| Britain's answer to Elvis Presley, Cliff Richard, (born Harry Webb) dominated the pre-Beatles British pop scene in the late 50's and early 60's. An accomplished singer with a genuine feel for the music, Richard's artistic legacy is nonetheless meager, as he was quickly steered toward a middle-of-the road-pop direction. Several of his late 50's recordings, however, were genuinely exciting Presley-esque type rockers, especailly his first hit.."Move It."(1958).This gave British teenagers a first taste of genuine homegrown rock and roll talent. Backed by the Shadows, clean-cut instrumental virtuosos who became legends of their own, Richard embarked on a truly awesome string of hit singles in Britain, scoring no less than 43 top 20 hits between 1958 and 1969. In his homeland, Richard's popularity was diminished only slightly by the rise of The Beatles, but in his prime, he had a much rougher time in the USA, hitting the top forty only three times. Once with "Living Doll" in 1959, once with "It's All In The Game" in 1963, and once with "Devil Woman" in 1976. He remains an institution in Britain, where he is one of the most popular all-around entertainers of all time. Here tonight is his version of a Beatles song, "And I Love Her." |
