This month Phil Short takes a trip down memory lane exploring the slide guitar stylings of Middlesborough’s finest pop-blues crooner.
Perhaps a lesser known bluesman to the wider guitar playing community, but by no means less successful than any of his peers, is Mr Chris Rea. Hailing from our very own sunny shores of the UK Chris has had a rich and succesful career, with 25 solo albums and many hit singles to his name.
Originally from Middlesborough, the guitar legend actually started his music career quite late in life. Originally wanting to be a journalist, Chris bought his first guitar in his early 20s, and was inspired in particular by Charley Patton, a well-known slide player on whom Chris based his own approach. Rea was also influenced by Blind Willie Johnson, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Ry Cooder and Joe Walsh. He was also inspired by the Delta blues movement, in particular citing Muddy Waters as an influence.
But Rea’s sound and style are definitely more grounded in British rock, rather than blues in particular, and many of his records testify to that foundational sensibility. But he adopted many styles of music in his songwriting. Some records sound more classic rock while others have more Motown influence with extended 7th and 9th chords and lush string sections that might be more typically associated with artists like The Temptations. All the while, his distinctive slide guitar was used across all these records giving him his unique blues-pop sound.
In 1974 Rea managed to secure a solo recording deal with Magnet Records after fronting a few local bands, releasing his first single, So Much Love. This led him to further opportunities, including his contribution to Hank Marvin’s album, The Hank Marvin Guitar Syndicate, in 1977.
His own debut release came a year later, with Whatever Happened to Benny Santini? It peaked at No 49 on the Billboard Hot 200, and was there for 12 weeks. The lead single off this record, Fool (If You Think It’s Over) was his most successful song in the USA, reaching No 1 on the Adult Contemporary singles chart and No 12 on the Billboard Hot 100. Despite this success he’s had no ambitions to tour in the US and still hasn’t worked there to this day.
