British musician Chris Rea, who has released hits like It’s all gone, Coming home for Christmas, Joséphine, on the beach either The road to hell, He died at the age of 74, according to a family spokesperson. “He died peacefully in hospital after a brief illness,” the statement said. Rea fused blues, pop, soul and soft rock on 25 studio albums. He sold more than 30 million albums and had several hits in Spain in the 1980s. His music had a taste for melody, good arrangements and a deep voice. It was perfect for playing on radio stations aimed at adult audiences.
Chris Rea was born in Middlesbrough (Cleveland) in 1951, into a family of Italian origin who lived off an ice cream parlor. The young Rea worked there, saving to buy a good electric guitar, which he acquired at the age of 19. Shortly after, he joined Magdalene, the former group of David Coverdale, who since 1973 has been the singer of Deep Purple then Whitesnake. Madeleine made a unique recording Single in 1974, before renaming themselves The Beautiful Losers, a nod to Leonard Cohen’s novel, who were recognized the following year as “best new group” by Melody Maker. They did not benefit from this mention: the emergence of punk rock She revolutionized the rules of the game on the British scene and wiped it off the map.
His first success came in the United States, where his 1978 song, Fool (if you think it’s over), It peaked at number 12 and earned him a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist. “There are people around me who push me to become a momentary star thanks to the acceptance of my latest works. I try to reject this pressure and I would like to be like musicians like Eric Clapton or Mark Knopfler, who keep their music above all else,” he said in an interview with EL PAÍS.
The late 1980s were his most commercially successful period: ultimately accepted although he often placed himself outside of mainstream pop trends, Dancing with strangers, In 1987, he began a streak of six top 10 albums in the UK, two of which reached number 1. In the 1990s and especially the 2000s, his success gradually declined.
In 2016 he suffered a stroke and in 2017 he collapsed on stage during a concert in Oxford. Rea was married to his partner, Joan, for decades. The couple have two daughters: Joséphine and Julia.
About The Author
