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1958: Early in 1958 Harry Rodger Webb became Cliff Richard. The Planets was a name suggested for his backing group. However, they became The Drifters, unaware that in the U.S.A there was a famous soul group of the same name. Eventually they became The Shadows. Cliff was signed by EMI to their Columbia label on August 9th. His first single (released August 29th) has remained an all-time classic - "MOVE IT" reached No. 2 in the British charts. Cliff made his television debut on September 13th and began his first UK tour on October 5th. On tour he experienced " Cliff hysteria" as girls screamed for his attention in the face of their boyfriends' objections. Tired of American pop heroes, British music fans wanted their own - Cliff was their answer. It was not long before film parts were being discussed.
1959: As in nearly all the years ahead, there were plenty of hit singles with both"LIVING DOLL" and "TRAVELLING LIGHT" reaching No. 1 in the British charts. He was involved with two films: "Serious Charge" and "Expresso Bongo". The then major British teen music paper - New Musical Express - gave Cliff his first award - fans had voted him "Best New Singer". He bought himself a fabulous pink and black motor scooter and from the royalties of "MOVE IT" could also afford one of the new super hi-fi stereos (with some change to spare). He was hot magazine copy: Reveille headlined with "He Doesn't Try To Be Sexy", while the top-selling Daily Mirror thought the fans loved his eyes, calling them "dark, luminous and slumberous."
1960: There were TV specials, more awards, royal performances and a season at the famous London Palladium. "PLEASE DON'T TEASE" and "I LOVE YOU" topped the singles charts. In March his film "Expresso Bongo" opened in the States and he made his first visit to the U.S.A. This, his last year as a teenager, saw him chart success with 5 singles, 6 EP's and an album. British newspapers said that he earned more than the Prime Minister. On his birthday, October 14th, he received more than 5,000 cards.
1961: He filmed "The Young Ones" and the title track gave him another No. 1 with more than one million sales. He became an international star and toured in many parts of the world while his backing group - The Shadows - were fast becoming stars in their own right. Cliff topped the LP charts with "21 TODAY" - issued by EMI to commemorate his 21st birthday -and The Variety Club of Great Britain made him "Show Business Personality of the Year".
1962: "The Young Ones" film was an enormous success in the many countries where it was released. The follow-up "Summer Holiday" was shot, involving over 3,000 miles of travel in five different countries. The album saw the emergence of Cliff as a songwriter - he was co-credited on the massive hit "BACHELOR BOY" - and he was quoted as saying "It's always been an ambition of mine to write". He named his favourite male stars as Elvis Presley, Rick Nelson and Ray Charles while Julie London, Helen Shapiro and Connie Francis were at the top of his list of female vocalists.
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Although this was the year that Beatlemania began, Cliff stole the limelight when "Summer Holiday" was premiered on January 10th - huge crowds prevented him reaching the cinema on time. He embarked on another tour, playing in Kenya and Spain amongst many other countries. In Britain, over 200,000 people saw him play live and he estimated that he signed over 4,000 autographs. He visited the U.S.A. again and appeared on the legendary Ed Sullivan TV show.
1964: Cliff starred in another film, "Wonderful Life", which was filmed in north-west Africa, the soundtrack reached No. 2. He appeared on a number of TV shows in the U.K. and Europe and starred in a one-hour TV special for ATV with Liza Minelli. He had five Top 10 hits in the UK singles charts (compared to the Beatles' three) and although it was The Beatles who made the headlines, Cliff held his own as a British pop star. He ended the year by starring in a pantomime, "Aladdin And His Wonderful Lamp".
1965: Elvis was cast aside and individual Beatles ignored as readers of the New Musical Express voted Cliff as the World's Top Male Singer. He recorded three TV specials, toured Europe and again appeared on the Ed Sullivan show in the USA. "THE MINUTE YOU'RE GONE" topped record charts all over the world. Although he talked about growing Christian awareness and was attending church regularly, few realised the major change it would make to him as a person and, to his career.
1966: On June 16th Cliff appeared on stage at a Billy Graham campaign meeting and spoke openly of his Christian faith. Many of his fans wept when they read this news the following day, fearing the end of his career as a pop star. There was a new film "Finders Keepers"; he starred in another pantomime "Cinderella" at London's famous Palladium Theatre; the now legendary "Thunderbirds" TV series featured Cliff and The Shadows in puppet form, and there was talk of him touring Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. It proved that his fans had wept unnecessarily.
1967: Would he or wouldn't he stay in show business? It seemed the most popular question of 1967. A new film was announced - Cliff would star in "Two A Penny", sponsored and financed by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. There was speculation that he would become a clergyman or a teacher of religious education but Cliff stayed with music and his fans breathed again! However, appearing on numerous religious TV programmes, he condemned pop stars who took drugs, said that pre-marital sex was unhealthy, and told the Beatles that they were wasting their time consorting with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. He performed in Tokyo with a Japanese orchestra and finished the year by landing a role as a straight actor in the TV thriller "A Matter Of Diamonds".
1968: Cliff represented Britain in the Eurovision Song Contest and failed by one point to take the top place. However, his song "CONGRATULATIONS" topped the charts in the U.K. and many other countries (including Germany where it stayed at No. 1 for seven weeks), and sold over one million copies, giving him his fifth Gold Disc. Cliff played some Gospel concerts, including one at Coventry Cathedral and a special party was held to celebrate his 10th anniversary as a star. It begun to be apparent that Cliff and The Shadows would go their separate ways.
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