Chris Rea
Known For
Acting
Born
1951-03-04 in Middlesbrough, England, UK
Died
2025-12-22
Biography
Christopher Anton Rea (4 March 1951 – 22 December 2025) was 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.
Most Known For
Top of the Pops
as Self
Champs-Elysées
as Self
Parkinson
as Self
Sacrée Soirée
as Self
3 nach 9
as Self
Numéro un
as Self
Shooting Stars
as Self
Téléthon
as Self
Auf los geht's los
as Self
Willkommen bei Carmen Nebel
as Self
De TV Show
as Self
The Kenny Everett Television Show
as Self
Musik Convoy
as Self
Flitterabend
as Self - Singer
The Marti Caine Show
as Self
Goldener Löwe
as Self
Millionär gesucht! - Die SKL Show
as Self
Die Stunde der Stars
as Self
Show Palast
as Self
Parting Shots
as Harry Sterndale