Cliff Richard 1995— Sir Cliff
Cliff Richard was knighted on 25 October 1995. He was the first rock star to be so honoured, ahead of Sir Paul McCartney (1997) and Sir Elton John (1998). In 1999, controversy arose regarding radio stations refusing to play his records. EMI, Richard's label since 1958, refused to release his latest single. Richard took his Millennium Prayer to an independent label, Papillon, which released the charity record (in aid of Children's Promise). The single went on to top the UK chart for three weeks, his fourteenth #1, and the third highest-selling single of his career. Richard's next album (2001) was a covers project, Wanted, followed by another top ten album with Cliff at Christmas. The holiday album contained both new and older recordings, including the single Santa's List, which reached #5 in 2003. Richard decamped to Nashville, Tennessee for his next album project in 2004, employing a writer's conclave to give him the pick of all new songs for the album Something's Goin' On. Though the collection was critically well-received, it had disappointing sales. Nevertheless it was yet another top ten album, and produced three top fifteen singles: Something's Goin' On, I Cannot Give You My Love, with Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees, and the lively What Car. However, Richard did not hide his disappointment with the album's lacklustre sales, and it was speculated that it might have been his last ever album of original songs.In T.V He Will Play in Power Rangers Jungle Fury
Sir Cliff Richard finished number 56 in the 2002 100 Greatest Britons list, sponsored by the BBC and voted for by the public. Adored especially by baby boomer women, many of whom camp out for his concert tickets, he has become a fixture of the British entertainment world. He once led the Wimbledon Centre Court crowd in singing during a rain delay. The Ultimate Pop Star, a Channel 4 programme broadcast in 2004, revealed that Cliff Richard had sold more singles in the UK than any other music artist, ahead of the Beatles in second place and Elvis Presley in third. Richard has become joint owner of the Arora International Hotel in Manchester, which opened in June 2004. He spends much of his time at his house in Barbados, and has lent it to British Prime Minister Tony Blair at times.
Richard's most recent project is an album of duets, including newly-recorded material with Brian May, Dionne Warwick, Anne Murray, Barry Gibb and Daniel O'Donnell, plus some previously recorded duets with artists such as Phil Everly, Elton John and Olivia Newton-John. Released to coincide with the UK leg of his latest world tour, the album Here and Now includes a number of lesser known, but fan-favourite songs including, My Kinda Life, How Did She Get Here, Hey Mr. Dream Maker, For Life, A Matter Of Moments, When The Girl In Your Arms, Every Face Tells A Story, Peace In Our Time and the latest Christmas single 21st Century Christmas, which debuted at #2 on the UK singles chart. Richard's mother, Dorothy Webb, suffers from advanced Alzheimer's disease. In a September 2006 interview with the Daily Mail, he spoke about the difficulties he and his sisters had in dealing with their mother's condition. On 18th october A Statement on the stars website read We are sad to report that Cliff's mother, Dorothy, passed away early on 17 October. She was 87
Another compilation album, Love: The Album will be released on November 12th. Like Two's Company before it, this album will include both previously released material and newly-recorded songs, namely Waiting For A Girl Like You, When You Say Nothing At All, All Out Of Love, If You're Not the One and When I Need You. The latter is to be released as a single. The concept of the project has divided fans who anticipate an album of new material.
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