Albums by Chris Rea
ALBUMERA 1 (As Bs & Rarities 1978-1984)Chris Rea
ALBUMRoad Songs for LoversChris Rea
ALBUMBlue Guitars II - Country BluesChris Rea
ALBUMBlue Guitars III - Louisiana & New OrleansChris Rea
ALBUMBlue Guitars IX - Celtic & Irish BluesChris Rea
ALBUMBlue Guitars V - Texas BluesChris Rea
ALBUMBlue Guitars VI - Chicago BluesChris Rea
ALBUMBlue Guitars XI - 60S & 70sChris Rea
ALBUMBlue Guitars I - BeginningsChris Rea
ALBUMStony RoadChris Rea
Artist Playlists
Chris Rea Essentials
A highly regarded blues rocker, slide guitarist and husky balladeer.
Artist Biography
Singer-songwriter Chris Rea, inspired by blues legend Charley Patton, taught himself to play slide guitar while working at his father’s ice cream shop in Middlesbrough, England.
∙ After stints with the bands Magdalene and Beautiful Losers, he landed a solo deal with Magnet Records, which paired him with Elton John producer Gus Dudgeon for his first two albums.
∙ Rea’s 1978 debut, Whatever Happened to Benny Santini?, produced the Top 20 hit “Fool (If You Think It’s Over)” and earned him a Grammy Award nomination for Best New Artist.
∙ He originally intended to give his 1988 song “Driving Home for Christmas” to Van Morrison, but he wound up recording it himself and scoring a massive UK holiday hit.
∙ In 1989, The Road to Hell topped the charts in the UK and Germany, while also reaching the Top 10 in Austria, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland.
∙ An avid auto racing fan and collector of sports cars, Rea featured a painting of his prized Caterham 7 on the cover of his multiplatinum 1991 album, Auberge.
∙ He has sold more than 40 million albums worldwide.
Hometown
Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England
Genre
Rock