"Rea blended blues, pop, soul and soft rock on 25 studio albums, featuring hits including The Road to Hell, taken from a UK No 1 album of the same name; Driving Home for Christmas, a perennial seasonal favourite; and tracks such as On the Beach and Josephine that earned popularity in the Balearic dance scene. He sold more than 30m albums."
"He was born in 1951 in Middlesbrough to an Italian father and Irish mother, and had six siblings. To be Irish Italian in a coffee bar in Middlesbrough I started my life as an outsider, he later said. As a young man he dabbled in music while working labouring jobs, including in his father's ice-cream factory, and considered being a journalist."
"His first flush of success came in the US, where his 1978 song Fool (If You Think It's Over) reached No 12 and earned him a Grammy nomination for best new artist. He struggled to match that achievement for some years likening industry machinations in this period to a big manure heap of bubbling stuff. I had no control over it, I didn't know what to do though the 1985 album Water Sign was a hit across Europe and helped to turn his fortunes around."
Chris Rea died peacefully in hospital at age 74 following a short illness. He blended blues, pop, soul and soft rock across 25 albums and sold over 30 million records. Key songs included The Road to Hell, Driving Home for Christmas, On the Beach and Josephine. He was born in 1951 in Middlesbrough to an Italian father and Irish mother and grew up one of six children. He worked labouring jobs, joined local bands, and launched a solo career with the 1974 single So Much Love. Early US success came with 1978's Fool (If You Think It's Over), earning a Grammy nomination. A revival followed with 1985's Water Sign and late-1980s UK top-10 albums.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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