Introduction by Jim Liddane
International Songwriters Association Hall Of Fame member Chris Rea was born Christopher Anton Rea, on 4th March 1951, in Middlesbrough, England, to an Italian father, Camillo Rea who ran a very successful café and ice-cream business, and an Irish mother, Winifred Slee.

Although he initially intended to become a journalist, Chris was fascinated by music, later recalling "I didn't start until I was 21, and most people I know were 13 when they had their first guitar. I bought a Hofner guitar and amplifier for 32 guineas, then spent ages trying to make a bottleneck. At that point, I was meant to be developing my father's ice-cream cafe into a global concern, but I spent all my time in the stockroom playing slide guitar".

Largely self-taught as a guitarist, he came late to music, developing a distinctive slide-guitar style and a husky, weathered vocal tone that reflected both his regional roots and a deep absorption in blues, soul, and American road music.

In the early years, he played with local groups Magdalene and The Beautiful Losers and signed a solo recording contract with Magnet Records in 1975. The label initially positioned him within the contemporary soft-rock and singer-songwriter tradition, although his songwriting already showed a strong sense of place, atmosphere, and emotional restraint.

Chris achieved his first major success with "Fool (If You Think It’s Over)," a song he had originally penned with Al Green in mind, which combined melodic elegance with lyrical understatement and established his gift for crafting accessible yet quietly affecting narratives. It also earned him a Grammy nomination.

Although his early albums met uneven commercial responses in Britain, he developed a substantial following across continental Europe, particularly in Germany and Ireland, where his reflective songwriting and polished musicianship found a particularly receptive audience.

In 1980, we sent ISA Contributing Editor Gerald Mahlowe to interview Chris, for our publication, "Songwriter Magazine".

Prologue
In 1973, International Songwriters Association member Chris Rea travelled down to London from his native Middlesbrough on the strength of a music publishing contract. By 1974, however, he was back home again, disillusioned with the business.

He worked as a labourer — and wrote songs. He worked as a salesman (for a fortnight) — and wrote songs. He was unemployed — and wrote songs. Slowly, the vagaries of the popular music industry worked in his favour.

By 1977, he was working on his first album with the legendary British producer Gus Dudgeon. In 1978, his debut single, "Fool (If You Think It’s Over)", surged into the American Top Ten and entered the charts of five other countries. In 1979, America’s National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences nominated him for a Grammy Award as "Best Newcomer of 1978". And in 1980, "Sunday Times" pop critic Derek Jewell cited Rea’s third LP, "Tennis", as proof that he deserved to rank alongside Billy Joel, Harry Chapin and Bruce Springsteen.

What happened when you went to London for the first time?
Well, nothing happened! I’d signed a publishing contract with a company there, but it never really got off the ground.

So you went back home and suffered a rough time?
No, it wasn’t rough at all. I was happy — still playing in bands, still enjoying the music. It’s just that I went off the idea of being in London and suffering for my art!

How many songs had you written before you came up with those that appeared on your first album?
Oh… hundreds. But for me it was a funny thing — I just kept on writing. And some people who heard me perform live in those days think some of those songs were better than some I’ve recorded.

How did you get back to London and finally get your career moving?
Well, Brian Reza had been working for the publishing company that first signed me, and when he changed jobs and moved to Magnet, he took my tapes with him. Up till then people had been more interested in the artist than the songs, but when Brian played them to Magnet they said the best person to do my songs was me.

Straight away you worked with Gus Dudgeon, who produced David Bowie and Elton John. What’s his special quality?
His main quality is that, particularly if you’ve got a strong ballad, he’s very good at sorting out the right ideas. I’m self-taught, so’s he, and he’s got a tremendous ear for composition. It’s very easy to overdo things like harmonies, but he knows exactly when to say, “That’s all you need.”

Your first single was a smash in America, but you didn’t tour there at the time. Surely that would have been wise?
I agree with you, but my American record label at the time didn’t — or rather, when it came to the money - they wouldn’t put their hand in their pockets. But I’m with a much better company over there now — Columbia.

But Magnet actually own your records?
Yes, I’m signed to Magnet worldwide. In Britain I come out on Magnet, but in the rest of the world they place the records with whoever they like.

You don’t seem to have done very well with covers of your songs.
No, people do say that. They reckon that from a U.S. Top Ten single like I had, you should normally get about ten album cuts out of it. But I’ve been told by other people that I’m like Elton John or Jackson Browne — there’s not much anyone else can do with my songs after my own version.

For instance, I met Barry Mann — one of my idols — and he told me he’ll do a bare demo of just himself and a piano and send it to, say, Jack Jones. Jack will say, “I can do something with this!” With my songs, it seems there’s nothing to do apart from what’s already there.

The best I could hope for is covers by people in the style of Little Feat, because that’s the style I’m influenced by. I did try at one time to write specifically for other people, but it didn’t work — because I didn’t mean what I was writing.

So what way of writing "does" work for you?
I always get imaginary ideas on the lyrical side, but the main thing is getting that catchy riff, which usually comes from just playing around on my guitar.

Do you always write on guitar, now that you play keyboards as well?
No, I write on both — about half and half. As an artist on stage it gets very mixed up, jumping from one to the other. I sometimes wish I didn’t play both.

And your approach is instinctive rather than calculated?
Yes. If I deliberately try to write something, I’d say eighty per cent of the time it isn’t very strong. The best songs are when you sit down and that magical little chord sequence appears. I get a small shiver of excitement — that’s when I know I’ve got something.

How do you cope with the pressure of deadlines in your contract?
Delivering an album has never been a problem for me. It’s not a pressure. I’d love to spend more time writing songs and taping them than I do now. If I won the pools tomorrow, I’d still want to write and tape songs — and play football. I just love music.

You still haven’t had a really big hit in Britain. How do you feel about being bigger in the States and Europe?
I feel I’ve had a bad deal from the music press here. I haven’t lost any sleep over it, but it seems they decided I was playing an American-type M.O.R. music at the height of the new wave thing, and since then I’ve had no coverage at all. And in England you need coverage. Contemporary England is very insular.

The rules that apply here don’t apply elsewhere. Barry Mann can still make money, but it’s not as easy as it used to be. I feel sorry for I.S.A. members or amateurs starting out, because factors other than music — like what the rock press says — are very important. In most countries they judge you on face value: whether they like your records or not. But here, someone into new wave simply won’t mention me.

Let’s move on to your new album, your third, "Tennis". You produced it yourself. Why not use Gus Dudgeon again?
I think the first two albums were a natural growing period for me. We agreed at the start that Gus would do the first two, and after that I felt I’d like to do the third myself — with his blessing.

Did your contract allow that, or did you have to persuade Magnet?
I had to convince them, and naturally they were sceptical at first. After two albums with Gus, there’s me coming up with hare-brained ideas of my own! They have to put up the money, and if I flop, they flop.

Though they recover the cost from royalties?
Yes — but they have to put their hand in their pocket first.

I didn’t notice any drop in production quality.
Possibly it’s a little more lively, but basically a lot of it’s identical to what went before, because I used many of the things Gus taught me. I learned how to get a lot of nice sounds from him.

Isn’t it a headache writing everything, playing the instruments, singing — and then assessing it all?
That’s the one thing I didn’t do! I didn’t stand back. I left that to others. The band helped out, the engineer chipped in, and people from the record company were coming in all the time.

What did Magnet think when you delivered the album?
They were over the moon. Mind you, they didn’t like the idea of "Tennis" as the first single. There were more obvious choices like "Every Time I See You Smile" or "Dancing Girls". But I was determined not to be pigeonholed — otherwise I’d end up doing only M.O.R. work.

Was it an attempt to create a different Chris Rea sound?
No. It just shows I’m not always on the softer side of rock. In fact, I don’t want to be stuck on either side of it.

You used the same studio as Gerry Rafferty and had Raphael Ravenscroft on sax. Do you see Rafferty as a rival?
No, I don’t see anyone as a rival — I couldn’t handle it on that basis. I used Chipping Norton because Gus recommended it. Raphael happened to be there — that’s why we used him. He doesn’t take any major solos. Critics might say, “Oh, he’s looking for another "Baker Street", but it’s simply a great studio at a competitive price.

Is "Tennis" the single in the States?
No, "Dancing Girls" is the single there.

Will you be touring America this time?
Yes. By the time this interview appears I’ll be touring — about thirty gigs, only the major towns in each state. It’s not much really.>

When I first heard you sing, I thought you were American.
A lot of people say that. It’s not deliberate, but I’m aware of my influences — early blues, right through to Lowell George and Robert Palmer.

The English campaign includes soap-on-ropes, towels and flannels tied to the "Tennis" theme. What do you think of that?
I think it’s rubbish. I don’t pay for it — the company does. If they think it’s necessary… Everybody does it. DJs seem to expect it. I don’t take it seriously. Shirts are a good idea, though — I’m wearing a Little Feat T-shirt right now.

Overall I’m very lucky with Magnet. Not many artists get on with their companies as well as I do. A lot of artists tell me they never meet the people at the top. At Magnet I’ve met and know everyone — and they’re very good at getting records into the charts.

They publish you as well. Do they own your songs for life?
Yes.

No plans to form your own publishing company?
I haven’t the time. Though as a writer I do have a grudge against publishing companies in general. True publishing houses don’t seem to exist anymore. I love the early days — Barry Mann and the Brill Building. Writers had their own rooms and pianos and were told, “So-and-so needs a hit about his girl leaving him.” They’d hammer away — and great songs came out of it. I’d have loved that.

But you said earlier you can’t write to order.
On that basis, I could have! They wrote strong, non-serious, pure pop and rock — and it was art. Two verses, a chorus, a middle eight. Today things are very different — and often totally daft by comparison.

What advice would you give a new writer?
Never rely on it. There’s less pressure that way. My best songs were totally off the wall. Don’t take it seriously — see it as a bonus if anything happens. I’ve seen too many sad cases, like Benny Santini in my song "Whatever Happened to Benny Santini" — people who become desperate to make it and are broken when it doesn’t happen.

How do you see your future?
I’ve started producing other artists. While the hassles over my American label were going on, Magnet asked me to oversee an album by a new band called Alibi, and I enjoyed it. I’d like to get into film music — video discs look exciting. I’d like to extend my writing style. And much further down the line — don’t send me any tapes yet — maybe I’d like my own independent company to help brand-new people.

Do you want to become a superstar?
No. I’ve never wanted to be a star. A nice windfall wouldn’t hurt, though. When you retain a band, pay for equipment and everything else, most of the money disappears.

You’re not at the tax-exile stage, then?
No. If I could take where I live, what I know, my football and my friends with me — maybe. Otherwise, no. At worst, nothing could happen for me from this day on, and I’d still be all right. Basically, I’m a very happy guy.

Copyright Songwriter Magazine, International Songwriters Association & Gerald Mahlowe: All Rights Reserved

Postscript
Since 1967, we have spoken with hundreds of songwriters and music publishers, building up a huge collection of detailed interviews which is unmatched anywhere.

Click HERE to see a list of those currently on this website. And remember, we add new ones every month!

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