Entertainment

The music and movies of Sir Cliff’s career

He is the only singer to have had a number one single in each decade from the 1950s to the 1990s.
He is the only singer to have had a number one single in each decade from the 1950s to the 1990s. He is the only singer to have had a number one single in each decade from the 1950s to the 1990s.

Sir Cliff Richard was born Harry Rodger Webb in Lucknow, India, in 1940, but the family moved to England eight years later.

He started performing as a teenager with his band The Drifters, which later became The Shadows, and his first hit single Move It reached number two in the UK singles chart on his 18th birthday.

Music – Cliff Richard – Heathrow Airport, London
Music – Cliff Richard – Heathrow Airport, London Cliff Richard at Heathrow Airport as he was about to board a plane for New York (PA)

Dubbed the “British Elvis”, Sir Cliff went on to have a string of hit records and is the only singer to have had a number one single in each decade from the 1950s to the 1990s.

Billy Graham death
Billy Graham death Cliff Richard with US evangelist Billy Graham in 1973 (PA)

He is the third top-selling artist in UK single chart history, behind only Elvis Presley and The Beatles, and his discography includes 43 studio albums, 57 other albums and 139 singles.

Entertainment – Dame Vera Lynn Variety Club Lunch – Savoy Hotel, London
Entertainment – Dame Vera Lynn Variety Club Lunch – Savoy Hotel, London Cliff Richard with Dame Vera Lynn during a Variety Club lunch in her honour at the Savoy Hotel, London, in 1975 (PA)

The 77-year-old singer has sold mode than 250 million records worldwide in a career spanning nearly 60 years.

His most famous hits include Summer Holiday, Living Doll and Mistletoe And Wine and he has twice represented the UK at the Eurovision Song Contest.

Tennis – Federation Cup – Opening Ceremony – Nottingham
Tennis – Federation Cup – Opening Ceremony – Nottingham Diana, Princess of Wales with tennis player Virginia Wade, second left, and Cliff Richard sharing a joke in 1991 (PA)

He was second in 1968 with Congratulations, which became a number one hit, and then finished third with Power to All Our Friends in 1973.

Sir Cliff became a Christian in 1964 and made appearances with evangelical US preacher Billy Graham, as well as recording Christian music.

Cliff
Cliff Sir Cliff performs during the Hallelujah Christmas charity concert in London in 1997 (Sean Dempsey/PA)

His last number one hit was The Millennium Prayer in 1999, which set the words of the Lord’s Prayer to the tune of Auld Lang Syne.

Cliff Richard
Cliff Richard Sir Cliff performs a revised version of his song Summer Holiday over the PA system onboard the British Airways Dreamflight plane in 2013 (Steve Parsons/PA) (Steve Parsons/PA Archive/PA Images)

The singer has starred in 12 films including The Young Ones, Summer Holiday and Run For Your Wife.

Cliff Richard court case
Cliff Richard court case Sir Cliff arrives at the High Court in 2018 (Kirsty O’Connor/PA)

He was awarded an OBE in 1980 and given a Knighthood in 1995, becoming the first rock star to receive the honour.