Home for Christmas: what is remembered by British singer Chris Rea

On the evening of December 22, it became known about the death of Chris Rea. The iconic singer has left a vivid mark on British music. He was remembered for experimenting with genres, was not afraid to combine pop music with blues, soft rock and soul, which gave his tracks a unique sound. An exemplary family man and an avid racing enthusiast, he lived a vibrant and eventful life. Izvestia recalls the most interesting moments from the biography of the artist.

Chris Rea's Career

Christopher "Chris" Anthony Rea was born in Mildsbrough, Yorkshire, in northern England, the son of Camillo Rea, an Italian immigrant, and Winifred Slee, a native of Ireland. He had six brothers and sisters. Rea himself claimed that being an Irishman of Italian descent in Midsbrogh meant "being an outcast."

The future artist became interested in music in his youth. At the same time, he worked as a handyman and thought about a career as a journalist. At the age of 22, he joined the band Magdalene, known for the fact that David Coverdale, who later became a member of Deep Purple, also previously played in it. Chris later joined the band Beautiful Losers, but soon began a solo career, releasing his debut single So Much Love in 1974.

The debut album Whatever Happened to Benny Santini? and the musician presented the single Fool (If You Think It's Over) in 1978 and immediately gained fame, becoming extremely popular in the USA. He, in particular, took the 12th place in the Billboard Hot 100. And his single was subsequently nominated as Grammy Song of the Year.

The following year Chris released the album Deltics, which was loved by the public in Britain. However, in the USA, this time the artist's songs turned out to be almost unnoticed. In the next few years, the singer tried to repeat his success on the American stage, comparing the machinations in the industry "with a big pile of bubbling substance."

Ri found himself at the peak of his fame in the late 80s and early 90s. This was facilitated by the release of his tenth studio album, The Road to Hell, which is still widely considered one of the best of his career. The artist finally gained undisputed recognition in the UK, even though his music went beyond the dominant trends of the time.

In 1986, Rea wrote his biggest hit, the song Driving Home for Christmas, which was included in the 1988 compilation album New Light Through Old Windows. The first release was not so successful, but later the song became a real Christmas carol. In 2021, she rose to 10th place in the charts.

Ri himself noted that he wrote this track during a difficult period. At that time, he did not have a manager and lost his contract with a record company. His wife had to drive him from London to Mildsbrough because the actor couldn't afford to buy a train ticket.

"I used to be terribly afraid that this song would undermine the remnants of my reputation, but now we're laughing about it. If I ever get stuck on the M25, I'll roll down the window and start singing to people in cars nearby, "I'm going home for Christmas." They really like it," Chris said about his hit in an interview.

In total, Chris Rea has released 25 studio albums, in which he actively experimented with genres — he mixed blues, pop, soul and soft rock in his compositions. Thanks to his talent and creativity, the artist has sold more than 30 million albums in his lifetime.

Personal life and hobbies

Chris Rea is known as an exemplary family man — he married only once, marrying Joan Leslie, whom he met in his youth, at the age of 17. The couple had two daughters— Josephine and Julia.

The artist highly valued his family and tried not to leave them for a long time. He had a condition in his concert activity: don't leave your family for more than a week. The performer repeatedly called his wife his destiny and spoke warmly about his daughters.

Chris Rea was an avid car enthusiast. He willingly mentioned cars and roads in his songs, and also acted as a car racing enthusiast. He has raced in Ferrari and Lotus cars. In 1993, he took part in the British Body Racing Championship, and in the 1995 Formula 1 season he joined the Jordan team as a mechanic in the pits. Despite his fame, the actor did not want to engage in VIP activities, preferring to be responsible for Eddie Irvine's right rear tire.

Illness and death

Health problems have repeatedly plagued Ri throughout his life. In 2001, his pancreas, part of his stomach and small intestine were removed due to cancer. The operation provoked diabetes in the actor.

After a serious illness, the singer stopped working with major recording studios and focused on blues music. He has recorded several albums in this genre, and at least two of them have been commercially successful.

In 2016, Chris Rea suffered a stroke. He himself described that period of his life as a "very scary moment." The musician was especially scared that after the stroke he stopped feeling the pitch. But in the end, he managed to get his game back to normal.

However, a year later, during a concert in Oxford, the singer lost consciousness right on stage. He was hospitalized and managed to recover again.

Despite the difficulties, the musician continued to release new albums, remaining faithful to his work until the very end.

It is symbolic that the actor passed away on Christmas Day, an important Christian family holiday that gave him popularity among several generations of Britons.

A family representative said that the singer died "peacefully" in the hospital after a short illness.