The release of the album was followed by a European tour. This was followed by further claims in by The Times that Rea has been a longtime supporter of the Conservative Party. The donations were in fact made by a businessman called Chris Rea and not the musician. Rea said, "I was never a rock star or pop star and all the illness has been my chance to do what I'd always wanted to do with music [ In an interview he said, "it's not until you become seriously ill and you nearly die and you're at home for six months, that you suddenly stop, to realize that this isn't the way I intended it to be in the beginning.
Everything that you've done falls away and you start wondering why you went through all that rock business stuff. Having promised himself that if he recovered he would return to his blues roots, he started the record label Jazzee Blue to free himself from his then current company's expectations. He wanted the label to be a place "where musicians came and made a record" of this style of music.
Jazzee Blue released several blues and jazz albums mostly by members of his then current band. He was disappointed with the music business when Michael Parkinson, who supported him to do Dancing Down the Stony Road, told him songs longer than three minutes were not played as often on radio anymore.
In Chris Rea was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and underwent a Whipple procedure which resulted in the removal of the head of the pancreas and part of duodenum, bile duct, and gall bladder. Since having this surgery Rea had problems with diabetes and a weaker immune system, necessitating the need to take thirty-four pills and seven injections a day.
He has undergone several subsequent operations. Nevertheless, he found greater appreciation for life, his family, and the things he loves. He has taken the opportunity to get involved in Formula One on a few occasions, including as a pit lane mechanic for the Jordan team during the Monaco Grand Prix. It featured prominently in the BBC documentary movie. One of his childhood dreams was to become a film writer and film music composer. Rea wrote the title track and music score for the drama film Soft Top Hard Shoulder.
He wrote and produced the film La Passione and had a cameo role in it. Rea, ironically, played a character who was told that cancer gave him six weeks to live and decided to kill those people who had badly affected his life. Afterwards, two feature-length films were made for the Santo Spirito Blues project, just "so that I could do the music". A year later the album Espresso Logic made the Top 10 and "Julia", written about his second daughter, gave him his sixth and last Top 20 single.
The album was partly promoted by Rea's taking part in the British Touring Car Championship, although he was eliminated in the first round. Following the release of the soundtrack album for La Passione; Rea's fourteenth studio album, The Blue Cafe, was released in , 5 years after the previous one.
It made it to the UK Top This long break between two studio albums was caused by Rea's health issues: in he had stomach ulcers, in peritonitis, the latter was followed by five operations. In ten years after Road to Hell , Rea released the electronica album, The Road to Hell: Part 2 in , which fared less well than his more recent albums never charting into the UK Top Conversely in , he released King of the Beach which did comparatively better making it to the UK Top His 10th studio album was Rea's major breakthrough.
The Road to Hell enjoyed massive success and became his first No. The album only reached in the US. One track from the album, "Texas", achieved extensive radio airplay in the state itself while the song "The Road to Hell Part 2 " peaked at No. The title track was Rea's first and only UK Top 10 single.
His next album Auberge was also a No. The album included re-workings of some his charting singles. The album's release and success was followed by an international tour with over 45 dates.
The Dancing with Strangers tour in saw Rea sell out stadium size venues for the first time across the world, including Wembley Arena twice, as well as having concerts in Japan. In the spring of he toured Australia for the first time.
Out of deference to his family he did not do so. He commented that at the time he realized that "I could be as big as I liked, if I was prepared to do the touring".
Since , his music began to better reflect his wishes and capabilities. At this time he was under pressure from the record company due to the accumulated costs of the production for his previous four albums. To keep costs low the label accepted the demo tapes of his fifth studio album Water Sign.
After finding out that Dudgeon made more money than he did, Rea changed managers and went on a UK club tour. Afterward he then continued on to a date tour as a support act for Canadian band Saga.
Suddenly, even to his record company's surprise, the album became a hit in Ireland and Europe, selling over half a million copies in just a few months. With the album's success along with that of the subsequent Wired to the Moon , which was his first Top 40 in the UK 35 , Rea began to focus his attention on touring continental Europe and built up a significant fan base.
He particularly became popular in Germany, and believes this audience saved his career as there was no "image-led market", but only "by music and by word of mouth". Please bear with the venue team whilst we seek further updates for you. As soon as we have more news we will of course let everyone know. Rea had his pancreas removed in after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He suffered a stroke in , but recovered to launch an album in September and embark on his tour around Europe from October.
I've just got a little bit of balance - it's a bit dodgy, just in case anyone thinks I'm drunk on-stage. Image source, EPA. He recorded his first album that same year, but according to Michael Levy co-founder of Magnet the recordings were literally burned and started over again because it did not capture his whole talent. Whatever Happened to Benny Santini? The title referred to a stage name that Rea had suggested when the record label insisted that his given name did not sound "croony" enough.
It peaked at No. Levy remembers him as "more of a thoughtful, introspective poet than a natural pop performer" which Levy felt stopped Rea from becoming a bigger star. Few of Rea's early singles charted in the UK. For several years, Magnet marketed him based on this misconception. Rea says that it "is still the only song I've ever not played guitar on, but it just so happened to be my first single". Rea has "always had a difficult relationship with fame, even before my first illness.
None of my heroes were rock stars. But I was surrounded by pop stars". Throughout his career Rea has emphatically rejected the label of "rock star". Dudgeon also produced Rea's second album Deltics Rea recorded his self-produced third album, Tennis , with musicians from Middlesbrough, and it received positive reviews.
As both albums had failed commercially, Magnet rejected the artwork Rea wanted for the cover of his fourth album, 's Chris Rea produced by Jon Kelly , who later oversaw Rea's most successful albums. None of these albums reached the Top 50 in the UK, with his singles also delivering lackluster performances. Diamonds reached No. Rea had a difficult working relationship with Dudgeon and the other "men in suits" who he felt "smoothed out" the blues-influenced elements of his music.
Rea "always thought that [producers] knew best. I never thought for a minute that they might have another agenda", but "all of a sudden I was the goose that laid the golden egg, and it was hell for me". He ruefully acknowledges, "I can't blame anyone but myself.
I gave them what they wanted rather than what I wanted". From , Rea's music began to better reflect his wishes and capabilities, despite pressure from his record company due to the accumulated costs of the production for his first four albums. To keep costs low, the label decided to release the demo tapes of his fifth studio album Water Sign.
It was the first of several successful albums Rea collaborated with producer David Richards on. He also changed managers and went on a UK club tour, followed by a date tour as a support act for Canadian band Saga.
To eveyone's surprise, Water Sign performed well in Ireland and Europe, selling over half a million copies in just a few months. With the album's success along with that of the subsequent Wired to the Moon , which was his first Top 40 album in the UK reaching No.
He established a loyal following in West Germany, and believes this audience saved his career as there was no "image-led market", but only "by music and by word of mouth". It was not until 's million-selling Shamrock Diaries , with its hit singles Stainsby Girls and Josephine , written for his wife and daughter respectively, that UK audiences began to take notice of him. His international fame grew with the million-selling studio albums On The Beach , and Dancing with Strangers which reached No.
That year, the Dancing with Strangers world tour sold out stadium-sized venues, including two shows at Wembley Arena, and included Rea's first concerts in Australia and Japan. Rea's American label, Tamla Motown, had told him that should go to America and tour there for three years. Out of deference to his family, he did not do so. He commented that at the time he realized that "I could be as big as I liked, if I was prepared to do the touring".
Rea's next album was his first compilation - albeit an unconventional one, as most songs were new versions of older releases. The album included re-workings of some his charting singles, as well a reworking of as his recent single "Driving Home for Christmas".
The album's release and success was followed by an international tour with over 45 dates. Rea's tenth studio album was his major breakthrough. The Road to Hell enjoyed massive success and became his first No. While the album peaked at No. The song Texas achieved extensive radio airplay in the state itself. The single of the same title made the UK Top Even at the peak of his success, Rea refused to mount an American tour or perform on MTV Unplugged , although he was a guest on Late Night with David Letterman , and also performed on the show.
Rea said his neglect of the US market was one of his biggest mistakes because "every time I see a car that's too much money, I definitely regret it, just for five minutes". A year later the album Espresso Logic made the Top 10 and Julia , written about his second daughter, gave him his sixth and last Top 20 single.
In Rea had developed stomach ulcers The following year, he "got peritonitis and nearly died. Facing the prospect of never singing, touring or performing in public again, he characteristically embarked on a radical career shift and went into movies. Two years later The Blue Cafe , his fourteenth studio album, followed. Rea was first "diagnosed with pancreatic cancer at the age of just 33".
In , he underwent a Whipple procedure, which resulted in the removal of the head of the pancreas and part of the duodenum, bile duct, and gall bladder.
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