Sir Cliff Richard
| Sir Cliff Richard OBE |
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|---|---|
Richard in November 2009
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Harry Rodger Webb |
| Born |
14 October 1940 Lucknow, United Provinces, British India |
| Origin | London, England |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) |
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| Instruments |
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| Years active | 1958–present |
| Labels | |
| Associated acts | The Drifters/The Shadows, Olivia Newton-John |
| Website | www |
Sir Cliff Richard OBE (born Harry Rodger Webb, 14 October 1940) is a British pop singer, musician, performer, actor and philanthropist. Richard has sold more than 250 million records worldwide. He has total sales of over 21 million singles in the United Kingdom and is the third-top-selling artist in UK Singles Chart history, behind the Beatles and Elvis Presley.
Richard was originally positioned as a rebellious rock and roll singer in the style of Little Richard and Elvis Presley. With his backing group, The Shadows, Richard dominated the British popular music scene in the pre-Beatles period of the late 1950s to early 1960s. His 1958 hit single, "Move It", is often described as Britain's first authentic rock and roll song, and John Lennon once claimed that "before Cliff and the Shadows, there had been nothing worth listening to in British music." Increased focus on his Christian faith and subsequent softening of his music later led to a more middle of the road pop image, and he sometimes ventured into contemporary Christian music.
Over a career spanning more than 50 years Richard has amassed many gold and platinum discs and awards, including three Brit Awards—winning Best British Male twice and the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music, and two Ivor Novello Awards. He has had more than 130 singles, albums and EPs make the UK Top 20, more than any other artist. Richard has had 67 UK top ten singles, the second highest total for an artist behind Elvis Presley. Richard holds the record (with Elvis Presley) as the only act to make the UK singles charts in all of its first six decades (1950s–2000s). He has achieved 14 UK No. 1 singles, and is the only singer to have had a No. 1 single in the UK in five consecutive decades: the 1950s through to the 1990s.
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