 1986 Royal Albert Hall London, England Add time Add time
  • Dec 28 1986 Hammersmith Odeon London, England Add time Add time
  • Oct 03 1987 Lyric Theatre This Setlist Sydney, Australia Add time Add time
  • Oct 05 1987 Brisbane Festival Hall Brisbane, Australia Add time Add time
  • Oct 20 1987 Festival Hall Osaka, Japan Add time Add time

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chris rea tour band members

IMAGES

  1. Chris Rea performing live in concert at The Rockhal

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  2. Chris Rea

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  3. Tour Of The Week: Chris Rea

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  4. Happy Birthday Chris Rea: Teesside music icon turns 70 today

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  5. Chris Rea tour dates 2022 2023. Chris Rea tickets and concerts

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  6. Chris Rea

    chris rea tour band members

VIDEO

  1. Chris Rea "Josephine"

  2. Chris Rea live in Montreux 1997-07-10 (SBD-Audio Remastered)

  3. Chris Rea

  4. Chris Rea live at the Royal Albert Hall 1988-02-20 (SBD-Remastered)

  5. Chris Rea live in Glasgow 1986-11-30 (Audio Remastered)

  6. Chris Rea live

COMMENTS

  1. Chris Rea

    Christopher Anton Rea (/ ˈ r iː ə / REE-ə; born 4 March 1951) is an English rock and blues singer and guitarist from Middlesbrough.Known for his distinctive voice and his slide guitar playing, Rea has recorded twenty five solo albums, two of which topped the UK Albums Chart, The Road to Hell in 1989 and its successor, Auberge, in 1991. He had already become "a major European star by the ...

  2. Chris Rea Concert & Tour History

    Chris Rea Concert History. 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 ...

  3. Chris Rea Concerts & Live Tour Dates: 2024-2025 Tickets

    Christopher Anton Rea (pronounced Ree-ah), born 4 March 1951, is a successful singer, songwriter, and guitarist from Middlesbrough, England. He started his music career in 1978. Rea's initial focus was on continental Europe, releasing eight albums in the 1980s. It wasn't until 1985's Shamrock Diaries and the songs "Stainsby Girls" and ...

  4. Who's in the band? Find out which musicians are featured on Chris's #

    Who's in the band? Find out which musicians are featured on Chris's #RoadSongsForLovers album https://chrisrea.lnk.to/aboutRSFL #SundayFunday

  5. Chris Rea

    Christopher Anton Rea is an English rock and blues singer and guitarist from Middlesbrough. Known for his distinctive voice and his slide guitar playing, Rea has recorded twenty five solo albums, two of which topped the UK Chart, The Road to Hell in 1989 and its successor, Auberge, in 1991. He had already become "a major European star by the time he finally cracked the UK Top 10" with the ...

  6. How Chris Rea became rock's ultimate survivor

    How Chris Rea became rock's ultimate survivor. From industry sharks to cancer and strokes, nothing can sink Chris Rea. Rock's great survivor looks on the bright side of life. Few experiences in life are more humiliating than spluttering up the driveway of Chris Rea's country pile in a decrepit Seat Altea. The veteran bluesman's home is a ...

  7. Chris Rea Concert Setlists

    Get Chris Rea setlists - view them, share them, discuss them with other Chris Rea fans for free on setlist.fm! setlist.fm Add Setlist. Search Clear search text ... Artist: Chris Rea, Tour: The Road Songs For Lovers, Venue: Waterfront Hall, Belfast, Northern Ireland. Edit setlist Show all edit options. Edit setlist songs; Edit venue & date;

  8. Chris Rea

    Chris Rea. 290,373 likes · 39 talking about this. This is the Official Facebook page for Chris Rea and is run by the Chris Rea team. Posts from Chris

  9. Chris Rea Official

    Welcome to the official Chris Rea YouTube channel.

  10. Chris Rea is an underrated blues-pop force

    Despite this success, he's had no ambitions to tour in the US and still hasn't worked there to this day. Chris had a fair bit of success in the European charts, though, but his major breakthrough wouldn't come until his 10th studio record in 1989. The Road To Hell was his first UK number 1 album, being certified 6x Platinum by the BPI in ...

  11. Chris Rea

    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.

  12. Chris Rea

    Christopher Anton Rea is an English rock and blues singer and guitarist from Middlesbrough. Known for his distinctive voice and his slide guitar playing, Rea has recorded twenty five solo albums, two of which topped the UK Albums Chart, The Road to Hell in 1989 and its successor, Auberge, in 1991. He had already become "a major European star by the time he finally cracked the UK Top 10" with ...

  13. Chris Rea Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More

    Explore Chris Rea's discography including top tracks, albums, and reviews. Learn all about Chris Rea on AllMusic.

  14. Chris Rea Announces UK Comeback Tour

    Rea says of the bluesy tributes to his idol BB King: "That is the music that I have always wanted to play: real, genuine guitar music". The band members are: Robert Ahwai (guitar), Neil ...

  15. Chris Rea

    Tickets, Concerts Tour 2023-2024. Chris Rea comes from United Kingdom and was born in 1951. The band members are Robert Ahwai, Max Middleton, Sylvin Marc and Martin Ditcham. His musical style is mainly considered Rock, Blues-Rock, mellow gold, soft rock and Blues.

  16. How I got started… Chris Rea

    Rea readily admits that he would have been happier being known as a guitar player in a band that had another singer, but as he says: "The voice got in the way. The whole thing with the voice happened with my first band, the Beautiful Losers. We had a singer and I just used to write the material and play slide guitar - Lowell George was god.

  17. Chris Rea Live at Baloise Session 2017

    Track List:00:00:00 - The Last Open Road00:04:19 - Happy on the Road00:08:30 - Josephine00:14:30 - Easy Rider00:19:30 - Julia00:25:55 - Money00:31:23 - Looki...

  18. Chris Rea Tour Announcements 2024 & 2025, Notifications, Dates

    Unfortunately there are no concert dates for Chris Rea scheduled in 2024. Songkick is the first to know of new tour announcements and concert information, so if your favorite artists are not currently on tour, join Songkick to track Chris Rea and get concert alerts when they play near you, like 171426 other Chris Rea fans.

  19. Chris Rea facts: 'Driving Home for Christmas' singer's age, health

    Chris Rea is married to Joan Lesley. They have been a couple since they met as teenagers in 1968 in Middlesbrough. They have two daughters, Josephine (born 1983), and Julia Christina (born 1989). Josephine lectures on Renaissance art in Florence, and Julia studied at the University of St Andrews. Chris Rea is one of the world's most respected ...

  20. Chris Rea and the Fabulous Hofner Bluenotes

    The more attentive of you may have spotted that the last Chris Rea tour was touted as exactly that, the last Chris Rea tour, and was the vehicle for an unprecedented live album that centred around his 11 CD magnum opus 'Blue Guitars' together with a selection of Rea classics. ... Band members came and went, ideas formed and tried and either ...

  21. Chris Rea in Concert 2014

    Track list:00:00 - Last Open Road05:37 - Long Gone09:19 - Where the Blues Come From14:44 - Josephine20:20 - The Truth23:29 - Til The Morning Sun Shines on My...

  22. Chris Rea Concert Setlist at Lyric Theatre, Sydney on October 3, 1987

    1. Dancing With Strangers 5. Shamrock Diaries 4. Water Sign 4. On the Beach 3. Wired to the Moon 2.

  23. Chris Rea

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