Christopher Anton Rea is 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 ". 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.
Whatever Happened to Benny Santini? is the debut album by the British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released in 1978.
Chris Rea is the fourth studio album by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released in 1981. It charted on the UK Albums Chart, peaking at number fifty-two. The single "Loving You" peaked at number 65 on the UK Singles Chart, and charted on the US Billboard Hot 100 at 88 and charted for three weeks.
Shamrock Diaries is the seventh studio album by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released in 1985. This album represents the beginning of a creative and commercial zenith for Rea. Shamrock Diaries was a huge seller in Europe, reaching the top 20 in several countries including Ireland, West Germany, Czechoslovakia, Sweden and the United Kingdom, and spent forty two weeks in the Dutch charts, peaking at No. 3. The album was also successful in Australia, where it charted in the top 50. "Stainsby Girls" became Rea's first Top 30 single since 1978's "Fool If You Think It's Over". In 1988, Magnet Records was taken over by Warner Bros Records, who re-released Shamrock Diaries with a significantly remixed version of "Josephine". The original version was used in the 2019 deluxe re-issue of the album.
On the Beach is the eighth studio album by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released in 1986, and built on the success of the preceding Shamrock Diaries. It reached No. 11 on the UK Albums Chart, topped the Dutch charts, reached number two in West Germany and No. 4 in New Zealand. It also reached the top 10 in Norway. In 2019, a deluxe remastered version of the album was released.
Auberge is the eleventh studio album by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released in 1991. The album, as well as the title song, is notable for its association with the Caterham Super Seven that Rea owned, which he called the "Blue Seven". The car appears on the album cover, illustrated in oil by renowned motoring artist Alan Fearnley. The album makes several references to the car over several tracks, as well on the video of the title song, and its cover illustration was used for its adverts. In 2005, Rea sold the car in an auction.
The Road to Hell is the tenth studio album by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released in 1989. Coming on the back of several strongly performing releases, it is Rea's most successful studio album, and topped the UK Albums Chart for three weeks. Hailed as a "modern masterpiece", it was certified 6× Platinum by BPI in 2004. The album demonstrates a thematic cohesion previously absent from Rea's work, with the majority of the tracks containing strong elements of social commentary, addressing alienation, violence and redemption. The second part of the two-part title track, "The Road to Hell ", is one of Rea's most famous songs, and his only single to reach the UK Top 10. Geffen Records released the album in the US, adding the 1988 re-recording of "Let's Dance" and different cover artwork.
New Light Through Old Windows is the first compilation album by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released in 1988. The album consists primarily of re-recordings of songs from Rea's earlier albums, as well as the new track "Working on It", which peaked at No. 73 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and was Rea's only No. 1 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. "On the Beach" peaked at No. 9 on the US Adult Contemporary singles chart, and No. 12 on the UK Singles Chart. The album reached number five on the UK Albums Chart, charted for over a year, and was certified 3× Platinum by BPI until 1992. It charted in the Top 10 in New Zealand, Australia and West Germany.
The Blue Cafe is the fourteenth studio album by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released in 1998. The singles released for the album were "The Blue Cafe", "Thinking of You", "Sweet Summer Day" and "Square Peg, Round Hole". There was also a Japanese version with three bonus tracks, "Kyoto Blue", "Ameno Nakano Kiirono Herumetto" and "On the Beach". It was Rea's sixth successive album to reach the UK top ten, peaking at No. 10.
King of the Beach is the sixteenth studio album by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released in 2000. The singles released for the album were "All Summer Long" and "Who Do You Love". The album reached number 26 in the UK. There was also a Japanese version with "Mississippi" and "There’s Only You" included as tracks.
Espresso Logic is the thirteenth studio album by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released in 1993. The US edition of the album has a significantly different track listing, featuring two songs from Rea's previous album, God's Great Banana Skin, which was not released in the US, along with "If You Were Me", a track recorded with Elton John for his 1993 Duets release. The cover art of the US edition is the same as the UK single "Espresso Logic". The song "Julia" was dedicated to his daughter Julia Christina, who was four years old at the time.
God's Great Banana Skin is the twelfth studio album by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released in 1992. The album was not released in the United States, though some tracks later appeared on the US release of Rea's following album Espresso Logic. The single "Nothing To Fear" reached number 16 in the UK Singles Chart, and its music video was filmed in Morocco. The album reached number 4 in the UK Albums Chart in 1992.
Dancing Down the Stony Road is the seventeenth studio album by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released in 2002 on his own record label, Jazzee Blue. The album has also been released in Europe by Edel under the shorter title Stony Road with different cover art and only one CD, while the original UK is double CD edition with additional tracks. The album is notable for its change of Rea's previous rock music style to Delta blues and gospel blues. It reached #14 position in UK album charts, and was certified Gold by BPI. A version of Dancing Down The Stony Road was used in the BBC television programme Speed.
The Blue Jukebox is the twentieth studio album by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released in 2004 by his independent record label Jazzee Blue. The cover artwork is inspired by Edward Hopper's Nighthawks painting. Compared to the Dancing Down the Stony Road (2002) has a smoother and jazzier take on the blues.
The Very Best of Chris Rea is the third compilation album by the British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released in 2001. The last track, "Saudade", was originally written and recorded in 1994 as a tribute to the Formula 1 racing driver Ayrton Senna who died in a crash at Imola on 1 May that year. In Portuguese, the word saudade roughly means the feeling, emotions and euphoria of a certain moment in time. It reached number 69 on the UK Albums Chart, and was certified Gold by the BPI in 2004.
Still So Far to Go: The Best of Chris Rea is a compilation album by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released by Rhino Records in 2009. The album reached number 8 on the UK Albums Chart, making it Rea's first entry in the top 10 in ten years since The Blue Cafe (1998), and was certified Gold by BPI in 2013.
"Julia" is a song by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released in October 1993 as the lead single from his 13th studio album, Espresso Logic (1993). The song, written and produced by Rea, was dedicated to Rea's daughter Julia Christina, who was four years old at the time of its release. The song reached No. 18 in the UK and remained on the UK Singles Chart for five weeks.
"Auberge" is a song by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, which was released in February 1991 as the lead single from his eleventh studio album, Auberge. It was written by Rea and produced by Jon Kelly. "Auberge" reached No. 16 in the United Kingdom and remained on the UK Singles Chart for six weeks. A music video was filmed to promote the single. It was directed by Nigel Dick and shot at Bray Studios, Berkshire.
"That's What They Always Say" is a song by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released in 1989 as the second single from his tenth studio album The Road to Hell. It was written by Rea and produced by Rea and Jon Kelly. As the follow-up to "The Road to Hell", "That's What They Always Say" reached No. 83 in the UK Singles Chart and remained in the Top 100 for four weeks.
"Texas" is a song by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released in 1990 as an extended play from his tenth studio album The Road to Hell (1989). It was written by Rea and produced by Rea and Jon Kelly. "Texas" reached No. 69 in the UK Singles Chart and remained in the Top 100 for two weeks.
