Chris Rea
Chris Rea | |
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 Chris Rea performing in the Warsaw Congress Hall, February 2012 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Christopher Anton Rea |
| Born | 4 March 1951 Middlesbrough, England |
| Died | 22 December 2025 (aged 74) |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) |
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| Instruments |
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| Years active | 1973–2025 |
| Labels | |
| Website | www |
Christopher Anton Rea (/ˈriːə/ REE-ə; 4 March 1951 – 22 December 2025) was a British rock and blues singer-songwriter and guitarist. He was best known in the United States for the 1978 hit song "Fool (If You Think It's Over)" that reached No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100. This success earned him a Grammy nomination as Best New Artist in 1979.
The book Guinness Rockopedia described him as a "gravel-voiced guitar stalwart". The British Hit Singles & Albums stated that Rea was "one of the most popular UK singer-songwriters of the late 1980s. He was already a major European star by the time he finally cracked the UK Top 10 with his 18th chart entry; "The Road to Hell (Part 2)".
In 2000, Rea was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Since his cancer diagnosis, he underwent multiple surgeries and was diagnosed with diabetes. In 2016, he suffered a stroke, which left him slurred speech and impaired movements.
Rea died after a short illness in hospital on 22 December 2025, aged 74.
Discography
Studio albums
- Whatever Happened to Benny Santini? (Magnet, 1978)
- Deltics (Magnet, 1979)
- Tennis (Magnet, 1980)
- Chris Rea (Magnet, 1981)
- Water Sign (Magnet, 1983)
- Wired to the Moon (Magnet, 1984)
- Shamrock Diaries (Magnet, 1985)
- On the Beach (Magnet, 1986)
- Dancing with Strangers (Magnet, 1987)
- The Road to Hell (WEA, 1989)
- Auberge (EastWest, 1991)
- God's Great Banana Skin (EastWest, 1992)
- Espresso Logic (EastWest, 1993)
- La Passione (soundtrack, EastWest, 1996)
- The Blue Cafe (EastWest, 1998)
- The Road to Hell: Part 2 (EastWest, 1999)
- King of the Beach (EastWest, 2000)
- Dancing Down the Stony Road/Stony Road (Jazzee Blue, 2002)
- Blue Street (Five Guitars) (Jazzee Blue, 2003)[source?]
- Hofner Blue Notes (Jazzee Blue, 2003)
- The Blue Jukebox (Jazzee Blue, 2004)
- Blue Guitars (Jazzee Blue, 2005)
- The Return of the Fabulous Hofner Bluenotes (Jazzee Blue, 2008)
- Santo Spirito Blues (Jazzee Blue, 2011)
- Road Songs for Lovers (Jazzee Blue, 2017)
- One Fine Day (Rhino, limited release, 2019)
Compilation albums
- New Light Through Old Windows (1988)
- The Best of Chris Rea (1994)
- The Best of Chris Rea (1998)
- The Very Best of Chris Rea (2001)
- Heartbeats – Chris Rea's Greatest Hits (2005)
- Chris Rea: The Ultimate Collection 1978–2000 (2007)
- Still So Far to Go: The Best of Chris Rea (2009)
- The Journey 1978–2009 (2011)
- ERA 1 (As Bs & Rarities 1978–1984) (2020)
- The Christmas Album (2025)
References
- ↑ "Bee Gees Head Lists For 6 Grammy Awards". Daytona Beach Morning Journal. The News-Journal Corporation. 9 January 1979. Retrieved 23 April 2010.
- ↑ Roberts, David (1998). Guinness Rockopedia (1st ed.). London: Guinness Publishing Ltd. pp. 354–355. ISBN 0-85112-072-5.
- ↑ Roberts, David (2005). British Hit Singles & Albums. London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 60. ISBN 1-904994-00-8.
- ↑ "Chris Rea operato d' urgenza: tolto il pancreas". Corriere della Sera (in Italian): 34. 4 August 2000. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
- ↑ "Chris Rea plays North East gigs". BBC News. 18 March 2010. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
- ↑ Gavin Martin (2 October 2009). "Chris Rea's fighting fit and raring to go". Daily Mirror. Archived from the original on 21 October 2013. Retrieved 19 April 2014.
- ↑ "Chris Rea on his fight with pancreatic cancer: I'm never going to be what I used to be". Daily Express. 24 September 2017. Retrieved 10 December 2017.
- ↑ "Driving Home For Christmas singer Chris Rea dies aged 74". BBC News. Retrieved 22 December 2025.
Other websites
- [Chris Rea's official site] Archived 2020-11-01 at the Wayback Machine
- Chris Rea on IMDb
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