Christopher Anton Rea is an English rock and blues singer and guitarist from Middlesbrough. He is known for his distinctive, husky singing and slide guitar playing, with the Guinness Rockopedia describing him as a "gravel-voiced guitar stalwart". After learning to play the guitar relatively late, a short burst of local band activity led to him launching a solo career in 1978.
"Don't Ask Me Why" is a 1989 song recorded by the British pop music duo Eurythmics. It was written by bandmembers Annie Lennox and David A. Stewart and produced by Stewart with Jimmy Iovine. The song was featured on Eurythmics' album We Too Are One.
"Show Me Heaven" is a power ballad written by American singer and songwriter Maria McKee, Eric Rackin and Jay Rifkin, and recorded by McKee for the soundtrack to the Tom Cruise film Days of Thunder, released in June 1990. Produced by Peter Asher, the song reached number one on the UK Singles Chart for four weeks and went on the become the sixth-highest-selling single of 1990 in the UK. Additionally, the song became a worldwide hit, topping the charts of Belgium, the Netherlands, and Norway and becoming a top-five hit in Australia, Ireland, Sweden, and Switzerland. It has since been covered by numerous other artists, most notably by Tina Arena.
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. 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, particularly concerning alienation and violence, and contains lyrics which reference an ongoing search for escape/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. Allmusic describes the album as a "modern masterpiece".
The Best of Chris Rea is the second compilation album by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released in 1994. The album contains 15 previously released songs plus two new tracks, "You Can Go Your Own Way" and "Three Little Green Candles". The collection notably omits Rea's 1988 Christmas hit "Driving Home for Christmas". The song "If You Were Me" is a duet between Rea and Elton John, originally released on John's Duets album in 1993.
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 #69 position in the UK album charts, and was certified Gold by the BPI in 2004.
Heartbeats – Chris Rea's Greatest Hits is a 2005 compilation album by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea. It reached #24 position in UK Albums Chart, and was certified Silver by BPI in 2006.
"The Road to Hell" is a two-part song written by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea and released on the album of the same name. It was released as a single, with only part 2 on the A-side of the 7-inch. The single is Rea's biggest success in the United Kingdom, peaking at number 10 on the UK Singles Chart. The song was inspired by the frustrations of M25 and M4 motorway rush-hour traffic.
"Driving Home for Christmas" is a Christmas song written and composed by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea. The first version was originally released as the B-side to his single "Hello Friend" in 1986. In October 1988, a re-recorded version served as one of two new songs on Rea's first compilation album New Light Through Old Windows. It was issued as the fourth single from the album in December 1988, where it peaked at number 53 on the UK Singles Chart as the lead track of The Christmas EP.
"Josephine" is a song from the album Shamrock Diaries by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, and which performed strongly when released as a single on 22 June 1985, reaching the Top 10 in France and the Netherlands, and a remix enjoyed popularity on the Balearic beat scene. It was written for his daughter of the same name. Rea would later name a song after his youngest daughter, Julia, on the album Espresso Logic (1993).
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 #8 in the UK, 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.
The Journey 1978–2009 is a compilation album by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released in 2011 by Music Club Deluxe. It features songs spanning his entire career, from 1978's Whatever Happened to Benny Santini? to 2009's Still So Far to Go: The Best of Chris Rea. It had a modest chart performance, peaking at number 66 on the UK Albums Chart, but was certified Gold by BPI in 2013.
"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.
"Nothing to Fear" is a song by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released in October 1992 as the lead single from his twelfth studio album God's Great Banana Skin. It was written and produced by Rea. "Nothing to Fear" reached No. 16 in the UK and remained in the charts for four weeks. A music video was filmed to promote the single, directed by Andy Morahan.
"Looking for the Summer" is a song by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released in 1991 as the third single from his eleventh studio album Auberge. It was written by Rea and produced by Jon Kelly. "Looking for the Summer" reached No. 49 in the UK and remained in the charts for three weeks. A music video was filmed to promote the single. It also featured in a diner scene in the 1992 Hollywood blockbuster Basic Instinct.
"Heaven" is a song by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released in March 1991 as the second single from his 11th studio album, Auberge (1991). It was written by Rea and produced by Jon Kelly. "Heaven" reached No. 57 on the UK Singles Chart and remained in the top 100 for two weeks.
"Tell Me There's a Heaven" is a song by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released in 1990 as the third single from his tenth studio album The Road to Hell (1989). It was written by Rea and produced by Rea and Jon Kelly. "Tell Me There's a Heaven" reached No. 24 in the UK Singles Chart and remained in the Top 100 for six weeks.
"God's Great Banana Skin" is a song by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, released in November 1992 as the second single from his 12th studio album God's Great Banana Skin (1992). The song was written and produced by Rea. "God's Great Banana Skin" reached No. 31 in the UK Singles Chart and remained on the chart for three weeks.
"Winter" is a song by Scottish band Love and Money, which was released in 1991 as the third and final single from their third studio album Dogs in the Traffic. The song was written by James Grant and produced by Steve Nye. "Winter" reached No. 52 in the UK Singles Chart and remained in the Top 100 for two weeks.
