Biography
The original hoarse timbre under the soft guitar overflows is the branded "sound" of the British singer of Chris Ri, whose blues-songs have reduced Melomanians in the late 80s. "Josephine", "Julia", "Let's Dance" and "Road to Hell" - these and other hits remember not one generation, and the plates with these singles are fluttered with millions of circulation. For a long time, the singer had to fight a severe illness, but he returned to the scene after the break to re-please fans.Childhood and youth
The musician was born on March 4, 1951 in Middlesbro, United Kingdom. Children's years, Chris could only be envied: still, grow in the ice cream family in a big cheerful company of brothers and sisters.
The head of the family Camillo Ri had a business for the production of ice cream with a network of stores. At one time he immigrated to England from Italy, his wife became Winifred if Ireland by nationality. And soon the couple turned into a large family. Two Brothers Chris is name nickname and Mike, and four sisters - Catherine, Geraldine, Paula and Camilla.
Chris grew by a creative child, already being a teenager, I realized that he wanted to become a journalist. After school, he entered the Journalistic Faculty of College of St. Mary at the Catholic Male School in Middlesbrough. But the joy was short. On the 1st course, the young man was kicked out for the conflict with the teacher. The guy, realizing that each time his own opinion will have to defend with difficulty, did not try to return and began to help his father in the family business.
Once a guy heard a plate of famous American rock musician Joe Walsh. And it determined his further fate and biography. Chris desperately wanted to take a guitar into his hands and create this incredible music. So the 19-year-old young man began to study the instrumental game.
And after 2 years, he was taken to the local group "Magdalen", then replaced the name on Beautiful Losers. Despite the fact that the team played a decent rock, the labels were in no hurry to conclude contracts with musicians. There was no sense to wait for success, and Chris Ri went into solitary swimming.
Music
In 1976, the Contractor signed a contract with the Magnet Records label, and in 1978 released the debut album "Whatever Happened to Benny Santini?". Under the pseudonym Benny Santini, the first producer of Chris - Gas Dajn, known to cooperation with Elton John, planned to unwind a new ward, but Ri wanted to perform under his name, simply reducing the name Christopher to Chris's usual Him.
The success of the first album was brought by the composition "Fool If You Think It Over", which was included in the British Top 30, and in the US, the single took off until the 12th place in the charts and was even nominated for the Grammy as the "Song of the Year". Success, however, was short-term. Soon in the work of the singer, a tightening black strip came. The second, third, fourth albums were like "idle chucks": not a single hit or a little popular song.
The label was ready to say goodbye to the musician, as suddenly the fifth album "Water Sign" (in fact, this raw record), released in 1983, turned out to be popular in Europe thanks to Single "I Can Hear Your Heartbeat". About 500 thousand copies were sold in just a few months.
In 1985, with the rotation of new songs "Stainsby Girls" and "Josephine" from the album "Shamrock Diarias" Chris again on the wave of popularity. The listener finally appreciated his musical creativity - the warmth of the texts, a hoarse voice, the soft sound of a guitar in rock ballads and blues and soft-rock compositions. The Briton was a serious competition popularly by American stars - Billy Joela, the genus Stewart and Bruce Springstine.
1989 Single "The Road to Hell", which was included in the album of the same name, made Chris Ri Megazvera and brought him a condition - only in Britain, the disc was getting platinum several times. And without the saturated life of the musician turned into a continuous drive - endless tour, performances, concerts, recordings, shooting clips.
The singer traveled almost the whole world, and in the Soviet Union, with whom he was associated with the song "Gonna Buy A Hat", written back in 1986 and dedicated to Mikhail Gorbachev.
The 90s also began for the British with success. Its discography was replenished with a new successful album "Auberge" (1991). Fans are looking forward to new compositions of the artist, anticipating the next hits. And with a light hand of the musician, "Red Shoes", "Looking for the Summer" and other hits in the branded rocker feed, so loved millions.
However, despite recognition, the artist wants creative updates, changes that would bring his work to a new level. And Chris Ri is solved on the experiment - recording an album with a symphony orchestra. The 1996 plate was failing, in addition, the musician began to experience health problems. But in breaks between treatment continues to work. In 1998, the Album "The Blue Cafe", well met by fans and critics.
In the late 90s - the beginning of zero, a new time came, ball rules Fashionable electronic music. But Chris Ri managed to "enter the jet", and the next albums "The Road to Hell: Part 2", "King of the Beach" with a new bluesing sound became a bright example of changing yourself, without changing himself.
During this period, the singer was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, a number of complex operations followed, but the family support made a miracle - Chris Ri recovered and could return to creativity again - tour and album records.
Until 2017, the musician released another 7-8 albums, one of which became "Blue Guitars" - a mega album of 11 disks.
Personal life
Personal life of rock performers is usually saturated and diverse. But Chris Ri is an exception to the rules. At the age of 16, he met his fate - Joan Leslie and immediately fell in love. Later, becoming adults, young people got married.
The wife gave Chrisa charming daughters - senior Josephine and younger Julia. Joan could become a glamorous housewife, but all his life worked art historian and still teaches in one of the colleges of London. The musician is so tied to the family that I put the organizers condition: 3 days it works at concerts, and then flies home for the weekend.
"I never leave the house more than a week. And not because I want to look good in the eyes of the family. I really love my wife. And I want to see her when it is possible ... "," says the singer.Chris Ri now
In December 2017, Chris Ri fell at a concert in Oxford during a speech. The musician was hospitalized.
Official news about the state of the singer has not been from then. But on the official site there is a tour schedule for the end of 2018.
Discography
- 1978 - "WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BENNY SANTINI?"
- 1983 - "Water Sign"
- 1985 - "Shamrock Diarias"
- 1987 - "Dancing with Strangers"
- 1989 - "The Road to Hell"
- 1991 - "Auberge"
- 1992 - "God's Great Banana Skin"
- 1998 - "The Blue Cafe"
- 1999 - "The Road to Hell: Part 2"
- 2000 - "King of the Beach"
- 2002 - "Dancing Down The Stony Road"
- 2005 - "Blue Guitars"
- 2008 - "The Return of the Fabulous Hofner Blue Notes"
- 2011 - "Santo Spirito Blues"
- 2017 - "Road Songs for Lovers"