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Today on October 14th, 2022, we celebrate the birthday of the iconic British Rocker Cliff Richard. Or, we should probably say Sir Cliff Richard. Rock fans in the United States may not realize just how big Cliff Richard is in the United Kingdom. Over the past 60 years, Cliff Richard has become the third biggest selling artist in the history of the United Kingdom music scene. Only The Beatles and Elvis Presley have sold more records than Cliff Richard in the United Kingdom. Even on a worldwide basis, Cliff Richard is one of the biggest selling artists of all time.
With his band the Shadows, Cliff Richard released his first album in 1959 entitled Cliff. The album contained Cliff Richard’s first hit single “Move It,” which had actually been released almost a year earlier. The album hit number four on the UK Album charts and stayed in the top 10 for thirty-one straight weeks. It was a phenomenal success that would become an early sign of things to come for the soon-to-be iconic rocker.
Throughout the course of his career, Cliff Richard has released forty-five studio albums in the United Kingdom. He also released an additional two studio albums in Germany. Cliff Richard has also released nine live alums in the United Kingdom and two in Japan. More astonishingly, Cliff Richard has released one hundred and forty six singles.
In the United States, Cliff Richard could never match the popularity he celebrated on the Eastern side of the Atlantic. However, he did have his moments. In the 1960s, he had a few singles break into the Billboard Hot 100. Yet, it was the smash success of his hit single “Devil Woman,” released in 1975 that turned him into a household name in the mid 1970s. The song hit number six on the US Billboard Hot 100. Cliff Richard would have a few more hit singles over the next couple of years while his stardom was hot in the US. In 1979, he scored another top 10 hit in the US with the single “We Don’t Talk Anymore” which hit number seven on the US Billboard Hot 100. The song went to number one in many other countries around the world including the UK. He had one more top 10 hit in the United States with the song “Dreamin’.” which was released in 1980. However, the number one hits kept coming for many more years for Cliff Richard around the world.
Cliff Richard has also been one of the most sought after duet partners in the music business. In the United States, he had a top 20 hit with Oliva Netwon John called “Suddenly,” from the Xanadu Soundtrack. Cliff Richard has also recorded duets with artists such as Elton John, Van Morrison, Cilla Black, Janet Jackson, Phil Everly, Sarah Brightman and many more.
In the United Kingdom, Cliff Richard had his own television show in the 1960s, He has also made countless appearances and starred in many motion pictures and television shows. Quite simply, he stands as one of the biggest stars in pop culture in the United Kingdom and Europe for the past 60 years. Happy Birthday, Cliff!
Legendary British Rocker Cliff Richards Turns 81 Today article published on Classic RockHistory.com© 2022
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