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Cliff Richard music biography continued...

Richard was born Harry Rodger Webb on October 14, 1940. He started out playing in a band, but later went solo, scoring a record deal with EMI and recording his first big UK hit "Move It," which critics would later say was the first British rock classic, in 1958. Later that year and in early 1959, hit Cliff Richard songs followed, including, "High Class Baby," "Living Doll" and "Mean Streak." From there, backed by the Shadows -- clean-cut instrumental virtuosos who became legends of their own -- Richard embarked on a truly phenomenal string of hit singles in Britain, scoring no less than 43 Top 20 hits between 1958 and 1969. One of these, although it was by no means one of the more successful, was an actual Mick Jagger/Keith Richards composition (the ballad "Blue Turns to Grey"). Richard kept it up for decades, becoming one of the only acts to make the UK singles charts in all of its active decades (1950s-2000s).
Later on in his career, Richard converted to Christianity and began to favor a more pop than rock sound. His popularity was also diminished slightly by the rise of the Beatles and he had a tough time establishing himself in the U.S., charting the Top 40 only three times (with "Living Doll" in 1959, "It's All in the Game" in 1963, and "Devil Woman" in 1976). Richard belatedly cracked the U.S. Top Ten in 1976 with "Devil Woman," and collected a few other hits ("We Don't Talk Anymore," "Dreaming," "A Little in Love") in a mainstream pop/rock style. On the British charts, Richard has had over 120 singles, albums and EPs and has made the top 20, more than any other artist. He remains an institution in Great Britain, where he is still regarded as one of the greatest entertainers of all time.