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An interview with Carol
Hall, President of the Cliff Richard fan club for London and Surrey.
Cliff Richard was in the first wave of British Rock and Rollers
in the 1950s, appearing on Oh Boy! and Six-Five Special and emulating
their American heroes to a great extent. But pretty soon the British
rockers and their writers did develop a distinctly British version
of this American-inspired and dominated musical form. Cliff's 'Move
It', John Leyton's 'Johnny Remember Me' and Johnny Kidd and The Pirates'
'Shakin' All Over' are classic British rockers that can hold their
own with anything the Americans produced at that time. And there was
Lonnie Donegan and skiffle..... And Cliff's 'backing band', The Shadows,
both of whom were to inspire and kick-start the British beat boom
of the sixties. And through it all, through Beatlemania, psychedilia,
glam rock, disco, punk, new wave, new romantic, electro-pop and rap,
Cliff was there, doing his own thing and maintaining a large and obsessively
loyal international following and adapting to styles and trends.
Harry Roger Webb was born on 14th October 1940 and began
his career in 1957 when joining a skiffle group which he left after
a few months. Cliff Richard then joined Terry Smart and Ken Payne
to form the Drifters. They played at various clubs including the famous
2I's Coffee bar in Old Compton Street, W1. There they met and teamed-up
with guitarist and songwriter Ian Samwell, after which came their
big break at a talent show in Shepherds Bush, West London. Cliff fought
off attempts to force him to abandon his backing group and to go solo.
They recorded Breathless and Lawdy Miss Clawdy and were signed by
EMI under the production of Norrie Paramor. The next recording was
Schoolboy Crush with Move It as a B side. Move It was then made the
A side and it achieved number two in the charts. Cliff was offered
a song on Jack Good’s Oh Boy! TV programme and, soon after, Hank
Marvin and Bruce Welch joined the line up and became The Shadows,
whom Good promoted vigorously. Cliff became the darling of the young
girls – his sexy hip swinging even attracted the wrath of the
press. In 1959 he starred in two films, Expresso Bongo as the curiously
named Bongo Herbert and Serious Charge. He released two singles, Living
Doll and Travellin' Light. From 1960 to 1962 he made Please Don't
Tease, Nine Times Out Of Ten, Theme For A Dream and The Young Ones,
also starring in the film of the same name. Right through until '65
he carried on producing hits such as On The Beach, Bachelor Boy, and
Summer Holiday. The movies The Young Ones and Summer Holiday, whilst
not classics, are great fun and seem to capture a naiveté and innocence
which was soon to be lost in British culture, music and films. In
1966 he turned to Christianity but decided to use his faith to convey
a positive musical message and still made chart-toppers such as In
The Country and The Day I Met Marie, followed by the 1968 Eurovision
Song Contest, the inappropriately titled Congratulations, where he
came second.
Cliff continued with hits over the next three decades, sometimes waning
slightly in popularity but always retaining a hard core of fans and
seeming able to pick-up on musical trends and certainly retaining
the respect and love of the British public. Goodbye Sam, Hello Samantha
was not about a sex change, but about a tom-boy turned young beauty.
Power To All Our Friends, Miss You Nights,
Devil Woman, We Don't Talk Anymore, Carrie and ( the very topical
at the time ) Wired For Sound. He also sang with Olivia Newton-John,
Phil Everley and Sarah Brightman. He has released gospel songs too
and appeared on gospel tours. He was romantically-linked with Olivia
Newton John and tennis star Sue Barker over the years although always
maintaining they were just friends. He famously kept the Wimbledon
crowd entertained with a free impromptu performance during a typically
wet day when play was abandoned. He parodied his success with Livin’
Doll in collaboration with the mad comic foursome The Young Ones and
appeared in a stage musical entitled Time, written by Dave Clark.
Known simply as Cliff, he was Knighted by The Queen in recent years.
His musical career now spans six decades, although strangely his huge
success and popularity around the world never made an impression in
the US.
This interview is the intellectual property of www.retrosellers.com
and cannot be reproduced without express permission.
(photographs from author's personal collection)
Cliff
Digger: What is your favourite period of Cliff's career?
Carol: I personally like the 1970s. Cliff I think looked
particularly gorgeous then and I loved the music he churned out!
Powerful toe tapping numbers like ‘Power To All Your Friends’
and ‘Devil Woman’ along with some terrific ballads like
‘Hey Mister Dream Maker’ and the evergreen ‘Miss
You Nights’.
Digger: And what are your favourite tracks of his?
Carol: Cliff has had so many hits and so many albums that
it is very hard to choose favourites. I tend to remember songs that
Cliff has sung that really touched me and even made me cry. One
song that springs to mind is a song from the 'The Album' called
‘Brother to Brother’, which I think is a truly beautiful
song. I love the ballad ‘Ocean Deep’ which was a b-side
to ‘Baby You’re Dynamite’. The song is hugely popular
with all his fans, constantly coming top of the favourites lists,
even beating ‘Miss You Nights’, though it’s never
far behind! Another favourite of mine is a song called ‘Better
Than I Know Myself’, which I’ve always thought is a wonderful
song. If I were to be brutally honest, I didn’t realise the
track was a religious track, but in fact Cliff is singing about
Jesus. Some may think it daft of me to not have known that, but
there you have it. The album ‘Small Corners’ is a religious
album, but it’s one of my all time favourites, with many tracks
that I adore.
Digger: Why do you think he has endured so well?
Carol: Probably a combination of continuing to produce
great records, having a fabulous voice, being good looking, being
such a great entertainer when you see him live and being single!
All these women (including me) all have the hope that one day, he’ll
whisk us away and marry us! *sigh* What are we like eh!?!
Digger: What do you think was the reason Cliff didn't make
it big in the States?
Carol: The USA is a huge country to conquer and to make
it there I reckon it’s a case of being in the right place at
the right time with the perfect song and I guess Cliff just wasn’t!
He never did persevere with the challenge and now it’s become
a country that he can visit without being recognised and I believe
is a frequent visitor to!
Digger: What would you say is/are Cliff's main contributions
to music and entertainment?
Carol: The consistently good musical hits that he has.
You might argue that Cliff’s clean cut image has also helped
him along the way, as people like the fact that he’s not done
drugs or had multiple marriages etc. His ‘boy next door’
image has not done him any harm but its sheer talent that’s
kept him at the top for over 40 years. I love the fact that he is
the biggest BRITISH artist that this country have ever seen, a fact
that some people hate to admit, but after 14 number ones and a career
spanning 6 decades, well he has to have been doing something right
hasn’t he?
Digger: How many members does the fan club have? Does Cliff
get involved?
Carol: The London and Surrey fan club isn’t huge,
with just over 300 members, but it’s growing weekly! But we
ought to put this into perspective. Cliff Richard has numerous clubs
over the UK alone, all affiliated to the International Cliff Richard
Movement. My club really has been run with a view to increasing
the membership for the past 3 years and the main thing to bear in
mind is that I do run the club in my spare time. When I took over
the club, it had just 50 members. I’ve put hours and hours
into producing the website, which in the past 18 months has had
over 28,000 hits and brings in several new members a week. I try
and give the members the consistency of the type of fan club that
they want to have and therefore the club is definitely a ‘going
concern’ and I’m constantly thinking about ways to improve
it. The other thing to bear in mind is that it's non profit-making
and all funds are ploughed directly back into the club. Cliff doesn’t
directly get involved unfortunately, but we have a secretary who
is in touch with his office regularly and via her we get information
about Cliff’s activities. He does produce messages for the
members via the secretary and recognises each of the regional clubs.
Digger: Who do you think have been the best songwriters
for Cliff?
Carol: Without a doubt it is Alan Tarney, who has given
Cliff song terrific hits over the years, particularly in the 80s
and also right up to date with some new songs on the ‘Wanted’
album. He just has the knack of giving Cliff the songs that best
suit his voice and the styles that best produces hit records!
Digger: Is there any role or performance that you would
have liked to have seen Cliff do that he hasn't done?
Carol: Personally there is nothing that I would particularly
like Cliff to do. He’s done just about everything hasn’t
he? Hit TV shows, hit movies, hit records and hit stage shows. What
more can I guy do?! *grin*
Digger: How would you describe Cliff in thirty words or
less?
Carol: I could do it in one! GORGEOUS! *giggle* Okay, okay,
I’ll be serious! Cliff Richard is a fabulous singer, who has
consistently produced hit records over 40 years. His live performances
are excellent and he is a true BRITISH star!
Digger: Have you a message for Cliff fans around the world?
Carol: If you are a fan and not in a club then shame on
you! There are so many clubs world wide that it is impossible not
to find one in your area! If in doubt, please ask! If you are a
Cliff fan, I need to thank you for your continued unwavering support!
Without you all, Cliff would not be where he is now. Thank you,
thank you, thank you!
Cliff
Digger: Please give brief details of how to join your club
and its activities.
Carol: The club produces a BI-monthly magazine called Cliff-Guaranteed,
which is an A5, 24-page magazine stuffed to the brim with Cliff
news and information. Feel free to exchange news and information
with other fans of the club and join us at our occasional club meetings.
For more detailed information about the club, please visit http://www.cliff-guaranteed.co.uk
You can join the club by sending £11 (UK membership) to CRFC London
and Surrey, Alexandra Gardens, Knaphill, Woking, Surrey, GU21 2DH.
Digger: What question are you most asked about Cliff?
Carol: Oh this is an easy one! *smile* Have I met him?
And the simple answer is no – but I live in hope! Second most
asked question – Is he gay? My answer…who cares?!
Digger: How would you describe the press coverage of Cliff's
private life over the years?
Carol: Invasive and nosey! Why do these reporters think
that Cliff’s private life is news for goodness sake! I suppose
that I can only speak for myself, but Cliff’s private life
is really no concern of mine. IF Cliff were to tell everyone that
he were gay for instance (and I don’t think that he is I hasten
to add), what real difference would it make to his singing ability,
his live performances or his magnetism? None whatsoever! I know
that it wouldn’t alter my liking for his music. Is it vital
to know if he has a girlfriend and what restaurant he went to last
night? I don’t think so. Cliff says that being famous means
that you have to deal with the paparazzi but sometimes the invasive
questions into his private life are totally unnecessary.
Digger: Please describe the biggest Cliff fans that you
know and what they do to show their devotion.
Carol: Other than me you mean, and the hours and hours of dedication
that I put into running this fan club? *laugh* Oh okay, then I have
two honorary members called Ray and Colette Williams, who are the
biggest fans I know. Their home is a SHRINE to Cliff, with memorabilia
covering almost every inch of wall space, with ornaments and cuddly
toys and every newspaper cutting that Cliff has ever been mentioned
in. These two go to every performance at every concert in the UK and
have even been known to travel abroad and see him in Europe too. They
queue for weeks to get the best seats in the house, even camping out
in the freezing cold to secure their places. Their dedication knows
no bounds I can assure you – Cliff is their life.
Many thanks to the delightful and helpful Carol for the interview.
Please be sure to visit cliff-guaranteed.co.uk soon.
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