CHARTS LATEST is now on 'Hits totals' page. Welcome to the new-look extended 'Chat' page! Jul 3: Bruce Welch: "My strength is being part of a unit - on stage, entertaining - and when the Shadows unite, there is nothing quite like it in the world. Even if we've not performed together for over a year, once we pick up our guitars it all comes flooding back and falls into place, like yesterday ... and I miss that." More to come! Jul 3: "Sending in my votes for this year's Cliff Poll. Thinking about my choices and looking back over the songs and albums certainly brings back many happy memories and makes you realise how much brilliant music has been made by Cliff and the Shadows over the years" - Michael Hughes. Jul 3: Cliff's In the country was played today by Chris Evans on his drivetime show on BBC Radio 2. Jul 3: The paperback edition of Cliff's chart-topping book My life, my way is up to No.7 in the Play.com 'Pre-order' book chart today. It is released next Thursday, July 9th. £4.99 with free delivery from: www.play.com Jul 3: On Saturday, August 1st Cliff's 2003 chart-topping DVD Cliff - World Tour is premiered on BSkyB TV's Biography Channel. Jul 3: WAToday.com.au talking about tennis player Andy Murray: "Murray, he continues to observe the growing hype with his customary dry bemusement. Asked if there were any additions to the letters from the Queen and Connery, he said: "I got a handwritten note from Cliff Richard this morning. Apart from that, no one cares." Murray plays Andy Roddick in Wimbledon semi-final later today. Jul 3: Cliff's Devil woman is included on the excellent new 3-CD set Jackie - Summer Special containing classic summer pop hits selling for £14.99 in branches of HMV. Jul 3: Cliff and Radio Luxembourg. Paul Rumbol from the ‘Oh Boy!’ website continues his series on Cliff Richard’s recordings at Radio Luxembourg, which began 50 years ago. It is something of a dissapointment to learn that not one of Cliff's first seven 45rpm single releases prior to 'Fall In Love With You' featured in the first series (Thursday 7th July 1960 -29th September 1960). The focus for Cliff and the Shadows seemed to be on recording contemporary material, and not the back catalogue. Cliff's debut single 'Move It' was recorded at Lux in April 1959 - albeit in abridged form for use as an 'outro' and faded out prematurely to close two seperate shows in April and October. But there is no evidence that this recording was dusted down for use in the 1960 series or indeed any fresh recording was made. Fans had to wait until the final 4th series in late 1962 for a Luxembourg version of this landmark title. More to come! (Paul Rumbol. www.ohboytvshow.com email: rumbers@live.co.uk) Jul 3: It was 50 years ago... Friday, July 3rd, 1959. Cliff and the Drifters appear at the Odeon in Nottingham. Jul 3: Up-coming gigs for Cliff sound/lookalike Jimmy Jemain: Thursday, July 16th-The Bell, Sawbridgeworth, Saturday, August 1st-Gunton Hall, Lowestoft, Friday, 14th-Seacroft Hemsby Gt Yarmouth, Saturday, August 29th-The Viking Lodge, Selsey, Thursday, September 3rd-Th eSeagull inn, Brean Sands, Friday, September 4th-Holm Farm Holiday Park, Saturday, September 12th-Bembridge, isle of Wight and Friday, September 25th-Chippenham British Legion. Jul 2: Annual Cliff Poll. Votes for this year's ICRM Annual Cliff Poll have, to date, been received from the following countries: Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Japan, The Netherlands, Poland, UK and USA. Jul 2: Bruce Welch: "I have never had a desire for a solo career, either I have always resisted recording albums on my own. Hank and Brian have recorded several but I have always felt that my ability isn't good enough, and I have never had anything I wanted to say to put on record." More to come! Jul 2: On Tuesday, July 14th Cliff Richard Classics on VHI Classic. 10.00am - 10.30am. Join us as we take a look at Sir Cliff's back catalogue! Jul 2: Cliff at Wimbledon. Cliff at Wimbledon today in the Royal Box with Cilla Black watching Williams vs.Safina, which Venus Williams won. Jul 2: The updated Cliff Richard Biography My life My way Reissued and updated in paperback. Released next Thursday, July 9th. Includes an additional chapter about the “Time Machine Tour”. Written by Cliff in conjunction with Penny Junor. It is available to pre-order for £6.99 for the excellent Cliff and the Shadows record specialists Leo's Den (Links page). Jul 2: Factfile on Jimmy Jemain. Cliff sound/lookalike Jimmy Jemain has become a popular Cliff tribute act with many Cliff fans over the years. More 'factfile' on Jimmy. If you ruled the country for a week what changes would you make: It would be impossible to change in a week but I'd definately have a long weekend national holiday! I'd like to see everyone make a real effort to recycle for a week to see what difference it would make. More to come! Jul 2: Cliff's 2-CD 50th anniversary album is at No.74 in the Amazon Top 100 'easy listening' album chart today selling for £8.98. Jul 2: "To the Cliff Poll 2009. Congrats on the 37 years it has been going and in it's 16th (I can hardly believe it) the "special interest" section. The results are always a pleasure to read as well" - Valerie Alston. Jul 2: "Have enclosed my votes for this year's CLIFF POLL. I always look forward to voting and look forward to seeing the results" - Wendy Norman. Jul 2: "I can't believe it is alrerady time again to vote for our fave Cliff records! Where does the time go?! Congratulations on another year!" - Darren Price. Jul 2: "Cliff Poll - There is so much to choose from!!" - Bernard Vandendriessche (Belgium). Jul 2: "Mention in todays 'Sun' that Cliff sent Andy Murray a hand written good luck note before his game yesterday wishing him luck and saying how much he enjoyed Murray's epic in the previous round. Andy said that whilst he did not have any Cliff records in his collection his mum did" - Andrew Price. Jul 2: Annual Cliff Poll. The ICRM (International Cliff Richard Movement) 37th Annual Cliff Poll is on now. Cliff fans worldwide this year are voting for: Top 5 favourite Cliff songs Top 3 Cliff albums Top 3 Cliff & Shadows songs Top 3 Cliff & Shadows albums You can send votes in by e-mail to: william@cliffchartsite.co.uk The Poll is open until July 10th. What are YOUR Cliff and Shadows favourites? Jul 2: It was 50 years ago... Thursday, July 2nd, 1959. Cliff and the Drifters appear at the Odeon in Leeds. Jul 2: Up-coming gigs for Cliff look/soundalike Ricky Aron: Tomorrow, Friday, July 3rd-The Elgin Hotel, Blackpool, Lancashire, Saturday, July 25th (Afternoon) -The Platform, Morecambe, Lancashire 'Morecambe rock'n'roll weekend', Saturday, August 1st-Mytholmroid Working Mens Club, Nr. Halifax and Saturday, August 8th-Windy Harbour Caravan Park, Fleetwood, Lancashire. Jul 1: Bruce Welch: "I think his (Hanks) attitude to the business has affected both Brian and myself. I feel we should do more, and I would certainly like to perform more - I am at my happiest when I am on stage. I envy people like Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler and Phil Collins, who occasionally come together on tour. They find the time to go out on the road and make good music with each other. They are great buddies and do it for the fun of it all, but it's easy for them, they are such fantastic musicians. I would have liked to do something similar, but I realized I wasn't talented enough. Sure, I'm good with the Shadows, but I never became a consummate musician, like Hank and Brian. Other things got in the way." More to come! Jul 1: On Sunday, July 5th The Best of The Royal Variety Show is sreened on ITV3-TV, 6.50pm-7.55pm and at 7.50pm on ITV3 Plus 1. Highlights from 46 years of the Royal Variety Performance. This edition spotlights the legends and superstars of stage and screen who have graced the show over the years, featuring interviews with Sir Cliff Richard, Liza Minelli, Kermit and Miss Piggy, and Roy Hudd, and stories about Diana Ross, Larry Hagman and rare archive footage of a young Julie Andrews. Jul 1: Factfile on Jimmy Jemain. Cliff sound/lookalike Jimmy Jemain has become a popular Cliff tribute act with many Cliff fans over the years. More 'factfile' on Jimmy. What makes Britain great or do you think that it is: Britain has a great history which makes it very special but I hate the way we are taxed on everything that is good. I work hard for my money and I don't agree that people who work so hard should always be so penalised. I travel a lot and I do know that the National Health system is an amazing system. However, it is a shame it is abused by some people and I do feel there is a lot of money wasted in so many departments, but that's a whole new debate! More to come! Jul 1: EXCLUSIVE! On Thursday, September 17th Me and my Shadows show featuring Cliff look/soundalike Kytsun Wolfe, Tony Rivers, Billie Davis and top Shadows tribute band The Rapiers at the Ferneham Hall, Fareham, Hampshire. For tickets Tel. 01329-231942. Jul 1: "Well done on the continued good web figures. I always check the site every day and wouldn't miss it for the world" - Roger Wyatt. Jul 1: "Article in todays Daily Mail and The Times on Cliffs conservatory at his home in Surrey being bigger than he was given planning permision for and it may have to be pulled down!" - Andrew Price. Jul 1: Cliff's Time Machine is at No.5 and 32 and in the Amazon Top 100 'easy listening' Music DVD chart today. Here is the Top 10: 1."The Jolson Story/Jolson sings again". 2.Il Divo. 3.Dusty Springfield. 4.Barbra Streisand. 5.CLIFF RICHARD (Standard edition). 6.Andrew Lloyd Webber. 7.Michael Ball. 8.Celine Dion. 9.Joe Longthorne. 10.Jason Donovan. Outside the top 10: 16.From a distance...The Event - CLIFF RICHARD selling for £15.69. 32.Time Machine - CLIFF RICHARD (Standard edition). Jul 1: It was 50 years ago... Wednesday, July 1st, 1959. Cliff and the Drifters appear at the Town Hall in Birmingham. Jun 1: Cliff chart site. For those who like statistics ... from June 2002 upto June 30th, 2009, the successful hits total for Cliff Chart Site website now totals 28,078,541. Jul 1: Johnnie Walker, standing in for Terry Wogan this week, played Cliff's Move it today on BBC Radio 2. Jul 1: In June this website had 376,863 successful hits. This is the 3rd highest monthly figure for June since the website started in 2002. A huge and sincere THANK YOU for your continued support. Jun 30: Did you know?... that Michael Jackson is the UK's sixth biggest-selling singles artist, with sales to date of nearly 12m, a total beaten only by Cliff Richard, The Beatles, Elvis Presley, Madonna and Elton John. Jun 30: Music industry news. HMV has reported a strong set of full-year results, with games driving sales although music was again down. In total, group sales were up 4.4% for the 52 weeks to April 25 and the company made a profit before tax of £61.3m, up from £52m in 2008. The company claimed strong market share performance across all group activities, with games and technology in its UK and Ireland store increasing its sales mix to 24%, up from 14% in April 2007. For music, although HMV increased its market share, sales were down 3.4% in volume. The company said market share gains reflected the volatile music retailing environment, with both Zavvi and Woolworths closing. In total HMV bought 19 former Zavvi stores from the administrator and a further six directly from landlords. Download sales from HMV.com increased 16% on the previous year, following a relaunch of the site. Jun 30: Bruce Welch: "People love him (Hank) in the same way they loved Eric Morecambe and Tommy Cooper, who, like Hank, were naturally gifted men and endeared themselves to the public - it's called star quality. Cliff has it. He looks and acts the part, and there has never been anyone like him at all. But Hank just shrugs his shoulders and smiles." More to come! Jun 30: A special collector's case of Cliff's Onda Nova wine is available from a new on-line facility: www.mollybrownswinelist.co.uk. They can also provide Vida Nova. Jun 30: Factfile on Jimmy Jemain. Cliff sound/lookalike Jimmy Jemain has become a popular Cliff tribute act with many Cliff fans over the years. More 'factfile' on Jimmy. Do you think life has improved since your childhood: Technology has changed a great deal but life gets harder as you get older and I think your childhood shoud be filled with fun things that you can always look back on and remember with pleasure and that's what I do as I was lucky to have a happy childhood. More to come! Jun 30: EXCLUSIVE! On Sunday, September 6th Back in our rock'n'roll days show featuring 60s hit-maker Mike Berry (Tribute to Buddy Holly, Don't you think it's time, The sunshine of your smile), Billie Davis, Tony Rivers and top Shadows tribute band The Rapiers at the Regent Theatre, Christchurch, Dorset. For tickets Tel. 01202-499199. Jun 30: Repeat of Cliff on Gloria's Greats on Tuesday, July 7th on Bio TV channel at 11.00am and 5.00pm. Gloria Hunniford drops in on Cliff for a chat. Jun 30: In the Tixdaq Ticket Sales Value Chart today Cliff and The Shadows have shot up to at No.5. Here is the Top 20: 1.Michael Jackson. 2.Take That. 3.Spandau Ballet. 4.Madonna. 5.CLIFF RICHARD AND THE SHADOWS. 6.U2. 7.Depeche Mode. 8.Oasis. 9.Kings of Leon. 10.Muse. 11.Beyonce. 12.AC/DC. 13.Tom Jones. 14.Fleetwood Mac. 15.Blur. 16.Miley Cryus. 17.Pink. 18.The Killers. 19.Jonas Brothers .20.Eagles. Jun 30: It was 50 years ago... Tuesday, June 30th, 1959. Cliff and the Drifters appear at the Cresta Theatre in Luton. Also on the bill are comedy duo Daly & Wayne, Lisa Noble, The Tommy Allen Trio, and two of Cliff's former 'Oh Boy!' stablemates -organist Cherry Wainer and the vocal group Neville Taylor and his Cutters. (Paul Rumbol. www.ohboytvshow.com email: rumbers@live.co.uk) Jun 30: Jet Harris 50th Anniversary Tour. Here are the latest Jet Harris gigs. PLEASE NOTE: Now switched to the simple 50th Anniversary Tour tag and dropped 'Me And My Shadows' and 'Back In Our Rock 'n' Roll Days'. Saturday, July 11th- Jet Harris, Billie Davis, The Rapiers and The Songbirds-Village Hall, Crowle, Worcestershire, Tel.01905-381130, Sunday, September 6th-Jet Harris, Billie Davis, The Jet Harris Band-Regent Theatre, Christchurch, Dorset, Tel. 01202-499199, Thursday, September 17th-Jet Harris, Billie Davis, The Rapiers and The Songbirds-Ferneham Hall, Fareham, Hampshire, Tel. 01329-231942, Friday, September 18th-Jet Harris, Billie Davis, The Rapiers and The Songbirds-Towngate Theatre, Basildon, Essex 01268-465465, Tuesday, September 22nd-Jet Harris, Billie Davis and The Jet Harris Band-Chicago Rock Cafe, Chester Le Street, Durham, Tel. 0191-3875012, Wednesday, September 23rd-Jet Harris, Billie Davis and The Jet Harris Band-Darlington Arts Centre, Darlington, Durham, Tel. 01325 348843, Thursday, September 24th-Jet Harris, Billie Davis and The Jet Harris Band - Victoria Theatre, Halifax, Yorkshire, Tel. 01422-351158, Friday, September 25th-Jet Harris, Billie Davis and The Jet Harris Band - Empire Theatre, Consett, Durham, Tel. 01207-218171 and Sunday, September 27th-Jet Harris, Billie Davis and The Jet Harris Band-Whitby Pavilion, Whitby, Yorkshire, Tel. 01947-604855. Jun 29: Bruce Welch: "Hank has a God-given talent. I don't mean he plays 500 notes a minute, or blinds you with fast runs, but his style and playing technique are so unique, and he has developed them to such an extent, that they are instantly recognizable. But he won't exploit his talent any further; he won't develop it any more than he already has. He's contented with his lot and feels his music should come second." More to come! Jun 29: "Have to say that I am very much looking forward to three Cliff albums. At least we now know that Cliff will be around and recording for some more years yet" - Jenny Miller. Jun 29: Cliff at Wimbledon. Cliff at Wimbledon today wearing a pale green jacket. He was watching Safina vs. Mauresmo, which Safina won. The centre court roof was used for the first time today. Jun 29: Factfile on Jimmy Jemain. Cliff sound/lookalike Jimmy Jemain has become a popular Cliff tribute act with many Cliff fans over the years. More 'factfile' on Jimmy. Most embarrassing moment: Some one asked me for my autograph in the gents toilet! Another one was singing an accoustic set in a show in New Zealand sitting on a stool and my flies were undone the whole time!! A member of the audience eventually told me!! More to come! Jun 29: Cliff's 2-CD 50th anniversary album is at No.30 in the Amazon 'easy listening' album chart today selling for £5.96. Jun 29: Cliff and Radio Luxembourg. Paul Rumbol from the ‘Oh Boy!’ website continues his series on Cliff Richard’s recordings at Radio Luxembourg, which began 50 years ago. One of the hightlights from Cliff's 1st Lux series was 'Kansas City'- a shuffling jazz number written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller in 1952, that was covered by many artists including Fats Domino, Little Richard and later by The Beatles in 1964. Cliff's version has a real gutsy feel, driven along by Jet Harris's prominant, resonating bass guitar. Introduced by Cliff as "a number we once featured on TV" it contains some raunchy soloing from Hank with authoritative bass underpinning from Jet. TV viewers saw Cliff perform this number on his first 'Saturday Spectacular' for the ATV network on 19th March 1960 -predating the radio series by more than three months - and was among the first batch of songs recorded at Lux's studios at around that time. It is also one of Cliff's shortest tracks (1'26") which was repeated many times throughout all four 'Me and My Shadows' series. More to come! (Paul Rumbol. www.ohboytvshow.com email: rumbers@live.co.uk) Jun 29: "Hi .. thanks for the site William - hard to believe it's seven years .. here's to the next seven .. Love the Bruce Welch interview - I must admit I could never understand why Hank gave up composing and writing - his sings were very very good. I always thought that the Shad's songs are under-rated - just consider how many hits they wrote for Cliff and themselves. Lots of hits but not recognised for their writing - why not? Their magnificent "Rise and Fall of Fingel Blunt" was always a fave of mine, and Cliff's late 60s singles written by Hank such as "The day I met Marie" and "Throw down a line" were excellent and will remain my favourites for a long time. Why Hank never got the credit he deserved for his songs I don't know, I remember reading somewhere that Hank said why write new stuff when people will buy his covers - and yes I do have most of them and very good they are - but it would be great to hear Hank play something new .. Great to hear about the new Cliff recordings - jazz? Well I loved the few blues numbers he's done but jazz - could be interesting. Glad to read the Cliff loves country and the mention of Alison Krauss .. but she's more bluegrass than country - I'd love to hear Cliff record with say Kenny Chesney - perhaps his song "Live those songs" or "Tequila loves me" .. or even duet with Garth Brooks now that would be something worth hearing .. "friends in low places " perhaps or "The dance"? At least Cliff is still recording and as usual entertaining us .. looking forward to the Cliff/Shads shows -wouldn't miss them for anything " - David Burrows. Jun 29: "When Cliff gets to 70 next year he is bringing out a 'standards' type album. And then a brass, and possibly country type album . I don't see Cliff returning to recording a brand new album of original material again. I think that's a shame as he has such a good voice" - Charles Ashton. Jun 28: Bruce Welch: "If Hank was still living in Britain, I'm sure we would have developed more than we have. We would have been far more adventurous in the type of music we play, and would have experimented and broken new ground, but as it is we play safe and go for the middle way. However, Hank has found contentment in Australia with his family and his religion, to which he has devoted himself completely, and I think it's marvellous for him. He is known as one of the legendary rock'n'roll guitar heroes, and quite rightly so - loved by the public and respected by fellow musicians. Yet to me, he is the greatest waste of natural talent I have ever come across, and he knows I mean that in the nicest possible way, because we have often discussed it." More to come! Jun 28: "The news that Cliff has three albums lined up sounds good to me. Do hope that EMI give him plenty of promotion when they come out so that people are aware. On first reading about this 'jazz' type album I wasn't so sure. Now thinking about it, if done the right way (sure with Cliff it will be) then it has the chance to do reasonably well. Here's to more news" - Jeremy Bowers. Jun 28: Cliff's Time Machine is back up to No.1 and in the Amazon Top 100 'easy listening' Music DVD chart today. Here is the Top 10: 1.CLIFF RICHARD (Standard edition). 2.Il Divo. 3.Celine Dion. 4."The Jolson Story/Jolson sings again". 5.Robbie Williams. 6.Michael Ball. 7.Max Raabe and Palast Orchester. 8.The Carpenters. 9.Barbra Streisand. 10.Judy Garland. Outside the top 10: 36.Time Machine - CLIFF RICHARD (Standard edition). 60.Cliff Live (3 DVD box-set) - CLIFF RICHARD selling for £17.48. Jun 28: Factfile on Jimmy Jemain. Cliff sound/lookalike Jimmy Jemain has become a popular Cliff tribute act with many Cliff fans over the years. More 'factfile' on Jimmy. Most romantic moment: My wife and I spent many romantic moments on deck whilst working on cruise ships around the world. Favourite way of spending an evening out: Eating out with firends and going to see a show. More to come! Jun 28: "It is always good to have something new to look forward to and this news certainly cheers me up. It means MORE Cliff!" - Dawn Foster. Jun 28: "Fabulous stuff about the new albums thanks for the story it was great to read and even greater to look forward. Think you may find that Cliff records AT LAST by Etta James which wasn't a big hit(#47in Billboard) but is her most famous song and won her a Grammy. Keep us all posted on the albums as you find out stuff no one does" - John Patrick. Jun 28: "Thank you for this news on the future Cliff album and possibly another also. Wonderded whether if after the Cliff and Shadows one there might not be any more, so this is a welcome news for Cliff fans indeed. I feel sure Cliff will add something more to these older songs" - Phillip Carr. Jun 27: Cliff standards album. Possible songs for a Cliff standards album: Etta James song (her one and only UK hit single) I just want to make love to you and Peggy Lee songs Fever or Till there was you. Jun 27: Next three Cliff albums. From what Cliff has said in the American interview (posted below), Cliff fans can now look forward to: Cliff and the Shadows album - mid-September 2009. Cliff Standards album - 2010. "Bold as Brass"(?) album - 2011. Jun 27: The Shadows "Apache" and "Shazam" and Cliff and the Shadows live version of Do you wanna dance from "Live at the ABC Kingston 1962" was played today by Geoff Barker on his Rock'n'roll Party on BBC West and South West. The whole second hour of the show is playing live performances by various artists, so sounds like a 'live' rock'n'roll show with an all-star cast. Great stuff Geoff! Jun 27: Bruce Welch: "Hank's departure certainly put the brake on the career of the Shadows, although we have attempted to tour since then. But we have to make plans far in advance to accommodate him, as Hank doesn't like to tour for more than eight weeks at a time, which makes me discontented because it seriously inhibits the group in terms of career development." More to come! Jun 27: Future Cliff album. British invasion: UK superstar Cliff Richard uses Sound Kitchen for new album By Derby Jones, publisher. When music aficionados debate rock n’ roll greats, you may hear names like Elvis Presley and The Beatles tossed around. If the name Cliff Richard came up in that conversation, your immediate response might be “Who?” Most people from this area would probably not put Cliff Richard and Elvis Presley in the same category nor mention them in the same conversation for that matter. In fact, most people from this area would be hard pressed to tell you who Cliff Richard is or what songs he has sung over the years. Cliff Richard is a name people might not recognize until you play one of his hit songs, such as “Devil Woman” or “We Don’t Talk Any More.” That’s when people have that look on their face like “Yeah, I remember that song.” One must wonder with all the success in the UK and all over the world why he isn’t recognizable in the United States. Richard used to worry about his lack of popularity in the States. Now he enjoys the anonymity that he doesn’t receive anywhere else in the world. Richard was in Franklin recently to record a new record at the Sound Kitchen Studio. “I will be spending five or six days in the studio, recording a whole album in a week.” said Richard. “I have recorded 14 songs in two and half days; it’s a marathon.” The new record, which will be a “jazz bluesy swinging” sound, will feature Cliff Richard singing hits from artist such as Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee, and Etta James. According to Richard, this record is different than anything he has ever done. “This has been a bit of a stretch for me, I have never sung these types of songs before,” said Richard. “It’s (jazz) an alien world. It took me two days to get used to the chord progressions. I love challenges and this has been out of my comfort zone, but working with producer Michael Omartian, the musicians, and the studio has been phenomenal.” Michael Omartian is an accomplished producer of such acts as Michael Bolton, Whitney Houston, Rod Stewart, Clint Black, Amy Grant, and Steely Dan to name a few. He is probably best known as the co-producer of the No. 1 hit “We Are the World” in 1985. Cliff Richard has recorded in Nashville before, once in 1962 and at the Sound Kitchen four years ago. You can tell that Richard loves the time he spends in this area, as he raved about the geography, the studio, and the musicians he worked with. “I love the rolling hills of this area, and everything is so green. It’s beautiful here. We have used 14 musicians on this album, all local musicians. They are like a community. There is a real sense of community with all of them and they are so talented. The studio is fantastic, small and comfortable. I have really enjoyed making this record here.” Ira Blonder, managing partner of Sound Kitchen Studios, lists Cliff Richard as one of his favourite clients. Blonder and Richard have worked together before when Richard was in the studio four years ago. “Cliff Richard is an amazing talent and a gentleman to work with,” said Blonder. “When artists come to record here, we typically get them back because of the experience, and Cliff is an example of the relationships we build here at the Sound Kitchen Studios. Cliff has already scheduled a return to record a follow up album next year,” said Blonder. Richard was already talking about the next album. “I would love to name it Bold as Brass,” said Richard. “I would love to do this as my follow up, maybe add string instruments in the studio.” The comparisons to Elvis may be a distant memory to Cliff Richard, but Richard still welcomes the discussion and credits Elvis with influencing not only himself but all of rock n’ roll. “The British press called me the answer to Elvis,” said Richard. “We were battling it out on the UK charts for years. Rock n’roll would have been much different without Elvis. He gave us our shapes; he influenced us. I look back on my career and when someone mentions me in the same breath as Elvis, I appreciate it.” Blonder noted that he was always intrigued with Richard’s relationship with Elvis. “Imagine being as big as Elvis everywhere in the world and not being able to walk out in public without being mobbed. Here in the U.S., Cliff doesn’t get the attention he deserves,” said Blonder. While visits to local restaurants like Sperry’s and J. Alexander’s went without any fanfare, a trip to the Ryman to see the Patsy Cline musical “Always” was a different story. “There was a big group travelling from Europe on vacation and they noticed me at the show,” said Richard. “The group was ecstatic that they came to Nashville to see country stars and they ran into Cliff Richard.” At age 68, looking fit, trim, and youthful, Cliff Richard is not slowing down and ponders all the possibilities out there for him. “I love country music; maybe I could record with Allison Krauss sometime.” Jun 27: It was 50 years ago... Saturday June 27th, 1959. Cliff and the Drifters make an appearance on BBC TV's 'Drumbeat', probably singing their current hit single "Mean Streak". After the broadcast at 7pm they dash across London for a live concert appearance at the Roxy Theatre in Stepney, East London. (Paul Rumbol. www.ohboytvshow.com email: rumbers@live.co.uk) Jun 27: Factfile on Jimmy Jemain. Cliff sound/lookalike Jimmy Jemain has become a popular Cliff tribute act with many Cliff fans over the years. More 'factfile' on Jimmy. If you were granted a single wish what would it be: World peace. If you won the Lottery jackpot how would you spend it: Buy a boat in Southern Spain, pay off the mortgage and look after my family and friends. Where would you most like to live: Australia, but it's too far so Portugal or Spain. More to come! Jun 27: Cliff's D in love (B-side of "I love you") was played on Brian Matthews' "Sounds of the sixties" on BBC Radio 2 today. Jun 26: More on Cliff and The Shadows new album - Sept. Work is now taking place on the cover and sleeve notes and hope they will be full of information and pictures through the years. Jun 26: The paperback edition of Cliff's chart-topping book My life, my way is at No.9 in the Play.com 'Pre-order' book chart today. It is released on Thursday, July 9th. £5.49 from: www.play.com Jun 26: The Hank Marvin album Hank plays Cliff is re-issued on Monday, July 20th with a new cover. Can be ordered for £6.99 with free delivery from: www.play.com Jun 26: Cliff's Time machine tour DVD has been released in Germany. Jun 26: "I’m glad to see the Cliff and The Shadows Live DVD will be available November 9. However, I checked out www.play.com and it indicated that it will only be available for Region 2. Let’s just hope that the powers that be have the sense to make it available for all regions in the world. Simply put, if Cliff wants to make an impact in places like North America where I live, the products have to be available for people to buy!" - David Colman (Canada). Jun 26: "Have sent in my votes for this year's Cliff Poll. Incredible that the Poll has been running for 37 years. Where does the time go eh?" - Bob Tomlin. Jun 26: "Just to say thank you for so many interesting, informative and fascinating things on your Cliff site. Always finding out something I didn't know" - Ann Keating. Jun 26: Bruce Welch: "Perhaps it was that tour of 1984 that inspired Hank Marvin to leave Britain and go and live in Australia, although he never discussed it in any detail with Brian and me, and the reason he left in 1986 is still a bit of a mystery to us both. He just announced one day that he was going, and emigrating shortly afterwards. Today he lives in Perth with his wife, Carole, his children and his mother and father, and he has built a new life for himself in idyllic surroundings. A few days before he left, I looked out my old badge from Rutherford Grammer School and had it framed especially for him to take him as a little reminder." More to come! Jun 26: Cliff's 2-CD 50th anniversary album is back up to No.37 in the Amazon 'easy listening' album chart today selling for £5.96. Jun 26: Cliff's film musical Wonderful life is showing on the big screen on Thursday, July 2nd at 8pm at the Elstree film festival. Tickets are £6 adults and £4.50 Children. Tickets available from: 0208-2071382. Jun 26: Music industry news. Woolworths, which collapsed into administration at the end of last year, has been resurrected as an online retailer. The site, which has the Woolworths.co.uk name, was relaunched yesterday after being bought by Littlewood's parent, Shop Direct. It will focus on children, selling the popular Ladybird clothing range, toys and the trademark pick'n'mix sweets. It also has an entertainment store selling video games, DVDs and CDs. More than a million products are being offered. Already more than 100,000 shoppers have flocked to the site. Jun 26: It was 50 years ago... Friday, June 26th, 1959. Cliff and the Drifters appear live at the Regal in Edmonton. Jun 26: Cliff talking about Michael Jackson. "Of all the music I do love, I think Michael Jackson's Thriller is probably the best album ever made. I listen to it now and the sounds still excite me. His dancing and his physical approach to his music are second to none, not to mention the fabulous songs. When I watch his videos, I find them compulsive, even if I don't really like the song; but I love every song on the Thriller album." Jun 26: Factfile on Jimmy Jemain. Cliff sound/lookalike Jimmy Jemain has become a popular Cliff tribute act with many Cliff fans over the years. More 'factfile' on Jimmy. Superstition: Not superstitious. Ambitions: To have my own top ten hit as myself. Would would you like to meet: Billy Connolly. Proudest moment: Winning "Stars in their eyes" and my daughter Melody being born. More to come! Jun 26: Cliff and the Shadows Live DVD - Nov.9th. The Live DVD Cliff Richard and the Shadows Live at the 02 (filmed on Saturday, September 26th) is to be released on Monday, November 9th. You can pre-order it for £12.99 from: www.play.com Jun 25: Cliff: (on touring) "It is hard work, and I have to deal with my days being upside down and eating at odd times and never being in bed before 2.00 or 2.30aam. I have to eat wisely to stay slim and practise so I can sing properly, and I have to keep fit enough to do the routines. The disciplines in my life are enormous; but who cares? I do love what I do." Jun 25: Cliff rock'n'roll medley on You Tube. You can view Cliff singing a rock'n'roll medley at Silkeborg. Songs: "Blue suede shoes", "Great balls of fire", "Lucille", "Long tall Sally" and "Rip it up". Click on 'Cliff Richard' at: www.youtube.com Jun 25: "Non stop Cliff SONGS on EVERGREEN RADIO (internet radio). Listen now. FANTASTIC!!!!!!" - Bernard Vandendriessche (Belgium). Jun 25: Bruce Welch: "Recording is great fun, but if you are in the studio all the time, you cannot get that empathy that exists between the artiste and his audience. It becomes too clinical and you can lose touch with reality. With an audience there is an atmosphere and an immediate response. Even with a number like 'Apache', which we must have played a thousand times before, we can still add something extra to its performance because we know the audience want to hear and enjoy it. The adrenalin starts to flow and we know that they haven't heard it a thousand times." More to come! Jun 25: Cliff's Time Machine is back up to No.2 and 19 in the Amazon Top 100 'easy listening' Music DVD chart today. Here is the Top 10: 1.Il Divo. 2.CLIFF RICHARD (Standard edition). 3."The Jolson Story/Jolson sings again". 4.Lesley Garrett. 5.Barbra Streisand. 6.Castles in the air - CLIFF RICHARD selling for £8.98. 7.Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. 8.Liberace. 9.Burt Bacharach tribute. 10.Eckhard Tolle. Outside the top 10: 19.CLIFF RICHARD (Standard edition). 37.An audience with -CLIFF RICHARD selling for £6.98. Jun 25: Factfile on Jimmy Jemain. Cliff sound/lookalike Jimmy Jemain has become a popular Cliff tribute act with many Cliff fans over the years. More 'factfile' on Jimmy. What was the first record/cd/tape/DVD you ever bought?: "Band on the run" - Paul McCartney. Favourite holiday destination: Australia. Anywhere hot and relaxing and not commercialised. Biggest influence on your life: Cliff Richard. More to come! Jun 25: Annual Cliff Poll. The ICRM (International Cliff Richard Movement) 37th Annual Cliff Poll is on now. Cliff fans worldwide this year are voting for: Top 5 favourite Cliff songs Top 3 Cliff albums Top 3 Cliff & Shadows songs Top 3 Cliff & Shadows albums You can send votes in by e-mail as usual. Poll open until July 10th. Send YOUR votes to e-mail on the 'Links' page. Jun 25: Cliff at Wimbledon. Keep your eyes peeled for Cliff at this year's Wimbledon tennis championships! Jun 25: On Pick of the pops this Saturday, June 27th on Radio 2, 1.00pm-3.00pm, Dale Winton plays the hits from the chart this week in 1969. They include: The Beatles, The Edwin Hawkins Singers, Jethro Tull, Booker T and the MGs, Elvis Presley, Tommy Roe, Thunderclap Newman, The Beach Boys, Creedence Clearwater Revivial, Smokey Robinson and The Miracles, Cliff Richard with "Big ship", Peter Sarstedt, Crazy Elephant and The Four Tops. Jun 25: It was 50 years ago... Thursday, June 25th, 1959. Cliff and the Drifters appear live at the Trocadero in the Elephant and Castle, South London. Jun 25: Up-coming gig for Shadows tribute band The Bootleg Shadows: Saturday, August 15th-The Playhouse, Weston-super-Mare, Tel.01934-645544. Jun 24: Cliff: "Many are the times I come off at the intermission on that first night and say, 'That song doesn't work there. It's too early in the programme, we have to change it.' We will swap with another and, believe it or not, just changing the position of a song will make all the difference. You woo the audience with as many songs as you can that they already know, then you hit them with a brand new one - and by that time they are so happy that they accept the new one. That process of worrying and rearranging things goes on for three or four days but after the fifth day, it's pure excitement. I can't wait to do it again." Jun 24: Music industry news. PriceWaterhouseCoopers projects that global spending on entertainment and media will top $1.6 trillion (£1 trillion) by 2013. Spending on recorded music will drop 12% to $26.1bn (£16bn) by then, while digital revenues will outstrip physical revenues by 2012. Jun 24: Bruce Welch: "The Shadows have always been at their best when they are on stage. It is our great strength and what we came into the business for in the first place. We are now able to do concerts as something we all enjoy. It's all very well recording and writing, but as musicians one of the first motivations we had was playing together in front of an audience, where there was an immediate feedback." More to come! Jun 24: Factfile on Jimmy Jemain. Cliff sound/lookalike Jimmy Jemain has become a popular Cliff tribute act with many Cliff fans over the years. More 'factfile' on Jimmy. Who would you like to throw a custard pie at: Agents and venues who don't pay up after you've done your job! Favourite five songs of all time: Love me do - The Beatles, Ocean deep - Cliff Richard, You make me feel like dancing - Leo Sayer, Won't somebody dance with me - Lyndsey de Paul, Johnny B. Goode - Chuck Berry. More to come! Jun 24: On Thursday, July 9th Cliff's chart-topping book My life, my way is published by Hachette Audio. It is available to pre-order for £13.20 and item delivered free in the UK from: www.amazon.co.uk. The book is £8.99 from: www.play.com Jun 24: Cliff's Move it was played by Terry Wogan today on "Wake up to Wogan" on BBC Radio 2. Jun 24: Cliff and Radio Luxembourg. Paul Rumbol from the ‘Oh Boy!’ website continues his series on Cliff Richard’s recordings at Radio Luxembourg, which began 50 years ago. 'Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On' appears to be the most frequently repeated track throughout all four 'Me and My Shadows' series, with an unrivalled three alternate versions recorded in 1960, 1961 and 1962. The earliest Lux verson is nothing like its muscular counterpart recorded for the live 1959 'Cliff' LP. This is a lightweight offering, performed at such a breakneck speed that it almost verges on the comic: it sounds at best frightfully twee, and the tick-tock accompaniment is a positive curiosity. The 1961 version however is a masterpiece. It's the slowest of the three and the longest (3'00) yet the most memorable with its strong blues/jazz-overtones. The slow-tempo is well-suited to Cliff's assured vocal style, with Hank adding some distinctive and haunting embellishments on his Stratocaster guitar. The icing on the cake is Hank's extended and highly original echo-drenched instrumental solo. A good quality off-air recording of this track recently surfaced which should rightfully take its place on any future CD release of Cliff's early lost material. More to come! (Paul Rumbol. www.ohboytvshow.com email: rumbers@live.co.uk) Jun 24: On the new EMI Jackie Lee album The town I live in: The EMI Years 1965-1967 there is the duet with Cliff Richard "If our dreams come true", which was recorded for Cliff's 1967 pantomime "Cinderella". Jackie (as Jacky) had hit records with "White horses" (1968-No.10) and "Rupert" (1969-No.14). Out now. Poker DECKCD 113. Jun 24: It was 50 years ago... Wednesday, June 24th, 1959. Cliff and the Drifters appear live at the Gaumont in Wimbledon. Jun 24: Up-coming gigs for Cliff look/soundalike Ricky Aron: Friday, July 3rd-The Elgin Hotel, Blackpool, Lancashire, Saturday, July 25th (Afternoon) -The Platform, Morecambe, Lancashire 'Morecambe rock'n'roll weekend', Saturday, August 1st-Mytholmroid Working Mens Club, Nr. Halifax and Saturday, August 8th-Windy Harbour Caravan Park, Fleetwood, Lancashire. Jun 23: Cliff: "Sometimes, before a new show, I used to be so nervous I couldn't sleep for several nights. Then it sank in that when I am performing there are twelve thousand people out there in the audience who could easily, on a winter's night, have chosen to stay at home with a nice mug of tea and watch a really good movie on television. Instead they have opted to come out to see me; and I thought, So why should I be scared? They want me to be there, I want to be there - all I have to do is present the goods. And that's why I rehearse longer than most people in the business. I rehearse for up to six weeks fofore a show. Many bands apparently get together a couple of times and then go on stage. Those people there on the very first night have paid just as much as the people who are there on the last night, and that first show should not be filled with mistakes." Jun 23: Music industry news. The 02 in London, which celebrates its second anniversary this week, is on course to beat last year's record-breaking numbers by at least 25%. The AEG Europe-owned venue is scheduled to exceed 200 nights of events in 20089, compared to 158 performances last year, when the arena smashed global box-office records with more than 1.8m tickets sales. In the first six months of this year, events at the 02 arena account for more than 1.1m tickets sales. In total, more than 14.5m people have visited The 02 complex in its first two years, while in excess of 4.3m tickets have been sold for events at the arena. Jun 23: Bruce Welch: "The following year (1984) our world tour took in engagements across Europe, Singapore, Bangkok and Hong Kong, and for the first time in over sixteen years we went back to tour Australia and New Zealand. One newspaper wrote: 'And twenty-five years on the boards has taught them what Elton John knows ... that is, the paying customers like to be entertained. The Shadows looked like five old mates who had just found 2,500 new friends in the audience." More to come! Jun 23: Music industry news. Virgin Megastore has closed its last two U.S. shops, in New York and California. Jun 23: More on Cliff and The Shadows new album - Sept. First news on other new album releases coming out in September: "Turn it up" - Pixie Lott, "Remasters" - The Beatles, "The Blueprint 3" - Jay Z, "Fly away" - All Angels, "Scars" - Basement Jaxx, "Walk the line" - David Gray, "A Portrait" - Nicola Benedett, "It was this of football" - Kid British, "Turning the mind" - Maps, "Get lucky" - Mark Knopfler, "Your history is mine" - Funeral for a friend, "The Visitor" - Jim O'Rourke, "Backspacer" - Pearl Jam, "Truelove's Gutter" - Richard Hawley, "Born again revisited" - Times New Viking, "The catalogue" - Kraftwerk. Jun 23: On Pick of the pops this Saturday, June 27th on Radio 2, 1.00pm-3.00pm, Dale Winton plays the hits from the chart this week in 1969. They include: The Beatles, The Edwin Hawkins Singers, Jethro Tull, Booker T and the MGs, Elvis Presley, Tommy Roe, Thunderclap Newman, The Beach Boys, Creedence Clearwater Revivial, Smokey Robinson and The Miracles, Cliff Richard with "Big ship", Peter Sarstedt, Crazy Elephant and The Four Tops. Jun 23: In the Tixdaq Ticket Sales Quantity Chart today Cliff and The Shadows have re-entered at No.14. Here is the Top 20: 1.Michael Jackson. 2.Take That. 3.Oasis. 4.Kings of Leon. 5.Britney Spears. 6.Muse. 7.Spandau Ballet. 8.U2. 9.Madonna. 10.Blur. 11.AC/DC. 12,Beyonce. 13.Depeche mode. 14.CLIFF RICHARD AND THE SHADOWS. 15.Pink. 16.Boyzone. 17.Pet Shop Boys. 18.Fleetwood Mac. 19.The Killers. 20.Pearl Jam. Jun 23: Factfile on Jimmy Jemain. Cliff sound/lookalike Jimmy Jemain has become a popular Cliff tribute act with many Cliff fans over the years. More 'factfile' on Jimmy. Favourite TV shows: Life on Mars and Top Gear. TV shows you always turn off: Eastenders. Favourite books: D.I.Y. and renovation books, House and Garden design. Favourite film stars: Anthony Hopkins, Robert De Niro. More to come! Jun 23: Cliff's Time Machine is at No.4 and 15 in the Amazon Top 100 'easy listening' Music DVD chart today. Here is the Top 10: 1."The Jolson Story/Jolson sings again". 2.Il Divo. 3.Daniel O'Donnell. 4.CLIFF RICHARD (Standard edition). 5.The Carpenters. 6.Liza Minnelli. 7.The Carpenters. 8.Frank Sinatra. 9.From a distance...The Event - CLIFF RICHARD selling for £14.98. 10.Celine Dion. Outside the top 10: 15.CLIFF RICHARD (Standard edition). 19.An audience with -CLIFF RICHARD selling for £6.98. 20.Cliff Live (3 DVD box-set) - CLIFF RICHARD selling for £17.48. 23.Castles in the air - CLIFF RICHARD selling for £8.98. Jun 23: It was 50 years ago... Tuesday, June 23rd, 1959. Cliff makes his first debut appearance on the Royal Command Performance at the Palace Theatre in Manchester. Cliff Richard and Marty Wilde headed the line-up supported by Cherry Wainer, the Dallas Boys, the Vernons Girls and the Lord Rockingham XI as they performed in the presence of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth and the Queen Mother. Although the contents are unknown, it is likely Cliff performed an abridged medley of songs which featured throughout the series 9-month run. Hosted by Tommy Trinder, a galaxy of other stars appeared on the bill including Benny Hill, Arthur Askey, Dora Bryan, Roy Castle, Dickie Henderson, the cast of 'The Army Game', Anne Shelton, and topping the bill, the flamboyant American pianist Liberace. This event was not recorded for television. It was the 1960 Royal Variety Performance (in which Cliff also starred) which was the first to be recorded by ATV for broadcast across the U.K. A very dark and grainy 16mm film print of the 3-hour event fortunately still survives in the archives of Granada International, who own the ATV copyright today. (Paul Rumbol. www.ohboytvshow.com email: rumbers@live.co.uk) Jun 23: New up-dated list of up-coming gigs for top Shadows tribute band The Rapiers: Saturday, July 4th-Pontins Pakefield Seaside Village, Lowestoft, Suffolk, Tel. 0844-5765924, Wednesday, July 15th-Image of Cliff concert with Kytsun "Cliff Richard" Wolfe - Kings Theatre, Portsmouth, Hampshire, Tel. 0239-2828282, Sunday, July 19th-with Dave Sampson - Jacks Hill Cafe, Towcester, Northamptonshire, Tel. 01327-350 522, Tuesday, July 21th-Searles Leisure Resort, Hunstanton, Norfolk, Tel. 01485-534211, Saturday, July 25th-with Mike Berry - Oilers Motorcycle Club, Honkala, Aitoo, Finland, Friday, July 31st-Pontins Holiday Camp, Brean Sands, Somerset, Tel. 0844-5765943, Saturday, August 1st-Pontins Holiday Camp, Brean Sands, Somerset, Tel. 0844-5765943, Saturday, August 8th-St Joseph's Social Club, Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, Tel. 01623-552387 and Tuesday, August 25th-Searles Leisure Resort, Hunstanton, Norfolk, Tel. 01485-534211. Jun 22: Did you know?... that when advance white-label copies of a remix of Can't keep this feeling in were sent to various radio stations under the name of Blacknight 001, the DJs gave the record very favourable reviews. One station even deemed it to be 'wicked rap'. Two black charts and soul stations started playing it. It was, of course, Cliff. Jun 22: With the Wimbledon tennis championships now on, Cliff has a burning ambition. "Tennis is one of my greatest passions. I play everywhere I go, no matter what the temperature, and if I have one burning ambition left it is to have a game of tennis on my hundredth birthday. Well, two: and to die smiling." Jun 22: Factfile on Jimmy Jemain. Cliff sound/lookalike Jimmy Jemain has become a popular Cliff tribute act with many Cliff fans over the years. More 'factfile' on Jimmy. Hobbies: Radio controlled planes, large boats, restoring cars, D.I.Y. Likes: Boats and cruising along the river, cars, Fixing things, renovating houses. Dislikes: Selt-important people, Turkish Delight!, Traffic jams on the way to gigs, 4x4 tax! Bodgers in the building trade who pretend they can do a job and you end up doing it yourself! More to come! Jun 22: Bruce Welch: "1983 marked another reunion with Cliff Richard, this time to celebrate our silver anniversary in the business: twenty-five years and still going strong. We celebrated with a series of concert appearances in London and Birmingham, where we were seen by 100,000 people in just nine days, and the demand for tickets for the shows was unbelievable. A spokesman for the Wembley Arena, where we appeared, said that they had never had such a massive response for tickets in such a short space of time, not even for a Cup Final. Our Silver Album, which again was TV-advertised, went on to sell 300,000 copies thorugh mail order alone. And we were honoured by our peers with the Ivor Novello Award, the official Oscar of the British music industry, presented by thr British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Artistes, to mark our contribution to the music industry for over a quarter of a century. We were deeply touched." More to come! Jun 22: "Well done indeed Margaret Harrington. Bet you will enjoy seeing Cliff and the Shads at the 02" - Pete Clarke. Jun 22: "William - I really enjoy your site and check it often" - Ceelle (USA). Jun 22: "Enjoyed the competition and taking part. I got all right even if I didn't win. Congratulations to Margaret. Look forward to the next comp." - Steve Johnson. Jun 22: "Thanks for the great comp William" - Danial Minshull. Jun 22: It was 50 years ago... Monday, June 22nd, 1959. Cliff and the Shadows book into the Midland Hotel in Manchester during the early hours of Monday morning and after a hearty breakfast are called over to the Palace Theatre for the first rehearsal of the ‘Oh Boy!’ sequence that was to be featured in the Royal Command Performance on Tuesday evening. Cliff recalls: "Halfway down the theatre, in the stalls, was sitting the man who was directing the show.In the harsh glare of the light on his makeshift table he was penciling directions on his script. He had a microphone on the table and used this to direct us. There were crowds of artists sitting in the stools and in the wings, all waiting to be called for rehearsal. The director had to keep on shouting for quiet so that he could get on. It seemed impossible that the show would be ready in time. I noticed scores of famous people watching us whilst we were being told what to do. There was Liberace sitting in the front row, and I saw the whole cast of the ‘The Army Gang’ sitting a few rows behind.” (Paul Rumbol. www.ohboytvshow.com email: rumbers@live.co.uk) Jun 21: "I can't believe it!! I am so shocked to have won and completely delighted!! It's my 60th birthday on the 28th September so what a wonderful surprise, thank you so much!! Really enjoyed the suspense during the week.. As always you do a wonderful job with the website and keeping us all up to date and your did you know/on this day facts are fascinating! Thank you so much!!!" - Margaret Harrington (Competition winner). Jun 21: "CLIFF CHART SITE" 7TH ANNIVERSARY - WINNER! There has been a great response to the competition to win a pair of FREE tickets to see Cliff and The Shadows at the 02, London on Friday, September 25th. Lots of correct entries received. The draw has taken place and the first all-correct entry drawn and the competition winner is MARGARET HARRINGTON. Thanks to all who took part and WELL DONE MARGARET! Jun 21: "CLIFF CHART SITE" 7TH ANNIVERSARY COMPETITION. Here are the correct competition answers: 1.Jeff Shankley. 2.Five singles - I still believe in you, Peace in our time, Human work of art, Never let go, Healing love, 3.Finders keepers. 4.The Millennium Prayer. 5.Sheila Walsh. 6.cheer. 7.Take That -Patience. Jun 21: With this year's Wimbledon tennis championships starting tomorrow, what does Cliff really think about watching it. Cliff: "There's something very theatrical and gladiatorial about the sport, and it's much easier to watch than twenty-two people running about on a football pitch. And, of course, I can honestly say that I played Centre Court!" Wimbledon TV coverage begins Monday on BBC-2 TV at 12.00pm as the first-round singles matches get under way. Sue Barker hosts. Jun 21: Factfile on Jimmy Jemain. Cliff sound/lookalike Jimmy Jemain has become a popular Cliff tribute act with many Cliff fans over the years. More 'factfile' on Jimmy. Children: 1. Cars: 2 and a tour bus! Pets: 3 cats and a cocker spaniel called Millie. Childhood hero: Cliff Richard. Biggest disappointment: My step dad dying so young. Favourite food and drink: Roast dinner (cooked by my wife). Red wine. More to come! Jun 21: Cliff's Time Machine is at No.3 and 22 in the Amazon Top 100 'easy listening' Music DVD chart today. Here is the Top 10: 1."The Jolson Story/Jolson sings again". 2.John Denver. 3.CLIFF RICHARD (Standard edition). 4.Dusty Springfield. 5.Celine Dion. 6.Il Divo. 7.Roy Orbison. 8.George Formby. 9.Tony Bennett. 10.Peggy Lee. Outside the top 10: 12.Cliff Live (3 DVD box-set) - CLIFF RICHARD selling for £17.49. 22.CLIFF RICHARD (Standard edition). Jun 21: It was 50 years ago... Sunday, June 21st, 1959. Cliff and the Drifters appear live in concert in Ipswich and then travel overnight by coach to Manchester to begin rehearsals early next morning for the forthcoming Royal Command Performance on Tuesday evening (23rd). Cliff recalls the event:“We were at Ipswich the Sunday before the show. It was arranged that we would travel overnight to Manchester, as we were wanted for rehearsal on the Monday morning. The show, you will remember, was on Tuesday night. So the coach picked us up at the theatre at Ipswich, and we settled down for the journey to Manchester. We arrived as six o’clock in the morning. The town seemed grim and foreboding, and it was raining slightly. The only people in the streets were the night workers coming off their shifts and the occasional milkman starting on his rounds. We all felt sick and tired. All that is, except Hank, who had been sleeping in the gangway on his lilo. The coach took us to the Midland Hotel, where all the artistes for the Command Performance were staying. None of the staff seemed surprised at us arriving at that early hour in the morning. My bedroom took my breath away. It was huge and had a thick carpet I seemed to sink into. There was exotic modern furniture and contemporary décor throughout. “After a bath Cliff joined the Shadows in the dining room where they all enjoyed a hearty breakfast. (Paul Rumbol. www.ohboytvshow.com email: rumbers@live.co.uk) Jun 21: "Cliff chart site" 7th anniversary competition. Great response to the competition to win FREE tickets for Cliff and the Shadows at the 02. The draw takes place later today! Jun 20: Did you know?... that when Cliff did his "Off the record" concerts at the Royal Albert Hall in May, 2001 he said, on stage, that the Chris Eaton song Let me be the one was going to be the first single from the forthcoming album "Wanted". As it turned out, "Over the rainbow/Wonderful world" was released first and hit No.11 in December that year. Jun 20: Cliff: "Bachelor boy" was a song that was in fact edited in so late that if you watch the film very closely you will see it suddenly go from exterior to interior. There's cork on the floor to look like mud and a big red bus and a load of fake trees. Nest time it's on telly watch it and see." Jun 20: "That's excellent news. That means plenty of weeks in the DVD chart prior to Christmas and lots of sales. It is going to be a big seller that's for sure" - Ken Robbins. Jun 20: Cliff and the Shadows Live DVD - Nov.9th. The Live DVD Cliff Richard and the Shadows Live at the 02 (filmed on Saturday, September 26th) is to be released on Monday, November 9th. You can pre-order it for £12.99 from: www.play.com Jun 20: Bruce Welch: "The following September our first album for the new label was released to coincide with our extensive European concert tour. It was called, appropiately, Change of address. It reached the Top Twenty and went gold. Ironically, EMI issued an album of their own, called Another string of hits, which also made the album chart at the same time, and on one occasion we were sharing consecutive places in the Top Twenty. Two years earlier, following the success of our 'Twenty Golden Dates' tour, we had realized that we had something that was far too big and too precious to waste, and we made a conscious decision to make one album a year and to tour Britain, and possibly oversea, at least eigthteen months, to perpectuate the name of the Shadows." More to come! Jun 20: In today's Daily Mail a two-page feature on 70s hitmaker Linda Lewis, who had hits with "Rock-a-doodle-doo", "It's in his kiss", "Baby I'm yours" and "I'd surprisingly good for you". She mentions Ian "Sammy" Samwell, who wrote Move it and other hits for Cliff. Ian was Linda's boyfriend in the early 1970s. Jun 20: Factfile on Jimmy Jemain. Cliff sound/lookalike Jimmy Jemain has become a popular Cliff tribute act with many Cliff fans over the years. Starting today is a 'factfile' on Jimmy. Birthplace: Bethnal Green, London. Zodiac sign: Scorpio. Marital status: Married. Job: Cliff Richard impersonator. Previous jobs: Mechanic. Favourite national newspaper: Daily Express. More to come! Jun 20: It was 50 years ago... Saturday, June 20th, 1959. Cliff and the Drifters give a live radio performance on Saturday Club at the BBC Studios in Birmingham before moving on to the Birmingham Hippodrome for a concert in the evening. The group performs six tracks in their 20-minute set on BBC radio and are interviewed by the show’s host, the avuncular Brian Matthew. Cliff opens with the current single “Mean Streak” and following a short interview launches into Bobby Darin’s contemporary hit “Dream Lover” (a number not recorded by Cliff in any other studio). Following a second interview Cliff sings Fats Domino’s “It’s Me and I’m In Love Again” and a raucous version of Little Richard’s “Rip It Up”. The Drifters perform two instrumentals “Jet Black” and “Driftin” and Cliff closes the set with his forthcoming new single “Living Doll”. (Paul Rumbol. www.ohboytvshow.com email: rumbers@live.co.uk) Jun 20: "Cliff chart site" 7th anniversary competition. The seventh and final question: When Cliff was at No.2 in 2006 with "21st century Christmas" ... who was at No.1? That completes the 7 questions. Send in your 7 answers to e-mail address on 'Links' page. The first 'all-correct' entry drawn tomorrow wins a FREE pair of tickets to see Cliff and The Shadows at The 02, London on Friday, September 25th. Jun 20: Cliff's Summer holiday was played today by Brian Matthews on his "Sounds of the Sixties" show on BBC Radio 2. Jun 19: Pete Waterman on "I just don't have the heart" "Usually we know the singers we work with very well but we didn't know Cliff and there wasn't time to find out what made him tick. We had to imagine we were Cliff and dream up an appropriate story. I came up with the title. I said, "Just imagine Cliff had fallen in love with this girl and then met someone else. What would he do?" We thought, he's such a spiffing chap he wouldn't have the heart to tell her, and that's where it came from. That's what the song was all about." Jun 19: "Thank you for a marvellous seven years of your Cliff website. It's always a real treat looking in, finding new news and learning more about Cliff" - Simon George. Jun 19: "Wonder what days Cliff will be at Wimbledon and what colour jackets he will be wearing this year!" - Angela Bryant. Jun 19: Daily Mail: Sir Cliff Richard turns travel writer in latest web venture from Travelsupermarket.com boss By Tamara Abraham. Travel writer: Sir Cliff Richard has written articles on his top destinations. Sir Cliff Richard has swapped music for writing in his latest venture as a travel journalist. The veteran singer has written a series of features for a new website launched by travelsupermarket.com founder Simon Nixon. Simonseeks.com, which launches today, features articles on destinations including Barbados and Portugal, where Sir Cliff owns properties. The Livin' Doll singer recommends top Barbados hotels, such as Sandy Lane, as well as favourite Bajan restaurants. 'If you have a slightly smaller budget, you should try a restaurant called Tides,' he writes. 'This is located within touching distance of the ocean and has a lovely open, airy feel to it.' The site also features articles by chef Raymond Blanc on the South of France and former Toploader star Dan. Jun 19: Music industry news. Interesting to note...the rise of the downloads from 2004 through to 2008. Here are the figures in millions of annual unit sales of single-track downloads in the UK since iTunes launch in 2004: 2004 - 5.8m, 2005 - 26.4m, 2006 - 53.1m, 2007 - 78.0m, 2008 - 110.3m. Jun 19: With this year's Wimbledon tennis championships starting next Monday, what does Cliff think about Andy Murray. Cliff: "I wish he wasn't so volatile. It's demeaning to use foul language. I admire him as a player, but I fell it lowers him in people's eyes. Andre Agassi is such a popular player and always has the spectators on his side, and he isn't foul mounthed. Andy needs to look at it. His tennis is fantastic, but he needs the fans on his side, not just at Wimbledon, but at every tournament. I've not seen Murray play too often, but each time I have, he got ill with cramp or sickness, so fitness is an issue. I always think that if you expend so much physical energy on tantrums, you could use it to win maybe another 10 points!" Wimbledon TV coverage begins next Monday on BBC-2 TV at 12.00pm as the first-round singles matches get under way. Sue Barker hosts. Jun 19: Cliff's Time Machine is at No.12 and 41 in the Amazon Top 100 'easy listening' Music DVD chart today. Here is the Top 10: 1.John Denver. 2."The Jolson Story/Jolson sings again". 3.Tony Bennett. 4.Il Divo. 5.Frank Sinatra. 6.Michael Buble. 7.Celine Dion. 8.Robbie Williams. 9.Matt Monro. 10.Dusty Springfield. Outside the top 10: 12.CLIFF RICHARD (Standard edition). 41.CLIFF RICHARD (Standard edition). 62.Castles in the air - CLIFF RICHARD selling for £8.98. Jun 19: The Olivia Newton-John 2-DVD set Olivia Newton-John: Video Gold 1 & 11 contains 39 tracks, which include: Totally hot, Landslide, Magic, Physical, A little more love, Silvery rain, Hopelessly devoted to you, Let me be there, Heart attack, Soul kiss, I honestly love you, Sam, Suddenly, You're the one that I want and Xanadu. The DVD is at No.87 in the Amazon 'easy listening' Music DVD chart today selling for £15.69. Jun 19: Bruce Welch: "We formed our own company, Roll Over Records, and eventually arrived at a very favourable agreement with Polydor, who paid us an advance roylaty of several hundred thousand pounds for a three-year, three-album deal. After twenty-two years of devoted and loyal service to EMI, they in effect slammed the door in our faces. They must have made a vast amount from the sales of "Apache" over the years, considering how many times it has been featured on compilation albums. It took twenty minutes to make and cost the company a negligible amount of money." More to come! Jun 19: "Cliff chart site" 7th anniversary competition. Question Six: What word is missing from director Peter Yates quote "Summer holiday" was to ----- you up and make you feel better"? Jun 18: Did you know?... that Cliff's neighbours at his Wentworth Estate, near Sunningdale in Berkshire include: Russ Abbott, Bruce Forsyth and Gary Numan. Jun 18: On Saturday, July 25th top Shadows tribute band The Rapiers appear with 60's hitmaker Mike Berry (Tribute to Buddy Holly, Don't you think it's time, The sunshine of your smile) at the Oilers Motorcycle Club, Honkala, Aitoo, Finland. Jun 18: "North Norfolk radio played "Wired for sound" today on its drive home show" - Andrew Price. Jun 18: "Would love to win the two free tickets for Cliff at the 02 in your anniversary competition. All right at present so hoping that I'm lucky" - Margaret Robson. Jun 18: Recording engineer Gerry Kitchingham: "Alan (Tarney) liked to work on his own. He would start the day wandering around strumming the guitar and then he'd come up with a tune and he'd call me in and we'd get something on tape. That's the way he wrote "Some people". He came in with nothing and by the next day he'd got a hit song." Jun 18: The brand new, updated Bible of record collecting Record Collector Rare Record Price Guide 2010 is out now and selling well. This mighty 1,400 plus tome contains thousands of revised values and features colour images of labels and sleeves. Quoted exclusively by dealers, deejays and websites, including eBay, this book is the ultimate resource for serious collectors. It contains over 100,000 entries covering all genres and all formats. Every entry includes catalogue numbers, B-sides, release dates and current Mint values for every UK single worth over £5, EP over £8, CD single over £8, LP over £12 and CD over £18. Three pages of Cliff collectables with up-dated values. You can order direct from Record collector (UK £27.00/Europe/USA/Canada £34.00/Rest of the world £40.00) on the hotline: Tel. 0208-752-8193. Also available from branches of Waterstones bookshops £27.95. Jun 18: New summer jewellery Ocean deep is a set of necklace and earrings: £39 set. Following the success of "Midnight Diamonds", we have created a new summer jewellery suite of necklace and earrings inspired by Cliff's song "Ocean deep". The five-strand illusion pearl necklace is hand-made with mixed pink, white and grey freshwater pearls. It is complemented by a pair of grey earrings which can be worn as studs, or for added glamour, worn with an additional drop pearl. To order Tel. 01625-574444 or visit: www.starscents.com Jun 18: "Would like to say thanks to Paul Rumbol for an interesting series about Cliff on Radio Luxembourg... I used to love those Cliff shows. Many happy memories of trying to the best reception and then as the evening went on, having to keep moving the radio around the room so you hear it better. Thanks to you too William for seven years of fascinating info. Keep it coming" - Tony Morris. Jun 18: "Looking good on your competition questions, so far. That first night at The 02 should be something special. Now if only I could win some tickets!" - Julie Lester. Jun 18: Music industry news. New research from Entertainment Media Research and law firm Wiggin claims that only 33% of illegal downloaders would stop if they received a warning letter from their ISP (Internet service provider). Jun 18: Cliff and Radio Luxembourg. Paul Rumbol from the ‘Oh Boy!’ website continues his series on Cliff Richard’s recordings at Radio Luxembourg, which began 50 years ago. Cliff and The Shadows covered many classic 1950's hits for their Luxembourg series, by artists ranging from Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Ricky Nelson, Bill Haley, Larry Williams, Ray Charles, Eddie Cochran, Roy Orbison, and of course, Elvis Presley. But fans may be surprised to discover that one artist topped even Elvis, in the number of covers Cliff recorded of their material! That artist was Fats Domino, and Cliff recorded six of his songs which featured regularly throughout all four series of 'Me and My Shadows' from 1960 -1963. Those songs were: 'I Want You To Know', 'It's Me and I'm In Love Again', 'Kansas City', 'Sick and Tired', 'Rosalie' and 'Blueberry Hill'. More to come! (Paul Rumbol. www.ohboytvshow.com email: rumbers@live.co.uk) Jun 18: Bruce Welch: "We negotiated for five months but couldn't come to terms. EMI were only looking for direct-signed artists and said it was not their policy at that time to enter into lease-tape agreements. The fact that they already had a similar deal with Queen was ignored. There was another problem. EMI wanted to sign us to a worldwide agreement, which again was not acceptable from our point of view." More to come! Jun 18: "Cliff chart site" 7th anniversary competition. Here is Question Five: With who did Cliff record the song "Drifting"? Jun 17: Did you know?... that in the late 1950s and early 60s Cliff fancied actress Brigitte Bardot. "I had always fancied Brigitte Bardot. When I was a teenager I had a poster of her on my bedroom wall which was made up of three parts given away in Reveille magazine." Jun 17: Music industry news. Amazon has blamed a “pricing error” for allowing its UK MP3 site to sell hit albums for as little as 29p. Earlier today albums including Lily Allen’s It’s Not Me, It’s You, Kings Of Leon’s Because Of The Times and Metallica’s Death Magnetic were all available for UK customers to download for just 29p, creating concern that the retailer was drastically upping the price war among retailers. Initially Amazon did not comment and the prices have since returned to normal. However, the company has just released a statement saying, “We can confirm that earlier today there was a pricing error on a small number of MP3 albums. This issue has been rectified. Despite our best efforts, with the millions of items available on our website, pricing errors can occur.” The company has created controversy since it launched its MP3 download store in the UK with a number of aggressive price cutting promotions, including selling hit albums for just £3 and tracks for 29p. Jun 17: Cliff: "Bachelor boy" is the one song that, no matter where in the world I am, people know it. They've heard that chorus before and if they don't know all the words they hum along. It's one of the first songs that I had a part in writing with Bruce. The Shadows are amazing, because when we did the film it was not in the original score but suddenly they said: "We need a bright number here," And it was Bruce, really, Bruce has to take credit for writing most of that song. I think I contributed some lyrics." Jun 17: "Cliff chart site" 7th anniversary competition. Some have sent in their entries so far and to date, they are mostly correct. Three more questions still to come. Jun 17: "Congrats on the 30th anniversary of the Glos. & Oxford fan club. Here's to the next 30! Your 'Pearl Party' must have been tons of fun for everyone and the special guests too. I used to listen to Severn Sound before I hit the local BBC station and liked it very much, especially Mike Longley's slot - a great guy and always a pleasure to listen to as well. John Hellings used to present the Big Band slot on the local station Saturday nights for a long time. Congratulations to everyone who received Pearl Trophies as well - richly deserved too! I'm sure the cake was yummy and what a lovely surprise to get a message from Cliff - must have been the icing on the cake and wonderful for you all. Keep up the good work. You're all stars" - Valerie Alston. Jun 17: Cliff's Time Machine is at No.10 and 54 in the Amazon Top 100 'easy listening' Music DVD chart today. Here is the Top 10: 1."The Jolson Story/Jolson sings again". 2.Celtic Woman. 3.John Denver. 4.Robbie Williams. 5.Celine Dion. 6.Dusty Springfield. 7.Fron Male Voice Choir. 8.Frank Sinatra. 9.Il Divo. 10.CLIFF RICHARD (Standard edition). Outside the top 10: 12.From a distance...The Event - CLIFF RICHARD selling for £14.98. 41.An audience with - CLIFF RICHARD selling for £6.98. 52.Castles in the air - CLIFF RICHARD selling for £8.98. 54.CLIFF RICHARD (Standard edition). Jun 17: Bruce Welch: "Obviously they (EMI) wanted to negotiate the contract on basically the same terms, because we were having success. But we wouldn't agree. After all these years, Hank, Brian and I had decided that we wanted to sign a lease-tape deal with them instead, which would give us our independence. We wanted to make and finance the records ourselves, and then lease them to EMI to be released in the same way as before. It meant that we retained the rights to our own material at all times, and after a period of five years it reverted back to us. Then, if over that period of time we had enjoyed a great deal of success and the record company wanted to release a series of compliation set, or a Greatest Hits album, they would have to pay us royalty for the privilege. We felt that by this point in our career we should own our own tapes. It was our pension. We negotiated on that basis. It was a simple idea, and one that was becoming commonplace in them usic industry. However, it also made sense to sign with EMI because they controlled all our back catalogue." More to come! Jun 17: "Cliff chart site" 7th anniversary competition. Here is Question Four: Of which song did Cliff say "It was not the happiest hit I've ever had"? Jun 17: "Just been watching the 1992 movie TOYS starring Robin Williams. Great opening song co written by Trevor Horn which would be a certain no 1 for Cliff called "The Closing Of The Year". Give it a listen and hear Cliff's voice the Xmas hit for the 2000's. Congrats on the site going from strength to strength" - John Patrick. Jun 16: Did you know?... that above the gates guarding the entrance of Quinto do Moinho, Windmill Farm, owned by Sir Cliff, there is a coat of arms. It features a bird on the top, denoting the singer, and it stands on a rock - signifying rock'n'roll. It's surrounded by gold discs. Four flames represent The Shadows and netting refers to Cliff's love of tennis. The coat of arms also contains the cross of Christ, the helmut of salvation and a quote from the Bible, 'Sing a new song'. Beneath the crest hangs Cliff's OBE. Jun 16: "Congratulations on 7 years of constant Cliff news, Cliff songwriter interviews, gig dates, chart news, record sales, concert reviews and the endless snippets. A Cliff site that just gets on with it. I thank you and look forward to many more years" - Alex Palmer. Jun 16: Christine Holmes, co-writer of Devil woman: "I had my ideas about this fortune teller in my notebook and Terry (Britten) has this guitar riff and we just put them together. We wrote it together at my flat. I knew it had to be a rock number. Helen Reddy had done a song called "Angie Baby" which was a really spooky song and used sounds in the mix that hadn't been used too much in pop music. In my mind I knew that I wanted "Devil woman" to sound similarly spooky. We both very much knew what we wanted and Cliff copied the demo exactly." Jun 16: Up-coming gigs for Cliff sound/lookalike Jimmy Jemain: Tomorrow, Wednesday, June 17th-Holme Farm Holiday Park, Brean Sands, Weston-Super-Mare, Thursday, June 18th-Seagull Inn, Brean Sands, Weston-Super-Mare, Saturday, June 27th-Gladstone Theatre, Port Sunlight, The Wirral, Thursday, 16th-The Bell, Sawbridgeworth, Saturday, August 1st-Gunton Hall, Lowestoft, Friday, 14th-Seacroft Hemsby Gt Yarmouth and Saturday, August 29th-The Viking Lodge, Selsey. Jun 16: Cliff's 2-CD 50th anniversary album is at No.61 in the Amazon 'easy listening' album chart today selling for £5.96. Jun 16: Bruce Welch: "In 1980 our (Shadows) contract with EMI records came up for renewal, and we looked long and hard at the contents of the agreement. EMI had been very good to us in the past, but we felt we needed a change. Since 1959 we had always been signed directly to the company, which means that they paid for all our recording sessions, but the records we had made over the years were owned by EMI themselves and they had the power to release and re-package them whenever they wanted to." More to come! Jun 16: "Cliff chart site" 7th anniversary competition. Here is Question Three: Which Cliff film gave the Shadows equal billing with Cliff? Jun 15: It was 50 years ago... Cliff Richard is on holiday at Via Reggio, Italy where he told NME in a long-distance phone call on Wednesday: "I'm having a ball. I'm surprised English people here know me. "Italian groups play Presley numbers and someone got me to sing in a night club. I enjoyed it and so did the Italian girls, too!" He will soon be recording and learning the choreography for his new film "Expresso Bongo," on which studio work starts on July 31st. Jun 15: Did you know?... that Cliff likes anything that knocks the audience sideways. Lighting engineer Bob Hellyer: "He started to want to choreograph numbers, to have effects linked to particular lines in the songs, and so the show became part rock'n'roll and part theatre." Jun 15: Cliff: "I must consider myself one of the most fortunate pop singers that ever existed to have someone like Alan Tarney write you songs like "We don't talk anymore", when you know almost anybody else on the planet who sings would be able to do just as good a version of this or perhaps a better one. This is my favourite of all the songs I've recorded, in terms of being a pop singer singing something that is so purely pop and wonderful." Jun 15: Music industry news. Streaming music service Spotify continues to be flavour of the month among the chattering media set, with word-of-mouth recommendations pushing its UK user base past the 1m mark. But while there is a certain amount of hype involved, more important is the fact that people genuinely do love the service – its slick user experience and growing catalogue are delivering on its promises. Jun 15: "Looking good on your anniversary competition! However, I won't be too confident, because I know you usually always stick a tough one in there somewhere that always catches me out. Well done on 'magnificent seven' years" - John Brogan. Jun 15: "I did read once that Marc Bolan used to stand in front of the mirror and copy Cliff movements. Freddie Mercury did a pretty mean Cliff impersonation as well" - Keith Miller. Jun 15: Cliff's Time Machine is at No.9 and 42 in the Amazon Top 100 'easy listening' Music DVD chart today. Here is the Top 10: 1."The Jolson Story/Jolson sings again". 2.Celtic Woman. 3.Il Divo. 4.Joe Longthorne. 5.Barbra Streisand. 6.Matt Monro. 7.Shirley Bassey. 8.Robbie Williams. 9.CLIFF RICHARD (Standard edition). 10.Michael Ball. Outside the top 10: 42.CLIFF RICHARD (Standard edition). 69.An audience with - CLIFF RICHARD selling for £6.98. 71.From a distance...The Event - CLIFF RICHARD selling for £14.98. Jun 15: Cliff and Radio Luxembourg. Paul Rumbol from the ‘Oh Boy!’ website continues his series on Cliff Richard’s recordings at Radio Luxembourg, which began 50 years ago. Among Cliff's legion of young fans in 1960 was a puppy-faced 12 year-old named Mark Feld -who was later to find fame as Marc Bolan of T.Rex. In the biography 'The Rise and Fall of a 20th Century Superstar' author Mark Paytress says the besotted Mark eagerly tuned in to his idol's 15-minute shows on Radio Luxembourg without fail every week. He even got tickets to see Cliff at the live televised 'Oh Boy!' shows and tried to get into the 2I's coffee bar on several occasions but was kicked out for being too young. "Mark wanted to be Cliff Richard", recalls friend Helen Shapiro. "He discovered Cliff before anybody else and wanted to be like him.He had the well-rehearsed shoulder-jerk and lip-twisting routine and he did a very good Cliff impression!" Marc Bolan's brother Harry Feld goes further, claiming that Mark's discovery of Cliff in 1958 represented a genuine watershed in his life, and that he remained loyal to Cliff to the very end: "In his mind he never deviated from the time he started following Cliff Richard.I think he told himself 'This is what i want and he single-mindedly persued that line until he finally made it." More to come! (Paul Rumbol. www.ohboytvshow.com email: rumbers@live.co.uk) Jun 15: "Cliff chart site" 7th anniversary competition. Here is Question Two: How many singles were released from Cliff's 1993 "The album"? Name them. Jun 15: Cliff's Dreaming played by Terry Wogan this morning on "Wake up to Wogan" on BBC Radio 2. Jun 14: Bruce Welch: "These days the producer holds the reins, and the essential quality of a good one, apart from being able to pick material of great potential, is an ability - whether conspicuous or discreet - to bring out the very best of any artiste, no matter who. A good production, despite the technology, will stand the test of time." More to come! Jun 14: "Many happy birthday wishes to your website on seven years! I always enjoy looking in" - Monica Jennings. Jun 14: Did you know?... what Cliff said about Teddy Green, young dancer in The young ones film. "Teddy was great. He devoted a lot of time and patience to teaching me the right steps. He taught me a soft-shoe routine, a top hat and cane dance, and how to link in with the chorus line. I was very grateful." Jun 14: Cliff & Shadows 2009 concerts. Tickets are still going out in the post to fans for Cliff and The Shadows 2009 reunion concerts that take place in September and October. Full concert details on 'Chart Hits Totals' page. Jun 14: The rock and pop memorabilia specialists J.W.S. Collectables have a 1962 London Palladium Royal Performance Programme featuring Cliff and The Shadows for sale for £75. If interested Tel. 01482-509785. Jun 14: Guitar ace, the Troubadour in Cliff's "Heathcliff" stage musical, Gordon Giltrap has teamed up with ex-Yes maestro Rick Wakeman for a new album From Brush & Stone, which features fourteen piano, keyboard and acoustic guitar pieces. Out now on Voiceprint VP 445 CD. Jun 14: "Is it only seven years? I feel as if I have always been reading your very interesting Cliff website. Keep up the good work" - Michael Hughes. Jun 14: "Wondered if you would do your usual anniversary competition this year. Well, I'm off and running in your comp! Congrats on seven years!" - Roger Wyatt. Jun 14: Cliff: "The period with Bruce and with Terry Britten gave me a period when I was taken seriously as an album artist. Those guys played such a major role in my life. I'm very grateful to them because they pushed me and pushed me." Jun 14: Cliff's 2-CD 50th anniversary album is at No.73 in the Amazon 'easy listening' album chart today selling for £5.96. Jun 14: "Cliff chart site" June 2002 - June 2009. From June 14th, 2002 upto June 13th, 2009, the successful hits total for Cliff Chart Site website totals 27,867,439. Jun 14: "CLIFF CHART SITE" 7TH ANNIVERSARY COMPETITION. Today sees the seventh anniversary of this website. To celebrate, there is a pair of tickets to see Cliff Richard and The Shadows at the 02, London to be won!! There will be a simple question between today and Saturday. All you have to do is collate your answers and send in your 7 answers after the last question on Saturday. The draw will take place next Sunday. The first all-correct entry drawn wins a pair of tickets to see Cliff and The Shadows at the 02, London on Friday, September 25th. Here is Question One: Who played Lord Melchisedic, The Time Lord, in Cliff's stage musical "Time"? Best of luck! Jun 14: "I have just seen Hank and Bruce on the BBC Breakfast show on the BBC website and recommend all fans who haven't seen it yet to do so asap!! I have never seen Cliff and The Shadows perform together live but having watched old videos like "Thank You Very Much" etc I have always thought they look and sound great together. I think I am looking forward to hearing their jokes and stories as much as the songs! I love their sense of humour when they are on stage together! It was good when Cliff and Hank shared the stage at the NIA ten years ago so to see them all together is really exciting! Those ten years have gone past fast since the countdown concerts haven't they?!! Keep up the great work William! I don't think I'd use my computer if your site wasn't around!" - Darren Price. Jun 14: "Radio Gold always plays Cliff songs almost every day and by all accounts lots of other stations do too. They played 'Do you wanna dance' and We don't talk anymore' today. If you wish to check whether any Cliff songs were played on Radio Gold go to www.mygoldmusic.com/playlist and you can also check out the frequencies for different parts of the country. They also have a request slot. The last Cliff single went to number 3 with only 5,000 downloads and the number one at that time had 30,000 downloads. I hope all the fans are getting ready to download the next single (there must be more than 30,000 fans out there) and I would strongly advise those who don't know how to download to make an effort to find out. It's Cliff's last chance to make it to number one" - Walter daCosta. Jun 13: Bruce Welch: "It's a sign of the times. The 1950s saw the emergence of Elvis Presley as a world-beater and yet, after he left Sam Phillips at Sun Records, no one ever knew the name of his record producer, and no one cared. Apart from Norman Petty with Buddy Holly, Chet Atkins with the Everly Brothers, and Milt Gabler with Bill Haley, we weren't interested in record producers, only in the artists themselves. Producers weren't really considered that important." More to come! Jun 13: It was 50 years ago... The NME announces that fans are already missing the “Oh Boy!” series, especially Cliff Richard and Marty Wilde, less than a fortnight after coming off air!: "The fanatical appeal of Cliff Richard is reflected by his sudden rebooking for further concerts at Dudley Hippodrome just a fortnight after his debut there, scheduled for Saturday, June 20. In addition, Cliff plays no fewer than four consecutive dates in London at the end of the month. Three days after the management announced that Richard would appear at Dudley on June 20, every ticket had been sold, and still there were queues outside the theatre. Promoter Arthur Howes, to avoid disappointing fans, was able to rebook Cliff for a second one-night stand there on Saturday, July 5. Between these two dates, Cliff and The Drifters have a heavy schedule, including his quartet of dates in London suburbs - Wimbledon Gaumont (June 24), Elephant and Castle Trocadero (25th), Edmonton Regal (26th) and Stepney Roxy (27th). On the last date, Cliff will also be appearing in BBC-TV's "Drumbeat." He will dash to his concerts." Jun 13: "Something is missing. Cliff and The Shadows have been with us now for over 50 years. They’ve been a major part of the soundtrack of my life all that time. I had the pleasure of first seeing them in Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto on January 25, 1960. As we prepare to fly to the UK to see them again in Sheffield on October 14, Cliff’s 69th birthday, something is missing. Looking at my collection of music DVDs, the one that sticks out is The Beatles Anthology. Where is the Cliff Richard Anthology? Where is the nine or ten hour collection of DVDs that tells us the full story of Cliff and the Shadows through their eyes and their voices? I wonder if it will ever be done in the detail that is needed. But, if it is ever going to happen, surely now is the time" - David Colman (Canada). Jun 13: Did you know?... that a song Cliff would have liked to record is Angela Jones, which was a No.7 hit in 1960 for Michael Cox and spent 13 weeks in the UK singles chart. Jun 13: More on Cliff and The Shadows tour. There are currently confirmed 22 dates in the UK tour in September and October and 14 confirmed dates in the European tour in November making a total of 36 Cliff and Shadows concerts with possible Australia and New Zealand dates being added for 2010. Jun 13: Story in The Mercury: Sir Cliff Richard calls in to Cheshunt By Dan Peters. "CHESHUNT old boy Sir Cliff Richard made a top-secret visit to his childhood home for a TV interview. Sir Cliff lived in a Hargreaves Close semi between 1953 and 1960. He was quizzed by former Daily Mirror editor and TV personality Piers Morgan for about four hours at the address. Mr Morgan, who was filming an episode of his Life Stories series, and Sir Cliff, 68, also toured Cheshunt in a red double-decker London bus, similar to the one featured in the hit 1963 movie Summer Holiday starring Sir Cliff and his band The Shadows. Retired bank worker Patricia Foley, who has lived in Sir Cliff’s former home for four years, had known about the VIP visit since April, but was allowed to tell only a few close friends. The ITV production team filmed most of the rooms in Mrs Foley’s house and shot the interview in her lounge, before Sir Cliff rushed off to catch a flight to the US. Mrs Foley, whose home is visited by scores of Cliff fans every year, told the Mercury yesterday: “I thought it was a spoof, especially when they re-arranged it twice. “Sir Cliff is very proud of where he lived. He told me he had been very happy here and that his family had thoroughly enjoyed living here. They [Sir Cliff and Mr Morgan] said it was very nice for me to have let them loose in my house. “It was quite an experience and I was on quite a high afterwards. I had to ring all my friends to tell them about it!” Sir Cliff and Mr Morgan were also happy to chat to residents and pose for photographs outside, where a plaque marks the singer’s association with the home. Neighbour Lisa Rooney, 35, said: “No-one knew anything about it, though I was more excited about seeing Piers when I found out. “They were really nice – friendly and polite. I can’t remember what I said to them, it’s all a bit of a blur and was a bit mad. “It must have been a bit odd for Sir Cliff to come back after all these years. It was exciting for me – nothing like that ever happens up here.” Sir Cliff’s last publicised return to the area was in 2005, when he was interviewed by the Mercury at the Cliff Richard Court retirement complex in High Street, Cheshunt. The show is due to be aired on ITV in September." Jun 13: Cliff talking about "Real as I wanna be" album. (Prior to release) "There are four fantastic singles on this album. If I can get any airplay, they are certain hits. If I don't get airplay, I would rather do another musical. I would rather do something where you plan, spend your money, do it and have the instant gratification of a large audience. Why should I waste my time recording if no one is going to hear what I do?" Jun 13: More on Cliff and The Shadows tour. Sept-Oct. Rehearsals for the tour start on Monday, August 31st. Jun 13: You can view Hank and Bruce on BBC Breakfast talking about the Cliff and Shadows tour on: www.bbc.co.uk and youtube.com Jun 13: Cliff's Time Machine is at No.4 and 37 in the Amazon Top 100 'easy listening' Music DVD chart today. Here is the Top 10: 1."The Jolson Story/Jolson sings again". 2.Il Divo. 3.Shirley Bassey. 4.CLIFF RICHARD (Standard edition). 5.Celine Dion. 6.The Carpenters. 7.Fron Male Voice Choir. 8.An audience with - CLIFF RICHARD selling for £6.98. 9.Joe Longthorne. 10.Andrew Lloyd Webber. Outside the top 10: 37.CLIFF RICHARD (Standard edition). 53.Cliff Live (3 DVD box-set) - CLIFF RICHARD selling for £17.48. 64.His land - CLIFF RICHARD selling for £10.98. 67.Here & Now Live - CLIFF RICHARD selling for £8.28. Jun 13: "Missed Hank and Bruce on the TV but it looks like they might be going to Australia and New Zealand. I'll bet the fans there are excited and waiting for the official details. If it's a world tour, perhaps they will also go to the Far East" - John Harvey. Jun 13: "Thanks for the tip about Cliff and Vincenzo video on You Tube. Have never heard this song before, but enjoyed it very much. Keep up the good work" - Chris Jones. Jun 12: Bruce Welch: "The eighties saw the establishment of the 'superstar' producers who emerged as personalities in their own right but could still deliver the goods in the studio, like Trevor Horn. He first rose to prominence with the studio-created group, the Buggles, who had a No.1 hit in 1979 with 'Video killed the radio star'. Trevor later turned his attention to Dollar, before creating Frankie Goes to Hollywood. The production on their first three singles, 'Relax', 'Two tribes' is outstanding. Colin Thurston brought Duran Duran to the attention of the public, while Daniel Miller did the same for Depeche Mode, and there were also the multi-talented Mike Batt and Dave Stewart. I admire tremendously what Stock, Aitken and Waterman have done, but I don't necessarily admire every single record they have made. Like Mickie Most in the seventies, they produced a series of well-produced records that appeal across the board and developed their own stable of stars, their own label and their own publishing company." More to come! Jun 12: Did you know?...Travellin' light had been written for a scene which was subsequently cut from the Elvis Presley film King Creole. It was then offered to others and picked up by Cliff, who hadn't realized that it had been written for Elvis. Jun 12: Cliff: "I feel there are new priorities in my life. I want to break free from my career, but not discard it. I love what I do, but I'm lucky enough that I don't have to do something if I don't want to. I can afford to say no. I also no longer fear the idea of doing nothing. If I want to spend the day lying on a sofa reading a book, then that's what I'll do. I don't feel that I have to go into the studio and record another song." Jun 12: Did you know?... that Elton John was a Cliff Richard fan ever since his mother took him to see Cliff in panto when he was a small boy. Jun 12: Cliff's chart-topping book My life, My way (£20 hardback) is now available for the great bargain price of £4.99 in branches of The Works on UK high streets. Jun 12: The Buttershaw St Paul's Amateur operatic and Dramatic Society has obtained the rights to present the stage version of Summer holiday in January next year at St.George's Hall, Bradford. Jun 12: Did you know?... that Hank Marvin and Bruce Welch were on BBC Breakfast show today. Bruce said that the Cliff and Shadows tour could be going to Australia and New Zealand next year. Jun 12: Cliff talking about "Miss you nights". "I think it's one of the nicest songs I've ever made. A guy called Dave Townsend wrote and recorded it and when I heard his version it was terrific, so we just stole the whole thing. He was pleased to have that happen. I mean it could've been anybody. It would've been a hit." Jun 12: Cliff and The Shadows Time drags by is included on the new 3-CD set The Swingin' Sixties in the shops now. WH Smiths price £15.65. Jun 12: Cliff and Radio Luxembourg. Paul Rumbol from the ‘Oh Boy!’ website continues his series on Cliff Richard’s recordings at Radio Luxembourg, which began 50 years ago. The reason why Cliff Richard recorded so many live sessions for radio in his early years was all thanks to the Musicians Union, who imposed strict restrictions on the number of records (or 'needle-time' as it was known) that could be broadcast in any one day. Hence both Radio Luxembourg and the BBC (where Cliff regularly recorded for 'Saturday Club') were forced to set up their own specially-recorded live sessions. The BBC even maintained a stable of in-house singers and bands who were ready at a moment's notice to cover both standards and the latest hits. They employed all measures necessary to avoid placing the needle on a record and incurring the wrath of the Musicians Union. More to come! (Paul Rumbol. www.ohboytvshow.com email: rumbers@live.co.uk) Jun 12: Cliff's 2-CD 50th anniversary album is at No.50 in the Amazon 'easy listening' album chart today selling for £5.96. Jun 11: Bruce Welch: "The start of the seventies also saw more and more artistes producing themselves, and it became just an extension of being a musician. They possessed the technical know-how, knew their way round a studio and were not over-awed by it all. It was still necessary to employ engineers, however, and it was from this source that the next wave of new producers emerged, including Glyn Jones (who has recorded among others Joan Armatrading, Eric Clapton, and The Eagles, Gus Dudgeon (Elton John), and Steve Liilywhite (Peter Gabriel, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and XTC). Some artistes, however, took production to its logical conclusion by building their own studios, capable of producing finished master tapes, like 10CC, Mike Oldfield and Abba." More to come! Jun 11: Cliff's Move it and Summer holiday were played today on "The Steve Wright Show" on BBC Radio 2. Jun 11: The stage musical of Cliff's Summer holiday will be on at The Brindley Theatre, Runcorn. The amateur production takes place on Thursday, July 30th, Friday, July 31st and Saturday, August 1st. Jun 11: Did you know?... that, according to Bill Latham, Cliff never basks in nostalgia. Bill: "He doesn't keep cuttings. He has no interest in talking about the past. You would expect him to have all sorts of mementoes but he only has a few things hanging up on the walls because they happened to be there. If he lost them all overnight he wouldn't care two hoots." Jun 11: Cliff's Devil woman was played on Come dine with me on Channel 4 TV today. Jun 11: Did you know?... what Peter Yates, who directed Cliff in Summer holiday said of Cliff: "I thought innocence was the secret of Cliff's success. You really believe what you see on the screen and you trust him as a performer. He is very untheatrical when you consider he is singing songs and dancing. He captures an air of reality, which is a difficult thing to do." Jun 11: Cliff on YouTube. You can watch a great clip of Cliff singing If it were up to me with Vincenzo La Scola on Austrian TV. Type in Cliff Richard in:youtube.com Jun 11: Cliff talking about "Miss you nights". "When Bruce first played it to me, he came to my home and I have this balcony with big sliding doors, and it was a beautiful day and we both leaned on the rail looking out at the geenery. And halfway through the song I said: "Look at my arms," and he said: "Look at my arms," and all the hairs on our arms were standing up on end. It was goosebump time magnified. "Miss you nights" has been constantly a joy for me to sing over the years." Jun 11: On Pick of the pops this Saturday, June 13th on Radio 2, 1.00pm-3.00pm, Dale Winton plays the hits from the chart this week in 1967. They include: Procol Harum, Englebert Humperdinck, The Kinks, The Tremeloes, The Hollies, The Supremes, Arthur Conley, The Beach Boys, Mamas and The Papas, Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich, New Vaudeville Band, Traffic, Young Rascals and Cliff Richard with "I'll come running". Jun 11: Cliff's Time Machine is at No.34 and 43 and in the Amazon Top 100 'easy listening' Music DVD chart today. Here is the Top 10: 1."The Jolson Story/Jolson sings again". 2.Celine Dion. 3.Il Divo. 4.The Carpenters. 5.John Denver. 6.Michael Ball. 7.Dusty Springfield. 8.Andrew Lloyd Webber. 9.Michael Ball. 10.Celtic Woman. Outside the top 10: 34.CLIFF RICHARD (Standard edition). His land - CLIFF RICHARD selling for £10.98. 43.CLIFF RICHARD (Special edition). Jun 10: Bruce Welch: "The big companies still employed their own staff-men, but they were very rarely credited. The popularity and standing of the independent producers allowed them the freedom to choose their work, and in the main the artistes approached them. It also meant that artistes themselves could pick and choose the producers they felt might enhance their sound and talents. The balance of power in the studio was changing." More to come! Jun 10: "Do so hope that there will be a Cliff and the Shadows single prior to the album. It would put them all in the spotlight. Imagine the headlines 'Cliff and Shadows do battle in the pop charts again', 'Cliff and the Shadows set to hit the charts again', 'The original boy band is back and rearing to go', 'The old team reunite' - just right for the bulid-up to the album" - Sean Warner. Jun 10: "Good to have some news on the new Cliff and Shadows album. I certainly like those three songs so I'm sure Cliff and the Shads will do them justice" - Gary Capaldi. Jun 10: Cliff: (on his films) "We started getting scripts that were full of red buses and we decided to pass for a while. Everything else was going very well and I was busy and I think: this is where the good management comes in. We thought it was just wrong to keep doing the same sort of thing. And with hindsight, I think we were right." Jun 10: Cliff and Radio Luxembourg. Paul Rumbol from the ‘Oh Boy!’ website continues his series on Cliff Richard’s recordings at Radio Luxembourg, which began 50 years ago. In later recordings from 1962, when Tony Meehan and Jet Harris were replaced by Brian Bennett and Brian Locking, the Shadows Lux sound changed dramatically. The familiar chiming and mellifluous guitar sound, so characteristic the of 1960/1961 series, was replaced with a harder-edged, drum dominated mix - as epitomized by the three Lux tracks 'Forty Days','Got A Funny Feeling' and 'Rosalie' released officially on the 'Rock 'n'Roll Years' CD Box set back in 1997. These 1962 recordings bare no similarity to those produced back in 1960. More to come! (Paul Rumbol. www.ohboytvshow.com email: rumbers@live.co.uk) Jun 10: Cliff is National Treasure. Lady Thatcher (public life section), Sir Richard Branson (innovation and Enterprise), Dame Judi Dench (Arts) and Sir David Attenborough (Science) have all been named National Treasures in a poll organised by the Sunday Telegraph and the British Library. Sir Cliff Richard has been named the winner of the Readers Choice category. WELL DONE CLIFF! Jun 10: Did you know?... that the Cliff and The Shadows concert at The 02, London on Saturday, September 26th is to be filmed for DVD release. Jun 10: Una Stubbs: "I was very unhappily married (to actor Peter Gilmore) at the time. (Were you in love with Cliff?) "Oh, I think so, as indeed most women are that meet him. I suppose for a period I was in love with him. I was very young." Jun 10: Cliff's 2-CD 50th anniversary album is at No.52 in the Amazon 'easy listening' album chart today selling for £5.96. Jun 9: Cliff: "If I'm asked whether I prefer singing "Move it" or my latest hit I say my latest hit because it will have a different kind of excitement. I would prefer to be excited by today's noise than yesterday's." Jun 9: Did you know?... that in February 1967 when Cliff was in Abbey Road studios recording his first gospel album Good news, the Beatles were recording their "Magical Mystery Tour" EP in the studio next door. Jun 9: Bruce Welch: "It all started to change in the mid-sixties with the emergence of the independent producers, who demanded not only recognition of their own, but - like the artists they were producing - a percentage of the record sales in royalties. Mickie Most, Shel Talmy, Larry Page and Kit Lambert would all have taken royalties from the records they produced. The change occurred because gradually the employee role of producers by the big companies was being broken." More to come! Jun 9: Music industry news. YouTubeXL has gone live offering a dramatic increase in video quality. It is designed to make content on the site more watchable on TVs amd large-screen monitors. This comes after the launch of Hluu Desktop which delivers a similar high-definition streaming video service. Jun 9: On Pick of the pops Saturday, June 13th on Radio 2, 1.00pm-3.00pm, Dale Winton plays the hits from the chart this week in 1967. They include: Procol Harum, Englebert Humperdinck, The Kinks, The Tremeloes, The Hollies, The Supremes, Arthur Conley, The Beach Boys, Mamas and The Papas, Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich, New Vaudeville Band, Traffic, Young Rascals and Cliff Richard with "I'll come running". Jun 9: "What a fantastic website. Love it. Thanks for all the interesting news and stuff" - Lisa Tatla. Jun 9: "I found your site when searching for Cliff Richard and thought that you may be interested in these Cliff Richard videos: http://www.newsplayer.com/Music-Videos-R They are free to view so feel free to put the link on your site for others to enjoy too. All the best" - Ben Benetis. Jun 9: Cliff's Time Machine is at No.3 and 21 and in the Amazon 'easy listening' Music DVD chart today. Here is the Top 10: 1."The Jolson Story/Jolson sings again". 2.Celine Dion. 3.CLIFF RICHARD (Standard edition). 4.Michael Ball. 5.Robbie Williams. 6.John Denver. 7.Il Divo. 8.The Carpenters. 9.Celtic Woman. 10. Andrew Lloyd Webber. Outside the top 10: 21.CLIFF RICHARD (Special edition). 23.An audience with - CLIFF RICHARD selling for £6.98.47.From a distance...The Event - CLIFF RICHARD selling for £14.98. Jun 9: Jet Harris 50th Anniversary Tour. Here are the latest Jet Harris gigs. PLEASE NOTE: Now switched to the simple 50th Anniversary Tour tag and dropped 'Me And My Shadows' and 'Back In Our Rock 'n' Roll Days'. Saturday, July 11th- Jet Harris, Billie Davis, The Rapiers and The Songbirds-Village Hall, Crowle, Worcestershire, Tel.01905-381130, Sunday, September 6th-Jet Harris, Billie Davis, The Jet Harris Band-Regent Theatre, Christchurch, Dorset, Tel. 01202-499199, Thursday, September 17th-Jet Harris, Billie Davis, The Rapiers and The Songbirds-Ferneham Hall, Fareham, Hampshire, Tel. 01329-231942, Friday, September 18th-Jet Harris, Billie Davis, The Rapiers and The Songbirds-Towngate Theatre, Basildon, Essex 01268-465465, Tuesday, September 22nd-Jet Harris, Billie Davis and The Jet Harris Band-Chicago Rock Cafe, Chester Le Street, Durham, Tel. 0191-3875012, Wednesday, September 23rd-Jet Harris, Billie Davis and The Jet Harris Band-Darlington Arts Centre, Darlington, Durham, Tel. 01325 348843, Thursday, September 24th-Jet Harris, Billie Davis and The Jet Harris Band - Victoria Theatre, Halifax, Yorkshire, Tel. 01422-351158, Friday, September 25th-Jet Harris, Billie Davis and The Jet Harris Band - Empire Theatre, Consett, Durham, Tel. 01207-218171 and Sunday, September 27th-Jet Harris, Billie Davis and The Jet Harris Band-Whitby Pavilion, Whitby, Yorkshire, Tel. 01947-604855. Jun 8: Bruce Welch: "In the early days of recording, A & R producers were all-powerful, choosing the material for their artists to record, undertaking the final say in which records were released. Most were musicians who could read music and could score arrangements, yet because they were employers, they were called upon to diversify their particular talents across a wide range of artists and musical styles, and could often find themselves working with a rock'n'roll band in the morning, a brass band in the afternoon, and a comedian in the evening, each one requiring a different specialist talent." More to come! Jun 8: Cliff and Radio Luxembourg. Paul Rumbol from the ‘Oh Boy!’ website continues his series on Cliff Richard’s recordings at Radio Luxembourg, which began 50 years ago. In addition to the 'Rivlin' limiter/compressor, the Luxembourg technicians also used a Danish reverberation unit called 'Wifos' on Cliff's 'Presley type' numbers to create an authentic 1950's rock 'n' roll sound. "Those recordings were quite amazing and Cliff especially loved them", recalls sound engineer Alan Bailey. "In fact Cliff was so impressed he asked for a copy to take away and play to his recording company boss, Norrie Paramor." My in-depth interview with Alan Bailey- focusing on his work on Cliff's 'Me and My Shadows' series- will feature here exclusively on William's Chat - beginning in about four weeks. More to come! (Paul Rumbol. www.ohboytvshow.com email: rumbers@live.co.uk) Jun 8: In the Amazon 'easy listening' Music album chart today the Cliff CDs stand at: 66.Rare B-sides. 91.Lost & Found (from the archives) selling for £6.98 each. www.amazon.co.uk Jun 8: Cliff's 2-CD 50th anniversary album is at No.57 in the Amazon 'easy listening' album chart today selling for £5.96. Jun 8: It was 50 years ago... Vince Eager: "I'd seen Marty Wilde, Tommy Steele and Johnny Ray live in concert, but when I saw Cliff there was nothing to compare with the reaction to him. He'd taken it to another level." Jun 8: "North Norfolk radio, who are never afraid to play Cliff records, played "The day I met Marie" on its early morning show followed by "Some People" on its morning show on Sunday" - Andrew Price. Jun 7: Did you know?... that a source who worked on the Wonderful life film talking about Cliff and Una Stubbs said: "They were very young and for a while they were very much in love. There's always a sort of heightened emotion about filming on location. You're all thrown together and people do become close. But it was more than that bewteen Cliff and Una. You only had to look at them to see they were head over heels in love with each other, and everyone did what they could to make sure they got plenty of privacy." Jun 7: More on Cliff and The Shadows new album - Sept. Hank and Brian have confirmed three new covers on the new Cliff and Shadows album due for release in mid-September. C'mon everybody spent 13 weeks in the UK singles chart for Eddie Cochran in 1959. It peaked at No.6 and was Eddie's second UK hit single. It remains his second biggest UK hit after "Three steps to heaven" hit No.1 in 1960. Sea cruise is an acknowledged rock'n'roll classic by Frankie Ford. Cliff performed both these songs at his concerts at Wembley Stadium in 1989. Singing the blues was a UK No.1 for Guy Mitchell (3 weeks) and Tommy Steele (1 week) in 1957. Dave Edmunds (1980) and Daniel O'Donnell (1994) have also had hits with this song. Jun 7: Cliff talking about The Beatles. "The Beatles were doing films that were really avant garde movies of the time. (Filming Finders keepers) We were trying to do films that were one step on from The young ones and Summer holiday, but they were not different enough." Jun 7: "Thanks for the tip about You Tube. I love watching these very relaxed clips of Cliff. I just love watching Cliff!" - Ann Keating. Jun 7: "I am really looking forward to the new Cliff and Shadows. Roll on September and the album and the concerts" - Derek Benton. Jun 7: Cliff "Singing the blues" on YouTube. There is a clip of Cliff on the "Don Lane Show" Australia singing Singing the blues. Type in Cliff Richard in: www.youtube.com Jun 7: Bruce Welch: "The role of the record producer has changed quite considerably over the years and the influence and power they command today is enormous. Yet it was only as recently as the 1960s that producers were first given any kind of credit for their involvement with hit records. George Martin, who along with Phil Spector and, to a lesser exntent, Norrie Paramor, was possibly the most influential and successful producer of the sixties, was never credited on any of the Beatles singles until 'All you need is love'. Being a staff man at EMI he was on a fixed salary, and although he was making multi-million-selling singles and albums, he never received a penny in royalties from their sales until he left in 1965 and set up his own independent company, AIR (Associated independent Recording), taking the cream of EMI's recording talent with him." More to come! Jun 7: Cliff's Time Machine is at No.7 and 33 and in the Amazon 'easy listening' Music DVD chart today. Here is the Top 10: 1."The Jolson Story/Jolson sings again". 2.Celine Dion. 3.John Denver. 4.Il Divo. 5.Andy Williams. 6.Jane McDonald. 7.CLIFF RICHARD (Standard edition). 8.Barry Manilow. 9.Harry Connick Jr. 10.Harry Connick Jr. Outside the top 10: 33.CLIFF RICHARD (Special edition). 36.An audience with - CLIFF RICHARD selling for £6.98.71.Here & Now Live - CLIFF RICHARD selling for £7.98. Jun 7: On Sky News today on the Adam Boulton Show Hank Marvin and Bruce Welch, confirmed there will be only be 3 'new' recordings on their next album but it won't be new material - this is to keep within the context of the album. The new album will be released in mid September. It will contain 25 new versions of old Cliff/Shadows hits plus 3 new cover versions. They will add "Come on Everybody", "Sea Cruise" and "Singing the Blues". Jun 7: It was 50 years ago... June, 1959. Following the final 'Oh Boy!' show on 30th May 1959, the cast were booked to appear in their first Royal Command Performance at the Palace Theatre in Manchester on Tuesday 23rd June 1959. Cliff Richard and Marty Wilde headed the line-up supported by Cherry Wainer, the Dallas Boys, the Vernons Girls and the Lord Rockingham XI as they performed in the presence of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth and the Queen Mother. Although the contents are unknown, it is likely Cliff performed an abridged medley of songs which featured throughout the series 9-month run. Hosted by Tommy Trinder, a galaxy of other stars appeared on the bill including Benny Hill, Arthur Askey, Dora Bryan, Roy Castle, Dickie Henderson, the cast of 'The Army Game', Anne Shelton, and topping the bill, the flamboyant American pianist Liberace. This event was not recorded for television. It was the 1960 Royal Variety Performance (in which Cliff also starred)which was the first to be recorded by ATV for broadcast across the U.K. A very dark and grainy 16mm film print of the 3-hour event fortunately still survives in the archives of Granada International, who own the ATV copyright today. (Paul Rumbol. www.ohboytvshow.com email: rumbers@live.co.uk) Jun 7: "The Shadows will be on the Adam Boulton show on SKY News at 10.45 today" - John Geaney. Jun 6: Just in tonight from seeing Kytsun Wolfe and The Rapiers at the Roses Theatre, Tewkesbury, Glos. The show opened with The Rapiers and "Shadoogie" which is followed by "Apache", "Wonderful land" and "See you in my drums". As usual, excellent performances from this excellent band. Colin on lead guitar, Neil on rhythm guitar, Nathan on bass guitar and John on drums. Kytsun is on wearing a pink jacket and black trousers and he's into "Move it" and straight into "Please don't tease". Slows down for "I love you" and rocks again for "Dancing shoes". Everyone is singing along to "Living doll". "Nine times out of ten" really rocks. "Theme for a dream", "Gee whiz it's you", "A girl like you" and "Bachelor boy" ends the first half. The Rapiers open the second half with "The savage", "FBI" (with all the high kicks), "Be bop a lulu" from Cliff's first album, Nathan plays great bass on "Nivram". Ktysun is back now wearing a white suit and it's "On the beach". Slows down with "The minute you're gone". Two fast ones now: "I could easily fall" and "We say yeah" complete with audience reaction. "When the girl in your arms", a great "It'll be me". Everyone sings and claps along to "The young ones". "Congratulations". "Do you wanna dance" gets us up and dancing. Finale with "Summer holiday". Lots of Cliff fans in the audience. If this show comes round your way ... catch it. A feel-good show and some real fine Cliff and Shadows tributes. Jun 6: Cliff talking about The Beatles. "One of my fondest memories of The Beatles is that whenever I went on tour in those days, in places like South Africa and Australia, the radio stations would ask me for my favourite record. I could never think of one at the time and then I heard "Love me do". I really liked that, so I chose it as my favourite. I took "Love me do" with me to South Africa and every time they asked me if they could play a record for me I'd say, "Yes please," and hand them "Love me do". I'm sure it didn't help their career at all, but I always think I had a part in their success in South Africa." Jun 6: Cliff's film musical Wonderful life is showing on the big screen on Thursday, July 2nd at 8pm at the Elstree film festival. Tickets are £6 adults and £4.50 Children. Tickets available from: 0208-2071382. Jun 6: Cliff at Dora tribute on YouTube. You can see Cliff and Bill Latham arriving at Her Majesty's Theatre for the Dora Bryan tribute last Sunday, May 31st. You can also Dora herself arriving. Type in Cliff Richard in: www.youtube.com Jun 6: Up-coming gigs for Shadows tribute band The Bootleg Shadows: Today Saturday, June 6th-Melton Theatre, Leicester and Saturday, August 15th-The Playhouse, Weston-super-Mare, Tel.01934-645544. Jun 6: Bruce Welch: "Not surprisingly, Alan Tarney was later asked to take over as Cliff's producer. Both Terry Britten and Alan Tarney went on to establish themselves as two of the most successful writer-producers of the eighties, and I have nothing but respect for them both. Besides working with Cliff Richard, Alan produced a number of groups including the Norwegian band A-ha. Terry's work with Tina Turner earned him a Grammy award for his song 'What's love got to do with it' in 1984." More to come! Jun 6: Cliff's 2-CD 50th anniversary album is at No.35 in the Amazon 'easy listening' album chart today selling for £5.96. Jun 5: Did you know?... that Phil Everly was thrilled to sing with Cliff. Phil: "To step on a stage and sing with Cliff reminded me so much of singing with my brother. It was great to be able to sing Everly Brothers songs with someone I had tremendous respect for". Jun 5: Cliff talking about The Beatles. "I never dreamed that The Beatles would such a success especially with a name like that. It made me think of insects and I was sure they would have to change their name to get on." Jun 5: "North Norfolk radio played 'Summer holiday' on its lunch time show today" - Andrew Price. Jun 5: "William, Congrats on the 30 years of the Gloucester Fan Club. Here’s to the next 30!!!" - John Patrick. Jun 5: Bruce Welch: "Rock'n'roll juvenile came on to the market in the autumn and reached No.3 in the charts. It was a good album, featuring some impressive songs, including 'Carrie', which, when released as a single, reached No.4. To be honest, 'We don't talk anymore' stole the show and sold it." More to come! Jun 5: "I write from Belgium and my English is not very good. Congratulations, Félicitations - very very good your site. A great fan from Cliff since 1963" - Couvreur Carmen (Belgium). Jun 5: On Pick of the pops tomorrow Saturday, June 6th on Radio 2, 1.00pm-3.00pm, Dale Winton plays the hits from the chart this week in 1964. They include: Cilla Black, Roy Orbison, The Four Pennies, Cliff Richard with "Constantly", The Shadows, Chuck Berry, Millie, Brian Poole and The Tremeloes, The Fourmost, Dionne Warwick, The Hollies, Mary Wells and Lulu and The Luvvers. Jun 5: "I have to agree with Liliane Ackermann. It's an incredibly informative website. I never want to miss any of the news and endless snippets. Thanks for a really addictive site" - Mark Nicholls. Jun 5: Cliff and Radio Luxembourg. Paul Rumbol from the ‘Oh Boy!’ website continues his series on Cliff Richard’s recordings at Radio Luxembourg, which began 50 years ago. The sound productions on Cliff's first and second Lux series were both suberb and unique. Hank Marvin -now the undisputed maestro of the Fender Stratocaster guitar, rightly took centre-stage alongside Cliff's lead vocal in the final mixes, with drums, rhythm and bass relegated to playing a supportive role. But it was the Radio Luxembourg sound engineers who added that extra magic ingredient -creating tracks with a 'solid wall of sound' that could fill a room even at low-volume levels. In 1960, series producer Roger Pusey and sound engineer Alan Bailey were experimenting with a new box of recording tricks made by 'Rivlin'- which was basically a limiter/compressor that did very strange things to the sound dynamics. Loud notes were brought down to one particular level and notes of low volume became louder with more breadth - hence a solid wall of sound. More to come! (Paul Rumbol. www.ohboytvshow.com email: rumbers@live.co.uk) Jun 5: Cliff's Time Machine is at No.4 and 29 and in the Amazon 'easy listening' Music DVD chart today. Here is the Top 10: 1."The Jolson Story/Jolson sings again". 2.Il Divo. 3.Neil Diamond. 4.CLIFF RICHARD (Standard edition). 5.The Carpenters. 6.John Denver. 7.Michael Ball. 8.Celine Dion. 9.Andrew Lloyd Webber. 10.Frankie Valli. Outside the top 10: 29.CLIFF RICHARD (Special edition). 47.Here & Now Live - CLIFF RICHARD selling for £7.98. 71.An audience with - CLIFF RICHARD selling for £6.98. 73.Cliff Live (3 DVD box-set) - CLIFF RICHARD selling for £17.48. Jun 4: Did you know?... that Cliff had a brief flirtation with Una Stubbs. Una: "We had been keen on each other for quite a while. The, during Wonderful life, it turned into a romance although I always kept very quiet about it. Even my closest friends didn't know." Jun 4: Music industry news. eBay is urging the music industry to work with it to tackle the problem of online piracy, as it launches a new anti-counterfeit campaign The new campaign, Fighting Fakes With eBay, is part of the company’s commitment to reduce the number of fake items sold on the site. eBay says counterfeit CDs and DVDs are a particular problem and the company’s European senior vice president Doug McCallum calls on the music industry to get involved. “Counterfeiters’ sophistication keeps increasing, making it ever harder to differentiate a genuine item from a fake. We invest millions of dollars annually to prevent potential counterfeits from appearing and millions more removing from our sites the few that slip through,” he says. “Clearly, as we do not have the expertise to assess the authenticity of every branded product, we are unable to tackle the problem alone. The fight against counterfeits requires a coordinated and global approach – with governments, rights owners, law enforcement and industry working together to combat the issue. We hope this latest anti-counterfeit initiative will raise awareness and put the VeRO programme and the support it offers, front of mind with rights owners.” eBay does, however, explain that 99% of all items listed on eBay have no suspicion of counterfeit. Jun 4: Cliff talking about The Beatles. "People think we were snowed under by The Beatles. But I never thought we were. People forget what everybody else was doing because of all the media attention heaped upon The Beatles. There's no doubt that The Beatles took pop music into another realm. It had to happen. Someone had to do it, and they did it. It couldn't have been us because we started too early. But we were pioneers, and they came after the pioneers, built upon that foundation and took it soaring away. It's amazing how things seem to have five-year cycles. We started in 1958, and almost to the day five years later you get a new group coming up who get a reaction similar to what we got. And they sort of took over, but we were still touring and selling out and the records were still in the Top Ten." Jun 4: "Thank you William, your site is a well of Cliff related facts. You know that I'm a regular visitor of your jukebox website, I simply can't be without your topics starting with 'DID YOU KNOW?'... 'It was 50 years ago...'... 'CLIFF:'... 'CLIFF and Radio Luxembourg'... 'IT WAS 50 YEARS AGO TODAY... "OH BOY!"'...'CLIFF talking about...'...all the information about CLIFF and his records from celebrities like Bruce Welch, Hank Marvin and others....then I like every information about concerts and it's fun to see visitors sending messages to you. William, what did you have in mind when starting 'It was 50 years ago today'?... did you imagine that you'll have to continue for another 50 years and more? Well, as a big CLIFF fan + your website, I'll do my best to hold out LOL, because it's so interesting. Take care... see you at Cliff & the Shadows... hopefully! With cliffie regards" - Liliane Ackermann (Luxembourg). Jun 4: Bruce Welch: "We don't talk anymore became Cliff Richard's biggest-selling single of all time, with sales around the world in excess of 5 million. In America it became only his fourth hit, and reached No.7 in the national chart. By now Cliff and Terry Britten had completed their new album, which was provisionally called Rock 'n' roll juvenile. It was ready for release, but heated discussions developed between the singer and his record company. EMI insisted that he include 'We don't talk anymore' on the new album because it would guarantee bigger record sales. Cliff was having none of it. This was his album and he wanted to release it as it was. But the record company was loath to put the album out without the hit number on it, and in the end Cliff climbed down." More to come! Jun 4: Cliff's 2-CD 50th anniversary album is at No.53 in the Amazon 'easy listening' album chart today selling for £5.96. Jun 3: Did you know?... that Cliff has always loved Jerry Lee Lewis. Cliff and the Drifters played 'Great balls of fire' and 'Breathless' in their early set and Cliff loved 'Whole lotta shakin' goin' on'. When they found Jerry was playing at the Kilburn State Theatre on Sunday 25 May they bought tickets as soon as they went on sale. After the show Cliff had his picture taken standing next to Jerry Lee. Jun 3: "Just like to say that I bought the Olivia DVD a couple of weeks and would recommend it to anyone who likes her music. Has all the videos on it over the years. Brilliant site" - Paula Adams. Jun 3: Did you know?... what early 60s pop star rival Adam Faith said about Cliff. "I suppose I felt a certain amount of competition from Cliff but, amazingly enough, we never got to know each other well in those days because we were both so busy. The only times we would meet would be at a transport cafe and he'd say, "I've just been to Grantham. Where are you going?" and I'd say, "Well, I'm off to Southampton." Then we'd meet at the New Musical Express Poll Winners concerts at Wembley Pool and we'd sit and chat. He was a nice lad, but there was a a big enough audience for all of us." Jun 3: Cliff's Time Machine is at No.5 and 38 and in the Amazon 'easy listening' Music DVD chart today. Here is the Top 10: 1.Il Divo. 2."The Jolson Story/Jolson sings again". 3.Celine Dion. 4.George Formby. 5.CLIFF RICHARD (Standard edition). 6.Michael Ball. 7.Michael Ball. 8.Celtic Woman. 9.Barbra Streisand. 10.Daniel O'Donnell. Outside the top 10: 38.CLIFF RICHARD (Special edition). Jun 3: The Olivia Newton-John 2-DVD set Olivia Newton-John: Video Gold 1 & 11 contains 39 tracks, which include: Totally hot, Landslide, Magic, Physical, A little more love, Silvery rain, Hopelessly devoted to you, Let me be there, Heart attack, Soul kiss, I honestly love you, Sam, Suddenly, You're the one that I want and Xanadu. The DVD is back up to No.29 in the Amazon 'easy listening' Music DVD chart today selling for £15.69. Jun 3: Bruce Welch: "We recorded We don't talk anymore in June and it was released the following month; incredibly, it was Cliff Richard's seventy-fifth single. It took a lot of people by surprise when they heard it. Was this really Cliff Richard singing in falsetto? Its impact was tremendous. On 25 September it climbed into the No.1 position, where it remained for a further four weeks. It was Cliff's first chart-topper since 'Congartualtions', eleven years before." More to come! Jun 3: "Thanks for all the gig details you provide. Would like to catch the Rapiers again sometime this year, their Shadows sound is just spot on. Great musicians those boys. Colin Pryce-Jones has really got the Hank sound" - Keith Bain. Jun 3: "Belated congratulations on your Cliff website figures. Like others, I check it often and I always find something new and interesting to read on it. Carry on Cliffin' - Sue Martin. Jun 3: It was 50 years ago... June, 1959. Following “Oh Boy” and the frenetic tour of Britain during February-May 1959, Cliff takes an impromptu holiday from 2nd-15th June driving across Europe to Italy with his friend Ronnie Ernstine, a female acquaintance named Pam, and Drifters drummer Tony Meehan. Cliff Richard speaks to the NME in a long-distance phone call at Via Reggio in Italy: "I'm having a ball. I'm surprised English people here know me. Italian groups play Presley numbers and someone got me to sing in a night club. I enjoyed it and so did the Italian girls, too!" On the return journey Cliff stops at Ray Barracks in Bad Nauheim, Germany, where Elvis was serving in the Army, but apparently missed him by 20 minutes. Amateur footage of this event was discovered in the attic of Ronnie Ernstine’s mother during the 1990's and has since featured in several documentaries. The holiday proved a welcome break for Cliff before he recommenced his gruelling schedule of live concert dates in Britain starting on Saturday 20th June at the Hippodrome in Birmingham. (Paul Rumbol. www.ohboytvshow.com email: rumbers@live.co.uk) Jun 2: Hank Marvin: (remembering the day his first Stratocaster guitar, bought for him by Cliff, arrived) "A magnificent flat case with plush red lining came, and inside it was this magnificent guitar - flamingo pink with a maple fingerboard. You didn't have to play it.You just had to hang it around your neck and the audience would be totally impressed." Jun 2: On Thursday, July 9th the audiobook of Cliff's chart-topping book My Life, My Way Audio CD is published by Hachette Audio. £13.20 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK. Available from: www.amazon.co.uk Jun 2: It was 50 years ago... June, 1959. The EP Cliff No.1 is released. Tracks are: Apron strings, My babe, Down the line, I gotta feeling, Baby I don't care and Jet Black (The Drifters). From the sleevenotes by James Wynn: "It's a well known fact that the dark-haired, energetic singer's personal favourite is the remarkable Elvis Presley, so it won't come as a surprise that he should want to include one of his major hits - Baby I don't care - in this recital by way of a tribute. Another young star who is "the most" in Cliff's estimation is Ricky Nelson, the singer responsible for such 'r and r' successes as I got a feeling and My babe, while Down the line is one of the many songs associated with the effervescent Jerry Lee Lewis. Completing the programme is a relatively new song, Apron strings, which Cliff performs on record for the first time here, and Jet black, a showcase for The Drifters. It was written by electric bassist Jet Harris to feature himself and drummer Tony Meehan." Jun 2: On Pick of the pops on Saturday, June 6th on Radio 2, 1.00pm-3.00pm, Dale Winton plays the hits from the chart this week in 1964. They include: Cilla Black, Roy Orbison, The Four Pennies, Cliff Richard with "Constantly", The Shadows, Chuck Berry, Millie, Brian Poole and The Tremeloes, The Fourmost, Dionne Warwick, The Hollies, Mary Wells and Lulu and The Luvvers. Jun 2: Bruce Welch: "Despite everything, there was only one person who could record it (We don't talk anymore) - Cliff Richard. I phoned Peter Gormley and told him I had a marvellous song in my possession which would be ideal for Cliff, and I added that I wanted to produce it myself. Peter loved the song, and when I played it to Cliff his reaction was immediate: he was very excited and we all realized its potential. It sounded like a hit record, and a big one." More to come! Jun 2: Music industry news. Plans for Spotify to be moblie-friendly have moved closer with the news that the service has given its first Google Android demo. The company describes the demo as "very much a work in progress and is subject to change." Jun 2: Cliff's 2-CD 50th anniversary album is at No.29 in the Amazon 'easy listening' album chart today selling for £5.96. Jun 2: New up-dated list of up-coming gigs for top Shadows tribute band The Rapiers: Saturday, June 6th-Image Of Cliff concert with Kytsun "Cliff Richard" Wolfe, Roses Theatre, Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, Tel. 01684-295074, Saturday, July 4th-Pontins Pakefield Seaside Village, Lowestoft, Suffolk, Tel. 0844-5765924, Wednesday, July 15th-Image of Cliff concert with Kytsun "Cliff Richard" Wolfe - Kings Theatre, Portsmouth, Hampshire, Tel. 0239-2828282, Sunday, July 19th-with Dave Sampson - Jacks Hill Cafe, Towcester, Northamptonshire, Tel. 01327-350 522, Tuesday, July 21th-Searles Leisure Resort, Hunstanton, Norfolk, Tel. 01485-534211, Saturday, July 25th-with Mike Berry - Oilers Motorcycle Club, Honkala, Aitoo, Finland, Friday, July 31st-Pontins Holiday Camp, Brean Sands, Somerset, Tel. 0844-5765943, Saturday, August 1st-Pontins Holiday Camp, Brean Sands, Somerset, Tel. 0844-5765943, Saturday, August 8th-St Joseph's Social Club, Sutton-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, Tel. 01623-552387 and Tuesday, August 25th-Searles Leisure Resort, Hunstanton, Norfolk, Tel. 01485-534211. Jun 1: Cliff talking about "Me and my Shadows" album. "I'm still really proud of that album. A lot of people like Eric Clapton and the guys in Fleetwood Mac were inspired by it because of Hank's guitar work; I think we invented our own English rock'n'roll. It wasn't American, but neither was it 'Rock with the caveman'." Jun 1: Cliff & Shadows 2009 concerts- new date. A new date has been added to the Cliff and the Shadows 2009 reunion tour. Wednesday, November 18th - GOTHENBURG, Scandinavium, Sweden. Tickets go on sale on Tuesday, June 9th. Jun 1: Bruce Welch: "It was while we were recording material for this album that Alan Tarney came into the studio one morning with a new song he had written, which he wanted me to hear. He was a very talented writer and Cliff had recorded several of his numbers. I listened to his song in a break during the session ... and couldn't believe what I was hearing. It was called 'We don't talk anymore', and I knew instantly that it would be a smash hit." More to come! Jun 1: Australia's tribute to the Shadows and other instrumental groups. Shadoz 2009. The 7th "Shadoz" is being held again at the Northcote RSL Club, 496, High Street, Vic.3070 on Sunday, June 7th. This year inlcudes a tribute to The Shadows and includes many varities of instrumental music such as The Ventures, Duane Eddy, Johnny & The Hurricanes, The Atlantics, Chet Atkins plus many more. More information on: gjermy@bigpond.net.au Jun 1: "North Norfolk radio played "Summer holiday" today on its afternoon show" - Andrew Price. Jun 1: Mail on Sunday: 'Cliff Richard's £6m Barbados villa: Sun, sea... and the humidity is just perfect for his vocal cords' By Zoe Dare Hall. With four months to go before his world tour with The Shadows to celebrate 50 years in showbusiness, Cliff Richard is relishing respite from the public gaze in Barbados, where he can party in private. Unlike those who frequent the flash Sandy Lane resort and pose for the paparazzi - from stalwarts Simon Cowell and Michael Winner to newcomers such as Westlife's Kian Egan, who got married there earlier this month - Sir Cliff prefers to keeps his social life behind the closed doors of Coral Sundown, his plantation-style villa on David Lloyd's Sugar Hill Resort, set inland from the celebrity-studded 'Platinum' coast. 'I didn't want to be near the beach because Barbados is a great British tourist destination and I spend my whole life with the public, so I wanted my home to be unobtainable,' says Sir Cliff. Sir Cliff Richard's six-bedroom villa in Barbados is far away from prying eyes 'At least in my home I'm away from prying eyes. I can relax here with this fantastic view.' He currently has friends from Florida in three of the six bedrooms in his three-storey house where the Blairs famously holidayed for free. In the garden is a tennis court, a large mosaic-tiled pool and a white pagoda. I'm a quarter of a mile from the beach and all I see from my balcony is sea framed by palm trees that I planted five years ago and are now 40ft high,' says Sir Cliff, who recently welcomed Piers Morgan into the £6million villa so he could be interviewed for an ITV golden anniversary programme to be shown this summer. Sir Cliff was Sugar Hill resort's first buyer. In 2000, he picked the biggest plot on which to build the 50-acre resort's most expensive house - the most luxurious he has owned, he says. 'David Lloyd gave me first choice, so I went for the most mature one that felt the most cut off from the rest of the world. 'But I also like this development because I'm surrounded by the tennis fraternity,' he says, adding that John Lodge from The Moody Blues has a house nearby, as did his friend the late Bob Monkhouse. Since his house was completed in December 2001, Sir Cliff, who is terrified of catching a cold on tour and having to cancel gigs, has used it to escape the British winter every year. 'Barbados has the ideal weather for singers - the heat and humidity are good for the throat,' Sir Cliff explains. 'I usually come here between January and April and set myself up as a base, so friends can come to stay.' Jun 1: Cliff's Time Machine is at No.7 and 47 and in the Amazon 'easy listening' Music DVD chart today. Here is the Top 10: 1.Celine Dion. 2."The Jolson Story/Jolson sings again". 3.Judy Garland. 4.John Denver. 5.Michael Ball. 6.Il Divo. 7.CLIFF RICHARD (Standard edition). 8.Robbie Williams. 9.The Carpenters. 10.Tony Bennett. Outside the top 10: 31.His land - CLIFF RICHARD. 47.CLIFF RICHARD (Special edition). 71.Castles in the air - CLIFF RICHARD selling for £19.99. 73.Here & Now live - CLIFF RICHARD selling for £7.98. Jun 1: "Good to see the new Jet concert dates. I'm hoping to catch his show later this year" - Tom Miles. Jun 1: "Congratulations on your web figures. I know I look at your site several times a day so they include me! Must be seven years now. Best wishes" - Steve Sayle. Jun 1: Reflections on "Oh Boy!" Paul Rumbol concludes his mini-series on the legacy of Oh Boy! which ended its run 50 years ago this week. Let's conclude our look at these four telerecorded shows starring Cliff and go on a fanciful voyage to discover what treasures they might contain, should they ever be unearthed! 'Oh Boy!' (USA Print) Show 12. 23rd May 1959. We know for certainty that this title was available from ABC archives up to 1966. A 2-minute clip of Cliff and the Drifters performing their latest single release “Mean Streak” was lifted from this show for inclusion in a documentary made in 1966 to commemorate ABC’s tenth anniversary in broadcasting. This documentary entitled “The ABC of ABC” was donated to the British Film Institute archives where it still resides today. “Mean Streak” features a moody-looking Cliff in his famous pink jacket flanked by the Drifters in silhouette. It is to-date the earliest known surviving footage of Cliff and the Drifters on film.The telerecording of the full 23rd May show was obviously available to producers at that time but has since gone missing. Cliff no doubt performed more songs on this show but the titles are unknown. There is also a picture of Cliff, Marty and Dickie Pride performing together on this show but once again any details will have to remain unanswered. (Paul Rumbol. www.ohboytvshow.com email: rumbers@live.co.uk) Jun 1: Cliff chart site. For those who like statistics ... from June 2002 upto May 31st, 2009, the successful hits total for Cliff Chart Site website now totals 27,701,678. Jun 1: Jet Harris 50th Anniversary Tour. Here are the latest Jet Harris gigs. PLEASE NOTE: Now switched to the simple 50th Anniversary Tour tag and dropped 'Me And My Shadows' and 'Back In Our Rock 'n' Roll Days'. Saturday, July 11th- Jet Harris, Billie Davis, The Rapiers and The Songbirds-Village Hall, Crowle, Worcestershire, Tel.01905-381130, Sunday, September 6th-Jet Harris, Billie Davis, The Jet Harris Band-Regent Theatre, Christchurch, Dorset, Tel. 01202-499199, Thursday, September 17th-Jet Harris, Billie Davis, The Rapiers and The Songbirds-Ferneham Hall, Fareham, Hampshire, Tel. 01329-231942, Friday, September 18th-Jet Harris, Billie Davis, The Rapiers and The Songbirds-Towngate Theatre, Basildon, Essex 01268-465465, Tuesday, September 22nd-Jet Harris, Billie Davis and The Jet Harris Band-Chicago Rock Cafe, Chester Le Street, Durham, Tel. 0191-3875012, Wednesday, September 23rd-Jet Harris, Billie Davis and The Jet Harris Band-Darlington Arts Centre, Darlington, Durham, Tel. 01325 348843, Thursday, September 24th-Jet Harris, Billie Davis and The Jet Harris Band - Victoria Theatre, Halifax, Yorkshire, Tel. 01422-351158, Friday, September 25th-Jet Harris, Billie Davis and The Jet Harris Band - Empire Theatre, Consett, Durham, Tel. 01207-218171 and Sunday, September 27th-Jet Harris, Billie Davis and The Jet Harris Band-Whitby Pavilion, Whitby, Yorkshire, Tel. 01947-604855. Jun 1: In May this website had 355,747 successful hits. This is the 3rd highest monthly figure for May since the website started in 2002. A huge and sincere THANK YOU for your continued support. May 31: Cliff: (talking about his fans) "Of course fans have vastly different degrees of commitment - from those who lash out occasionally on a favourite single to those who turn up concert after concert, never seem to get bored, buy every Cliff record released, including all the compilations, support me with their cheque boks no matter what the charity, shower me with flowers until home resembles a florist's shop window, and defend me with sharpened nails, if need be, against the knockers and cynics. They're a fantastic group of people, and in all honesty I can't believe many other artists can boast such a responsible and dedicated following." May 31: Halifax Courier: Summer holiday – in winter! By Pauline Hawkins. Buttershaw St Paul's Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society has obtained the rights to present the stage version of Summer Holiday in January next year at St George's Hall, Bradford. The stage show, which originally featured Darren Day, was first performed in 1995 and is based on the 1963 film which starred Cliff Richard. Group spokesman Alan Hirst says: "This will be the first time that this colourful and popular musical will have been staged in the Bradford area." The society is holding an open preview night on Wednesday (7.30pm) in the schoolrooms on St Paul's Avenue, Wibsey, before auditions which will be held on Monday, June 15. Further information from Gillian Bastow, tel: 01274 413255. May 31: Reflections on "Oh Boy!" Paul Rumbol continues his mini-series on the legacy of Oh Boy! which ended its run 50 years ago this week. Let's continue our look at these four telerecorded shows starring Cliff and go on a fanciful voyage to discover what treasures they may contain, should they ever be unearthed! 'Oh Boy!' (USA Print) Show 9. 2nd May 1959. I scored a minor victory in 2004 when Jack Good undertook a search of his loft at his New Mexico home in the US and found paperwork for the complete running-order to this 2nd May edition of Oh Boy!. Cliff opens the show with a couple of verses of 'Dynamite' which forms part of the show's opening medley. Also in the first-half is Cliff's first smouldering performance of Fabian's current hit 'Turn Me Loose'. This number was repeated of course in the final surviving show and Cliff's performance of it in stripey pyjama tops with vocal backing by the Dallas Boys is now widely-recognized by all fans. Cliff and the Drifters open the second-half with 'Choppin' n' Changin' - the latest rocking composition from Ian 'Sammy' Samwell who was in the audience that night.This is immediately followed by Marty and Cliff donning acoustic guitars for their version of the obscure Billy Mize & Cliff Crofford 1959 US country-hit 'Tell Him No'. For the finale the week's special guest Alma Cogan joins Marty and Cliff for 'That's Love' - a song that became a hit in 1960 for Billy Fury. Several pictures survive in the archive of photographer Harry Hammond of all these performances with a casual-looking Cliff wearing a white plain pullover jumper and black slacks for the entire second-half of the show. Concluding Part to follow. (Paul Rumbol. www.ohboytvshow.com email: rumbers@live.co.uk) May 31: The Hank Marvin album "Guitar Man" is at No.82 in the Amazon Top 100' easy listening' music chart today selling for £6.48. May 31: Elaine Paige mentioned the Dora Bryan Tribute on her show today on BBC Radio 2 and mentioned that Sir Cliff is appearing. May 31: Cliff at Dora Bryan Tribute. Sir Cliff is among a host of celebrities paying tribute to Dora Bryan's seven-decade theatrical career in a gala show tonight, 7.30pm at Her Majesty's Theatre in London. Proceeds from the show will go to the Variety Club's Children's Charity. May 31: In The People newspaper today: On this day May 31st, 1964 - Top 10 singles - 1.You're my world - Cilla Black. 2.It's over - Roy Orbsion. 3.Juliet - The Four Pennies. 4.Constantly - Cliff Richard. 5.Rise and fall of Flingel Bunt - The Shadows. 6.No particular place to go - Chuck Berry. 7.My boy lollipop - Millie. 8.Someone, someone - Brian Poole and The Tremeloes. 9.A little loving - The Fourmost. 10.Walk on by - Dionne Warwick. May 31: "The Mail on Sunday newspaper has an article on Cliffs homes in todays paper. North Norfolk radio played "Miss you nights" on its morning show" - Andrew Price. May 31: "Have been enjoying all the features on the "Oh Boy!" show. That TV series really livened up British screens in the late 50s and certainly helped Britain get rocking. Have seen Marty Wilde in concert recently and he still includes his old rocking numbers, Joe Brown too. Hope that Cliff and the Shads give us some of those 'Me and my Shadows' songs. That was one of the first British rock'n'roll albums and I love it" - Phil Walker. May 31: "Sorry to hear that Jet Harris is not too well at present. Trust he will be soon be back to health and playing his bass guitar as good as ever. Keep up the good work on the site." - Matt Talbot. May 31: Bruce Welch: "One artiste I did work with, however, was a young British girl singer called Charlie Dore. Because of my commitments to the Shadows, I also involved Alan Tarney - who had played bass with us in the Eurovision Song Contest, and was featured as one of the muscicians on the production of I'm nearly famous. Together we produced an album from which we had a Top Twenty hit in America, in the spring of 1980, with 'Pilot of the airwaves', which was incredible for an unknown artists, and my stock as a producer went even higher." More to come! May 30: On Geoff Barker's Rock'n'roll Party today on BBC West and South West he played Cliff's Got a funny feeling an alternate version. Apparently Hank didn't like his guitar playing on this version at all! May 30: IT WAS 50 YEARS AGO TODAY... "OH BOY!" On May 30th 1959, OH BOY! show No.38, 6.00pm-6.30pm, ITV. Produced by Jack Good. Compered by Tony Hall & Jimmy Henney. RESIDENT WEEKLY BAND & PERFORMERS: Lord Rockingham's XI, Red Price, The Dallas Boys, Neville Taylor & The Cutters, Cherry Wainer, The Vernons Girls. THIS WEEK'S SPECIAL GUESTS: Bill Forbes, Billy Fury, Cliff Richard, 'Cuddly' Dudley, Dickie Pride, Don Lang, Lorie Mann, Marty Wilde, Mike Preston, Peter Elliott. One of only two known surviving shows from the entire series. This is the show which has been played on network television in Britain during the “TV Heaven” series on Channel 4 in the early 1980’s and from which extensive clips have been taken for inclusion in numerous documentaries for more than 25 years. Cliff Richard’s sultry take on Fabian’s 1959 hit “Turn Me Loose” has been used on television hundreds of times, one of the earliest repeat showings being on the “The Kenny Everett Video Show" (Thames TV) back in 1978. Another clip frequently used is the novelty song “Three Cool Cats” sung by Cliff Richard, Marty Wilde and Dickie Pride with some unusual ‘seductive’ choreography provided by three of the Vernons Girls during the instrumental break. Other more memorable moments demanded as clips by producers include Billy Fury’s performance of “Don’t Knock Upon My Door” and Cliff and Marty fronting the entire “Oh Boy!” cast on “When The Saints Go Marching In”. In this final show there are 10 featured guest artistes (in contrast to the usual 6 or 7) in addition to the resident Lord Rockingham XI band as Jack crammed in abridged highlights of all the best songs in the series to make it go out with a bang! At the end of the show co host Jimmy Henney announces that “Oh Boy!” will be coming off for the summer season but will be back for a brand new series commencing on 12th September 1959. However when the new series did return its name was changed to “Boy Meets Girl” . More noticeably and to its detriment, the genuine atmosphere of excitement was lost as the cast had to move from the live Hackney Empire to the sedate and reserved setting of Manchester’s ABC studios in Didsbury. Reviews of the new series said it had lost the excitement and edge which were so characteristic of the live “Oh Boy!" shows! Visit the excellent "Oh Boy!" website on: www.ohboytvshow.com May 30: Music industry news. Sunday has become the most important day of the week for singles sales thanks to the impact of downloading, according to new figures from the BPI. In total, 95.3% of all singles sales in 2008 were digital, with Sunday the strongest day for downloading. 17.6% of individual downloads throughout the year were made on Sunday, with Saturday second at 16.9%. Monday - traditionally a strong day for physical music sales - accounted for only 13.4% of tracks downloaded behind Firday with 14.1%. Wednesday was the slowest day, with 12.2% of sales. May 30: EXCLUSIVE! "We regret to announce Jet Harris has been advised by doctors that he needs medical treatment on a shoulder which has been causing him great pain for some time and that he should stop playing for up to five weeks to allow it to heal. As some fans know, Jet has been bravely battling with the pain at recent shows. The Jet Harris 50th Anniversary Concerts on Saturday, June 6 and Sunday, June 7 are therefore being rescheduled for Saturday, October 24 and Sunday, October 25. All tickets already purchased for the 50th Anniversary Concerts remain valid for the rescheduled dates. If for some reason you are unable to make the new dates, you are welcome to apply for a refund by returning your tickets with a stamped and addressed envelope to the outlet from which you bought them. We are delighted to announce that former Tremeloes lead singer Chip Hawkes ("Silence Is Golden", "Even The Bad Times Are Good", "Here Comes My Baby") and Rubettes vocalist Mick Clarke ("Sugar Baby Love", "Juke Box Jive", "Baby I Know") will be among the special guests performing at Jet's 50th Anniversary in October. Yes, there you have the original bass player from a top 60s group and the original bass player from a leading 70s group who both want to pay tribute to Jet for the huge influence he had on British pop music. We wish Jet a speedy recovery and look forward to celebrating his 50th Anniversary - and 70th Birthday - with him in full health in October" - Ralph Gowling. May 30: Bruce Welch: "My own standing in the record industry had shot up following my involvement with Cliff Richard on I'm nearly famous and his two subsequent albums, and I suddenly became very much in demand as a producer. I was approached by a diverse collection of artists all wanting me to produce records for them. I turned down most of them. I had some strange requests from a few managers, and artists who had disappeared years ago came out of the woodwork to see me because they thought I could revive their careers. I was looked upon as a resurrection specialists." More to come! May 30: On Geoff Barker's Rock'n'roll Party today on BBC West and South West, 6.00pm-8.00pm, in the second hour he plays alternate takes by artists including: Elvis Presley, Eddie Cochran, Cliff Richard, Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry and more. May 30: Reflections on "Oh Boy!" Paul Rumbol continues his mini-series on the legacy of Oh Boy! which ended its run 50 years ago this week. Let's continue our look at these four telerecorded shows starring Cliff and go on a fanciful voyage to discover what treasures they might contain, should they ever be unearthed! 'Oh Boy!' (USA Print) Show 4. 28th March 1959. Memories gathered from speaking to fans suggest that Cliff and the Drifters performed at least two titles- 'Apron Strings' and Elvis Presley's latest hit 'One Night'. Because no running-orders survive one or both of these tracks may have featured in the earlier 7th March broadcast. An official 'Oh Boy!' photograph taken by photographer Harry Hammond on an unspecified date in March is captioned 'Cliff singing Apron Strings'. Therefore 'Apron Strings' was definately performed on either 7th or 28th March. Part Six to follow. (Paul Rumbol. www.ohboytvshow.com email: rumbers@live.co.uk) May 30: Cliff's Time Machine is at No.3 and 31 and in the Amazon 'easy listening' Music DVD chart today. Here is the Top 10: 1."The Jolson Story/Jolson sings again". 2.Celine Dion. 3.CLIFF RICHARD (Standard edition). 4.Il Divo. 5.Michael Ball. 6.The Carpenters. 7.Matt Monro. 8.The Carpenters. 9.Celine Dion. 10.John Denver. Outside the top 10: 16.Castles in the air - CLIFF RICHARD selling for £19.99. 22.From a distance...The Event - CLIFF RICHARD selling for £14.98. 23.Cliff Live (3 DVD box set) - CLIFF RICHARD selling for £17.48. 31.Time machine - CLIFF RICHARD (Special edition). 32.An audience with - CLIFF RICHARD selling for £6.99. May 30: Reflections on "Oh Boy!" Paul Rumbol continues his mini-series on the legacy of Oh Boy! which ended its run 50 years ago this week. If we look at those 13 telerecorded shows in more detail -we see that Cliff and the Drifters appeared in five of them .Or just FOUR if we exclude the surviving final show of the series (in which Cliff famously sings 'Turn Me Loose') from 30th May 1959. Let's look at these four shows and go on a fanciful voyage to discover what treasures they might contain, should they ever be unearthed! Remember though that the running-orders, along with the shows themselves, have long disappeared, so some of my conclusions are based on pure conjecture. 'Oh Boy!'(USA Print) Show 1. 7th March 1959. My research suggests Cliff and the Drifters performed 'Move It' by way of an introduction to the American audiences and at least one other hit which remains unknown. Picture evidence from this show also reveals the first-ever performance of 'Three Cool Cats' with Cliff, Marty Wilde and Vince Eager in the line-up. This song was performed again on the surviving final show (30th May) with Dickie Pride taking the place of Vince Eager. Cliff also took part in a closing medley of unknown content with Marty Wilde and the week's special guest Marion Ryan. Part Five to follow. (Paul Rumbol. www.ohboytvshow.com email: rumbers@live.co.uk) May 29: On The Trevor Fry Show on BBC West and South West Trevor played Cliff's versions of "La Mer" and "The letter". He played two rarer Cliff tracks every night this week. May 29: "Here are some Cliff & the Shadows "did you knows" from South Africa: The award-winning guitarist, Deon van der Merwe, released a CD, "Treffers van die Shadows" (Hits from the Shadows) and the tracklisting is as follows: 1.Shadoogie. 2.F.B.I. 3.Cozy. 4.Apache. 5.Wonderful land. 6.Atlantis. 7.Time is tight. 8.Kon-tiki. 9.Theme for young lovers. 10.Rebel rouser. 11.Pipeline. 12.Shadows - "Sokkiekeurspel" (Dance medley). 13.Dance on. 14.Walk don’t run. 15.Shazam. There is also a CD by him titled "Shadows se grootste treffers" (The Shadows' biggest hits) with the following tracklisting (I'm not sure of the dates of release of these two albums): 1.Apache. 2.Kon-Tiki. 3.Dance On. 4.Shadoogie. 5.Time Is Tight. 6.Atlantis. 7.Cozy. 8.Wonderful Land. 9.Shazam. 10.F.B.I. 11.Walk Don't Run. 12.Theme For Young Lovers. 13.Quartermaster's Stores. 14.Rebel Rouser. 15.Pipeline. 16.Foot Tapper. 17.Granada. 18.Cavatina (Theme From The "Deer Hunter"). 19. Shadows Sokkiekeurspel. One of the advertisers (a car dealership) on a community radio station, East Rand Stereo, uses the Shadows' "Dance On" as a tune in some of their adverts. At "Die Boer" restaurant-theatre in Durbanville, Cape Town, there will be a Cliff & the Shadows tribute show on the 24th of June 2009 (Tel. No. +2721 979 1911)" - Linda Pollhammer. May 29: Did you know?... that when Cliff recorded his first album titled "Cliff" he had been suffering form laryngitis and he made a mess of the song Donna. During the "Silver" Tour Cliff sang the song again, with his sister Donna in the audience...and it sounded brilliant. May 29: Cliff: "Some people think I've just been lucky, but the harder I work the luckier I get. If it was just luck that kept the hits coming, my good fortune would have run out long ago. Instead I've had an average of three hits a year during my career. The real secret of my success is that I've not had to follow myself. You know how it happens. You have two number ones on the trot, and if your third record isn't a number one people say that your career has ended. Instead I've had a lot of number threes and number twos. When I have a number one people then say: "I knew it was coming all along." May 29: Did you know?... that Cliff has always loved The Everly Brothers. Cliff: "I have been inspired incredibly by them - probably why I'm a vocal group at heart!" May 29: More on Cliff at Dora Tribute. Sunday, May 31st - 7.30pm, Her Majesty's Theatre London. The line up consists of: Sir Cliff Richard, Brian Conley, Bobby Crush, Rosemary Ashe, Billy Boyle, Anita Harris, Johnny Casson, Zoe Tyler, David Hill, Kevin Orkian, Dominc Halpin, Linda Lusardi, Sam Kane, Joanne Good, Mia Carla, Liza Goddard, June Brown, Liz Smith, Liz Fraser, Jean Ferguson, Juliette Kaplan, Robin Cousins, Amanda Barrie, Rita Tushingham, Maureen Lipman, RT Hon Hazel Blears MP. Dora Bryan will be attending with friend's Pearl Carr & Teddy Johnson. Features West End Dancers & Full Orchestra & 24 Backing Chorus from GSA. There are ticket offers on: www.theboxoffice.com and www.lastminute.com May 29: Reflections on "Oh Boy!" Paul Rumbol continues his mini-series on the legacy of Oh Boy! which ended its run 50 years ago this week. In early 1959 Jack Good clinched a deal with the American ABC network to telerecord the last 13 shows of the series, beginning with the 7th March 1959 edition and ending with the very final show on 30th May 1959. Telerecordings of these were made-up at ABC's studios in Teddington and labelled as Shows No.1 - No.13. Since 1959, 11 of those 13 have gone missing. ABC could have destroyed the filmprints but there is no evidence to suggest this was so. So there whereabouts in the UK remains a mystery. The American prints too have disappeared and a thorough search in the States has revealed nothing. Part Four to follow. (Paul Rumbol. www.ohboytvshow.com email: rumbers@live.co.uk) May 29: Cliff at Dora Tribute. This Sunday, May 31st Cliff will be among a host of celebrities paying tribute to Dora Bryan's seven-decade theatrical career in a gala show at Her Majesty's Theatre in London. Proceeds from the show will go to the Variety Club's Children's Charity, and tickets can be obtained through www.seetickets.com or by calling 0844-4124657. May 29: Cliff's 2-CD 50th anniversary album is at No.54 in the Amazon 'easy listening' album chart today selling for £5.96. This album has now spent 240 days in the Top 100. May 28: On The Trevor Fry Show on BBC West and South West Trevor played Cliff's versions of "Early in the morning" and "When you are there". He is playing two rarer Cliff tracks every night this week. May 28: Did you know?... what Gillian Lynne, dance director of Wonderful life said of Cliff the dancer: "He has an inborn line in his movements - roughly that means his body maintains a series of clean-cut, symmetrical positions during a dance routine. Again, he has a natural sense of phrasing. Though that, too, is hard to explain to a non-dancer. I can give the broad illustration that a dance sequence has to be phrased in the way a song must be phrased - if it's sung by someone like Sinatra. Thirdly, Cliff's dancing is greatly hepled by his sense of rhythm." May 28: Reflections on "Oh Boy!" Paul Rumbol continues his mini-series on the legacy of Oh Boy! which ended its run 50 years ago this week, and his disappointment in failing to discover any of the lost shows. Some rare good-quality soundtracks have recently come to light from these early 1958 editions of 'Oh Boy'-recorded live from the orchestral pit of the Hackney Empire by the series sound engineer Billy Nuttall. Cliff is captured at his 'mean and moodiest' singing 'Move It','Somebody Touched Me' and Elvis Presley's 'Trouble' and listening to these excellent and exciting performances overwhelms me with a feeling of despondency that so much of this classic TV has been lost. As Cliff appeared in nearly all the shows in 1958 one can quickly total up the number of vintage Cliff performances that have been lost! With Cliff performing at least three to four songs in each show a conservative figure would suggest some 39 complete song performances are gone forever. In reality this is probably nearer 50. Part Three to follow. (Paul Rumbol. www.ohboytvshow.com email: rumbers@live.co.uk) May 28: Cliff: "Yes, I have done more than most, perhaps more than any British pop star; I'm not going around bragging, but of course I'm pleased. And I am glad to see have seen off some writers who have slagged me, mis-reported me, and tried to make me what I am not." May 28: Music industry news. Spotify has confirmed that it is working with Echo Nest to bring improved recommendations to its online streaming music service. The company has also given its heaviest hints to date that a premieum mobile version and U.S. launch could be imminent. May 28: Cliff and Radio Luxembourg. Paul Rumbol from the ‘Oh Boy!’ website continues his series on Cliff Richard’s recordings at Radio Luxembourg, which began 50 years ago. Cliff used his first Lux series as a platform to promote the 'Me and My Shadows' LP which was shortly due for release on Friday 7th October 1960. Two tracks from it featured in the series final show broadcast at 9.45pm on Thursday,29th September 1960 just a week before the album's release. Here is the full running order to this memorable broadcast: 1.Me and My Shadows (Opening Theme). 2.I'm Gonna Get You. 3.Where Is My Heart. 4.Quartermasters Stores (Shadows) 5. Ilford Sporti Cameras Advertisement 6. I Love You So. 7.Forty Days. 8.Me and My Shadows (Closing Theme). More to come! (Paul Rumbol. www.ohboytvshow.com email: rumbers@live.co.uk) May 28: Cliff's Carrie was played today by Zoe Ball on BBC Radio 2 standing in for Ken Bruce. May 28: Cliff's Time Machine is at No.6 and 27 and in the Amazon 'easy listening' Music DVD chart today. Here is the Top 10: 1."The Jolson Story/Jolson sings again". 2.Celine Dion. 3.The Carpenters. 4.The Carpenters. 5.Il Divo. 6.CLIFF RICHARD (Standard edition). 7.From a distance...The Event - CLIFF RICHARD selling for £14.98. 8.Matt Monro. 9.Fron Male Voice Choir. 10.Eurovision Song Contest 2006. Outside the Top 10: 27.Time machine - CLIFF RICHARD (Special edition). 56.Here & Now Live - CLIFF RICHARD selling for £7.98. 67.His land - CLIFF RICHARD selling for £10.98. May 28: EXCLUSIVE! Looking ahead to Jet Harris doing more Back in our rock'n'roll days concerts with Billie Davis and The Rapiers: Sunday, September 6th-Regent Theatre, Christchurch, Dorsert, Tel.01202-499199, Thursday, September 17th-Ferneham Hall, Fareham, Hampshire, Tel.01329-231942 and Friday, September 18th-Towngate Theatre, Basildon, Essex, Tel.01268-465465. May 27: On The Trevor Fry Show on BBC West and South West Trevor played Cliff's versions of "Get back" and "Song of yesterday". He is playing two rarer Cliff tracks every night this week. May 27: Cliff: "And then the Beatles. Ah, it was said, this is the end for Cliff. I think if people look carefully at what really did happen during the Beatle years then they will find that I still had massive hits, appeared countless times on radio and TV, toured and featured extensively in magazines. You know I've never claimed that I'm better than someone else, rather I've said I'm equal to others. I've been in quite a lot of company over the years: hard rockers, punks, new wave, the disco-dancing people and so on. I've survived through it all." May 27: "Thanks for such a continued interesting and informative website. I always learn something new every day, as I'm sure many other Cliff fans do. Keep up the good work" - Shaun Roberts. May 27: Music industry news. Play.com has launched a new credit card with Visa that allows customers to collect points that can be redeemed against purchases on the online retail site. Customers get a point per pound spent at any retailer and two points per pound spent at Play.com May 27: In the Tixdaq Ticket Resale Price Chart today Cliff and The Shadows have re-entered at No.7. Here is the Top 20: 1.Michael Jackson. 2.Seal. 3.Madonna. 4.V Festival. 5.Reading & Leeds. 6.The Killers. 7.CLIFF RICHARD AND THE SHADOWS. 8.Cornbury Festival. 9.Jeff Beck. 10.Eagles. 11.Tom Jones. 12.Faith No More. 13.Capital FM S/TIME Ball. 14.Kings of Leon. 15.Enrique Iglesias. 16.U2. 17.Jonas Brothers. 18.Edinburgh Tattoo. 19.Beyonce. 20.AC/DC. The Cliff & Shadows resale price is £119. May 27: Cliff's 2-CD 50th anniversary album is back up to No.39 in the Amazon 'easy listening' album chart today selling for £5.96. May 27: Cliff's CD Rare B-sides is at No.68. Lost & Found (From the archives) is at No.84 in the Amazon Top 100 'easy listening' music chart today selling for £6.98 each. May 26: Cliff: "You know through the years people have written me off, some still do! When I was one of those rockers people said I would vanish with them. To me Elvis is numero uno and I'm chuffed to be up there with him!" May 26: On Pick of the pops on Saturday, May 30th on Radio 2, 1.00pm-3.00pm, Dale Winton plays the hits from the chart this week in 1973. They include: Wizzard, Sweet, Perry Como, Dawn featuring Tony Orlando, Suzi Quatro, Medicine Head, Deodato, Hot Chocolate, Roger Daltrey, Nazereth, Detroit Spinners and Cliff Richard with "Help it along/Tomorrow rising". May 26: Cliff's Time Machine is at No.9 and 34 and in the Amazon 'easy listening' Music DVD chart today. Here is the Top 10: 1.The Carpenters. 2.The Carpenters. 3."The Jolson Story/Jolson sings again". 4.Il Divo. 5.Celine Dion. 6.John Denver. 7.James Taylor. 8.Barbra Steisand. 9.CLIFF RICHARD (Standard edition). 10.Eurovision Song Contest 2004. Outside the Top 10: 31.Here & Now Live - CLIFF RICHARD selling for £7.98. 34.Time machine - CLIFF RICHARD (Special edition). 43.From a distance...The Event - CLIFF RICHARD selling for £14.98. May 26: "I have been enjoying all the info on your fantastic website on what was happening 50 years when Cliff was busy recording his early hits but thought it worth a big mention that it was 30 years ago on May 29, 1979 when Cliff recorded his biggest selling single of all time - We Don't Talk Anymore. We all have our favourite Cliff songs and memories attached to them. Well this song is mine! I wasn't even one when the single was released but both my Mom and Nan used to play it to me and I would cry when the record ended. I loved the record that much as I grew up that I took it everywhere I went and I eventually ended up breaking my Mom's record and my Nan had to bring her copy over for me because I was that upset! I always wonder if I would have been a Cliff fan had he not released it when he did. My Mom has always been a fan but my two older brothers are not - probably because when they were born Cliff wasn't releasing such great records! I do like some of Cliff's early stuff but for me Cliff's career began in the mid to late seventies and to be honest it is very rare that I play anything he recorded before I'm Nearly Famous which is my favourite album. A big thank you has to go to Bruce Welch! Thank you for a great website!" - Darren Price. May 26: "Wired for sound was played on North Norfolk Radio on the evening show Monday evening" - Andrew Price. May 26: Reflections on "Oh Boy!" As coverage of the 50th anniversary of Jack Good's Oh Boy! TV series comes to an end this Saturday (the final show was broadcast on 30th May 1959), Paul Rumbol reflects in this brief series on the legacy of "Oh Boy!" and his disappointment in failing to discover any of the lost shows. The series ran for 38 consecutive weeks from Saturday 13th September 1958 to 30th May 1959 and 36 of the shows remain missing. Only two survive from the latter part of the series run (4th April and 30th May 1959) which is a crushing disappointment. Cliff made 20 appearances throughout the series -13 of those in 1958 when he appeared almost every week. I do not believe any of those shows were telerecorded. Like a lot of variety television during the 1950's they were broadcast live and never captured on film for posterity. The survival rate for other music shows from this era is even more appalling with nothing surviving at all from 'Boy Meets Girl', 'Drumbeat' and 'Wham'. Part Two to follow. (Paul Rumbol.www.ohboytvshow.com email: rumbers@live.co.uk) May 26: Formula 1 News: As always, the Monte Carlo paddock was packed with familiar faces, and not just from the motorsport world. For British pop music legend Sir Cliff Richard it was his third time in Monaco. “I’ve never been anywhere else to see a Formula One race. And from what people tell me it’s simply the best, so why should I change my habit? Although lately I’ve heard that the Singapore night race is pretty cool. Maybe I should give it a try this year! Obviously I am hooked by street circuits. I think the sound that these cars make when racing through streets is much more mesmerizing than on a purpose-built track somewhere out in the countryside, so you will always find me in the city!” May 26: Up-coming gigs for Cliff look/soundalike Kytsun Wolfe: Saturday, June 6th-Roses Theatre, Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, Tel. 01684-295074, Wednesday, July 15th-Kings Theatre, Southsea and Saturday, July 25th-Princes Theatre, Clacton. May 26: On Saturday, September 5th there will be a ShadowDania event at Nyborg, Denmark. On Saturday, October 3rd the German Music Convention will take place at Niedersachsenhof, Verden, Germany. May 25: On The Trevor Fry Show on BBC West and South West Trevor played Cliff's versions of "Deep purple" and "My colouring book". He is playing two rarer Cliff tracks every night this week. May 25: It was 50 years ago... Monday, May 25th, 1959. Cliff is in Abbey Road studio 2 recording the rocking Apron strings, which will become the B-side of Cliff's future first chart-topper "Living doll". May 25: Did you know?... that Princess Diana loved Cliff's 1969 single With the eyes of a child. May 25: Cliff: "I do believe that my positive approach has won me friends, and has been an important element in my survival. I believe in being honest and it's the people around me have always kept things straight. I believe I have won through on my principles; they may not appeal to everybody, but I've never been ashamed of them. I've never been afraid to say openly and clearly that I am a Christian." May 25: Cliff's 2-CD 50th anniversary album is at No.68 in the Amazon 'easy listening' album chart today selling for £5.96. This album has now spent 237 days in the Top 100. May 25: Cliff's CD Rare B-sides is at No.78. Lost & Found (From the archives) is at No.97 in the Amazon Top 100 'easy listening' music chart today selling for £6.98 each. May 25: On the Trevor Fry Show on BBC Radio Gloucestershire and Bristol, 10.00pm-1.00am, he is playing two tracks by Cliff at about 10.30.pm each night this week starting today Monday May 25th. May 24: It was 50 years ago... Cliff talking about Mean streak: "It only got to No.10 and I thought my career had come to an end. My first records weren't as brilliantly produced as my last but there's still a magic about them and I wouldn't go back and do them differently." May 24: Arthur Howes, promoter of Cliff's early tours: "He's one of the nicest boys, if not the nicest I've ever worked with. But that's invariably my reply whenever I'm asked about Cliff, and now I pass it on...Every night seems to be a highlight when you're with him. It's always hectic, it's always exhausting - but it's always a lot of fun." May 24: Up-coming gig for top Shadows tribute band The Rapiers: Saturday, July 4th-Pontins Pakefield Seaside Village, Lowestoft, Suffolk, Tel. 0844-5765924. May 24: Cliff: "I would like to do something unusual or different but I must be careful not to dabble, that's always a temptation. Nor must I play for safety. Perhaps I want someone to make an outrageous offer! This is a time in my life when I can afford to be crazy! I don't think it would matter. I'm delighted to be even in the top 20 amongst all the new people. I enjoy making the top 30! That might worry some people, not me. I don't have to deal in negatives, worrying how some people might react." May 24: Cliff's Time Machine is at No.4 and 32 and in the Amazon 'easy listening' Music DVD chart today. Here is the Top 10: 1.Il Divo. 2."The Jolson Story/Jolson sings again". 3.Eurovision Song Contest 2006. 4.CLIFF RICHARD (Standard edition). 5.Josh Groban. 6.John Denver. 7.Eurovision Song Contest 2004. 8.Drummers Collective. 9.Celine Dion. 10.Cliff Live (3 DVD box-set) - CLIFF RICHARD selling for £17.48. Outside the Top 10: 28.From a distance...The Event - CLIFF RICHARD selling for £14.98. 31.Here & Now Live - CLIFF RICHARD selling for £7.98. 32.Time machine - CLIFF RICHARD (Special edition). 43.An audience with - CLIFF RICHARD selling for £6.98. May 24: Cliff and Radio Luxembourg. Paul Rumbol from the ‘Oh Boy!’ website continues his series on Cliff Richard’s recordings at Radio Luxembourg. The first 1960 series was introduced by a very distinguished sounding British announcer - 'This is the Cliff Richard Show, brought to you by Ilford Ltd, the leading name in British photography" which was immediately followed by Cliff's great rocking version of 'Me and My Shadows'. The aforementioned announcer also closed each show: 'Be snap-happy with an Ilford Sporti Camera for only seventy-seven and seven and always use Ilford Selochrome Pan film. Get them at your photo shop now!'. You can hear these exciting and atmospheric opening and closing themes on the following website dedicated to the history of Ilford Film. http://www.photomemorabilia.co.uk/Ilford/Sporti.html More to come! (Paul Rumbol. www.ohboytvshow.com email: rumbers@live.co.uk) May 24: Jet Harris is performing his Me and My Shadows shows with The Rapiers, Billie Davis and The Songbirds this year. Up-coming shows: Today, Sunday, May 24th-Broxbourne Civic Hall, Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire, Tel. 01992-441946 and Saturday, July 11th-Village Hall, Crowle, Worcestershire, Tel. 01905-381130. May 23: Cliff's In the country is included on the excellent 4-CD set 101 Pirate Hits, from the pirate radio ships in the mid 1960s, in the shops now. May 23: It was 50 years ago... Saturday May 23rd, 1959. Cliff Richard and the Drifters play at the Finsbury Park Empire (Day 6/6). May 23: Cliff's Choppin'n'changin' from "Me and my Shadows" album played today on Geoff Barker's Rock'n'roll Party. This was followed by The Drifters' first single "Feelin' fine". May 23: On BBC West and South West radio today Geoff Barker's Rock'n'roll Party, 6.00pm-8.00pm Geoff is starting a three-part series in the second hour "The best of British rock'n'roll" which includes Cliff Richard. Geoff's excellent show covers: Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Bristol and all the South West. May 23: You can view Cliff and Petula Clark in a sketch about the Eurovision Song Contest on: www.tube.com May 23: Cliff's CD Lost & Found (From the archives) is at No.94 in the Amazon Top 100 'easy listening' music chart today selling for £6.98. May 23: Cliff's 2-CD 50th anniversary album is at No.36 in the Amazon 'easy listening' album chart today selling for £5.96. May 23: IT WAS 50 YEARS AGO TODAY... "OH BOY!" On May 23rd 1959, OH BOY! show No.37, 6.00pm-6.30pm, ITV. Produced by Jack Good. Compered by Jimmy Henney. RESIDENT WEEKLY BAND & PERFORMERS: Lord Rockingham's XI, Red Price, The Dallas Boys, Neville Taylor & The Cutters, Cherry Wainer, The Vernons Girls. THIS WEEK'S SPECIAL GUESTS: Bill Forbes, Billy Fury, Cliff Richard, Dickie Pride, Marty Wilde, Renee Martz, Terry White. This is the twelfth show of 13 recorded for export to the United States. It is now thought that this original telerecording, once catalogued with ABC at Teddington, Middlesex until 1968, may be in the private hands of someone in the United Kingdom. Also some of the 13 copies sent to America are known to exist and in the possession of a private collector in Arizona or New Mexico. This show is unique at present because an extract from it survives to this day. A two minute clip of Cliff and the Drifters performing their latest single “Mean Streak” was lifted from the show for inclusion in a documentary made in April 1966 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of ABC Television. The hour long show, called the “ABC of ABC” which is mostly a documentary on the cultural changes in Britain from 1956 to 1966 and co-presented by Eamon Andrews and actress Billie Whitelaw, survives and is retained by the British Film Institute in London. At present this is the only “Oh Boy!" footage found other than the two surviving editions of 4th April and 30th May 1959. Jack ensured that his all-time “Oh Boy!” favourites were booked for the final two shows of the series. They included Cliff Richard, Marty Wilde, Billy Fury, Dickie Pride and Bill Forbes. Visit the excellent "Oh Boy!" website on: www.ohboytvshow.com May 23: In The Citizen, the top Gloucestershire newspaper, today 'Congratulations! Cliff fan club is 30!' - story about the Gloucester & Oxford Fan Club's big 30th Anniversary Party which 100 members attended at The Belfry Hotel in Littledean, Glos. Top of the page half-page article with large colour photo of local radio presenters who attended and a great colour photo of Cliff to the left of it. The Party is also covered in this week's "The Forester" newspaper. To read The Citizen report click on this direct link: www.this is gloucestershire.co.uk May 23: Cliff: "As a pop person I think there is a major difference than, say, being a painter. No-one sees that person perform, but when I record then it is important for me to be seen to perform well too. You have to get over what you are singing about and it's really important that I come across as someone who likes and enjoys what he does, and that the fans genuinely enjoy me, the band, the shows, whatever." May 23: Cliff's Lucky lips was played on Brian Matthews' "Sounds of the sixties" on BBC Radio 2 today. May 22: It was 50 years ago... Friday May 22nd, 1959. Cliff Richard and the Drifters play at the Finsbury Park Empire (Day 5/6) May 22: Cliff talking about "Honky tonk angel". "People said I had it taken off the playlists but I didn't. The thing is I said, I hadn't realised that a Honky Tonk Angel was....well we know now. I've got the song on my jukebox and I recorded it in all innocense. I play it to myself at home cos I think - it was produced by John Farrar, Bruce Welch and Hank Marvin, and it was a bit of a marathon for me trying to please three producers, so I have fond memories of it - I rate it as one of my best records." May 22: Did you know?... that Cliff's 1961 album Listen to Cliff was originally to be titled "Stringy and swingy". May 22: "It is fascinating reading about Cliff on Radio Luxembourg. I never used to miss the 'Me and my Shadows' shows. So thank you Paul and William for bringing the details to us. It brings the old days back!" - Malcolm Owen. May 22: Cliff: "I've always trusted my instincts and never more so than with 'Mistletoe and wine'. I think it's a truth-filled song, even if it isn't a great composition. I just felt it would go places. Not everyone liked it but it caught the feelings of countless others." May 22: Cliff's Time Machine is at No.2 and 32 and in the Amazon 'easy listening' Music DVD chart today. Here is the Top 10: 1.John Denver. 2.CLIFF RICHARD (Standard edition). 3.Robbie Williams. 4.Barbra Streisand. 5.Eurovision Song Contest 2004. 6.Eurovision Song Contest 2006. 7.Neil Diamond. 8.Engelbert Humperdinck. 9.Fireplace. 10.Il Divo. Outside the Top 10: 32.Time machine - CLIFF RICHARD (Special edition). 51.Here & Now Live - CLIFF RICHARD selling for £7.98. 61.Cliff Live (3 DVD box-set) - CLIFF RICHARD selling for £17.48. May 22: Cliff and Radio Luxembourg. Paul Rumbol from the ‘Oh Boy!’ website continues his series on Cliff Richard’s recordings at Radio Luxembourg. The summer of 1960 was an exciting time for Cliff and The Shadows with one resounding success following another. 'Please Don't Tease' proved a monster smash remaining in the UK Top Twenty for 15 weeks from early July to mid-October 1960, and in the Top Ten for the entire run of the first Luxembourg series. It attained No.1 position for three weeks in August only to be deposed by the Shadows 'Apache' on 25th August. 'Apache' gloried in the top-slot for five weeks until 29th September - the date of the final Lux show. This phenomenal run of chart success worked wonders boosting Cliff's audience listening figures and the series popularity meant that Radio Luxembourg were quick to get Cliff under contract for a second series, commencing after only a three month break, on Thursday,5th January 1961. More to come! (Paul Rumbol. www.ohboytvshow.com email: rumbers@live.co.uk) May 22: On Pick of the pops tomorrow Saturday, May 23rd on Radio 2, 1.00pm-3.00pm, Dale Winton plays the hits from the chart this week in 1960. They include: The Everly Brothers, Johnny Preston, Jimmy Jones, Steve Lawrence, Cliff Richard with "Fall in love with you", Adam Faith, Anthony Newley, Duane Eddy, Brenda Lee, Craig Douglas, Eddie Cochran and Neil Sedaka. May 21: Cliff: "I don't know if I'd call myself unique but I know I've proved that rock'n'roll is not just about sex and drugs or whatever else. Many mega-stars have dabbled in areas that I've not touched. I think I'm one of the few artists who have done justice to the music. There have been others who have come across powerfully but they haven't lasted. Some perfomers get over indulgent, and they lose their enthusiasm, eventually getting sucked into a kind of boredom. I've survived umpteen changes in culture, numerous youth exposions." May 21: Cliff's chart-topping book My life, My way (£20 hardback) is now available for the great bargain price of £3.99 in branches of The Works on UK high streets. May 21: It was 50 years ago... Thursday May 21st, 1959. Cliff Richard and the Drifters play at the Finsbury Park Empire (Day 4/6) May 21: Music industry news. New discs that can store 10,000 times more than DVDs could be on sale in five years. They make use of nanotechnology, which deals with atom-sized matter. It means devices that record to the discs can work within five dimensions, not three, thanks to light's behaviour. The discs contain minuscule gold rods that form particles of plasma when struck by light. Data can then be stored on different layers, using polarisation and the colur spectrum - the two additional dimensions. May 21: Cliff talking about "She means nothing to me". "Phil and I actually sang together, although he still did his own thing. When I went into the studio, he gave me priority to get my part right so we sang together until we were happy with my part. Then I left and he re-did his part. He wasn't concentrating on his part, more on mine." May 21: Alan Sievewright, consultant designer on Cliff's The young ones film; "I remember he (Cliff) asked me if he had short legs. Well, I said, it depended on how we would approach proportions. He wasn't a small person, after all. Anyway, I got together with Cecil Gee, very much the go-ahead men's shop in those days if you were up with fashion, and designed accordingly. He was very co-operative." May 21: Cliff's CD Lost & Found (From the archives) is at No.47 and Rare B-Sides is at No.77 in the Amazon 'easy listening' music chart today selling for £6.98 each. May 21: Cliff's 2-CD 50th anniversary album is at No.62 in the Amazon 'easy listening' album chart today selling for £5.96. May 20: It was 50 years ago... Wednesday May 20th, 1959. Cliff Richard and the Drifters play at the Finsbury Park Empire (Day 3/6) May 20: Cliff talking about "She means nothing to me". "I couldn't believe my luck! I didn't think he (Phil Everly) would even be interested, but he came over and did a live gig with me some time before; then he called to say he was doing an album and had this track. When I heard the song, I thought it was fantastic." More to come! May 20: On Saturday, May 23rd top Shadows tribute band The Rapiers play at The Wild Bunch R'N'R Club, Ostfield, Norway, Tel. 4792606134. May 20: Alan Sievewright, consultant designer on Cliff's The young ones film: "We rehearsed in a hall around Tottenham Court Road, in London. It wasn't long before the fans got to know of the venue and anyway Cliff had this pink cadillac which he parked outside! There was one day where there was an enormous crowd. I was dark-haired in those days, so we did a swop over. He would take mine and I, his. So I disquised myself as best I could and really got mobbed and almost got ripped into pieces. When the girls realised, they were livid!" May 20: Cliff: (on early recordings) "I reckon it's fairly easy to make hit records once you've got the formula. You just get a good song, make an interesting sound and it's there. But it's up to the individual performer to make something of himself - to choose records that will help, not hinder, his long-term prospects." May 20: Cliff's Time Machine is at No.2 and 32 and in the Amazon 'easy listening' Music DVD chart today. Here is the Top 10: 1."The Jolson Story/Jolson sings again". 2.CLIFF RICHARD (Standard edition). 3.Il Divo. 4.Celine Dion. 5.Joe Longthorne. 6.Eurovision Song Contest 2006. 7.John Denver. 8.Eurovision Song Contest 2004. 9.Celtic Woman. 10.Doris Day. Outside the Top 10: 32.Time machine - CLIFF RICHARD (Special edition). 41.From a distance...The Event - CLIFF RICHARD selling for £14.98. 40.Here & Now Live - CLIFF RICHARD selling for £7.98. May 20: Cliff at the RNIB. Tomorrow Thursday, May 21st Cliff performs at a gala dinner in London, in aid of the RNIB (Royal National Institute for the Blind). May 19: It was 50 years ago... Tuesday, May 19th, 1959. Cliff Richard and the Drifters play at the Finsbury Park Empire (Day 2/6). May 19: "We thought you might like to have details of all the new wines available now from Wells Wines. Some of these wines are in very short supply, particularly the new Red and White Onda Nova and the Vida Nova White 2008, as not many bottles were produced of each one. The Vida Nova White 2008 has a new, more modern label. No pictures of Cliff's windmill any more! The next Vida Nova Red and Rose will also have this style label. As usual all these wines are excellent quality" - Colin & Peggy Wells. www.wells-wines.com May 19: On Pick of the pops on Saturday, May 23rd on Radio 2, 1.00pm-3.00pm, Dale Winton plays the hits from the chart this week in 1960. They include: The Everly Brothers, Johnny Preston, Jimmy Jones, Steve Lawrence, Cliff Richard with "Fall in love with you", Adam Faith, Anthony Newley, Duane Eddy, Brenda Lee, Craig Douglas, Eddie Cochran and Neil Sedaka. May 19: Alan Sievewright, consultant designer on Cliff's The young ones film: "They had terrible problems finding the right kind of girl to play opposite him (Cliff). In the end the choice was right, in the experienced Carole Gray. I think we set out to make it all very glamourous. I don't know what I expected in Cliff. All I knew was that here would be this popular pop star and I had to fit him out as a teenager, take him back a few years. I recall he had a few henchmen around this time for he was so popular and needed some kind of protection from fans who would innocently tear every piece of cloth from him!" May 19: Music industry news. Spotify has increased its catalogue by another 120,000 tracks after signing a deal with aggregator Zebralution, bringing in recordings from labels such as Ministry of Sound, Century Media, Pavement and Peppermint Jam. May 19: "During the 7 o'clock news yesterday evening on VTM (flanders tv) when discussing the problem of royalities on songs for performers, they mentioned Cliff as one of those singers who will oose their royalities and they showed a piece from the"Some People" clip. Nice to hear they mentioned him" - Bernard Vandendreissche (Belgium). May 19: Cliff's 2-CD 50th anniversary album is at No.52 in the Amazon 'easy listening' album chart today selling for £5.96. This album has now spent 230 days in the Top 100. May 19: Cliff's CD Lost & Found (From the archives) is at No.83 in the Amazon 'easy listening' music chart today selling for £6.98. May 19: In today's Daily Mail in the Ephraim Hardcastle column: "Aged 68 and still barnacled with the title Peter Pan of Pop, Sir Cliff Richard is doing a great act of kindness for his 85-year-old friend, the ailing Dora Bryan, who is lanquishing in a council-funded bed in a Hove nursing home. Last of the Summer Wine star Dora, OBE, is down on her luck but Cliff has not forgotten how at the height of her popularity in 1967, she played his mum in a best-forgotten piece of screen propaganda, Two A Penny, produced by evangelist Billy Graham. Cliff is topping the bill at an all-star fundraiser for Dora on May 31 at her Majesty's Theatre in London. Plans to transport Dora to London look precarious. 'She is extremely frail and hardly eating at all' reveals organoser Tony Hardman." May 18: It was 50 years ago... Monday, May 18th, 1959. Cliff Richard and the Drifters begin a week-long residency at the Finsbury Park Empire in London. They are supported on the bill by Kay & Kimberley, Ron Scott, Two Rexanos, comedian Billy Dainty and the Five Dallas Boys. May 18: Did you see?... Una Stubbs in clips from "Till death us do part", which ran from 1965-1975, on Beyond a joke on ITV3-TV, a documentary looking at comedies of the 20th century. May 18: Alan Sievewright, consultant designer on Cliff's The young ones film: "The great thing about him (Cliff) then, and obviously since, lies in his commitment. He was very much at ease. I don't think the Beatles were, in their films, and the Beatles were always Beatles, up to high jinks and games, no more. They took hold of Cliff and made him play a role, something the Beatles did not. It wasn't just a case of Cliff getting up and singing songs. And you have to remember Cliff was 21, not 17, and there is an enormous difference in those ages at that time of life. He had to jump back and think what it was like to be 17. His instincts were right and you can't teach that." May 18: Cliff and Radio Luxembourg. Paul Rumbol from the ‘Oh Boy!’ website continues his series on Cliff Richard’s recordings at Radio Luxembourg, which began 50 years ago this month. As the majority of these 1960 Lux tracks were no longer than two-minutes in duration there were occasions when programmes would under-run by approximately a minute. To overcome this problem producer Roger Pusey used short-segments of tracks (usually of the Shadows) as 'outros' which were tagged onto the end of the 'Me and My Shadows' closing theme tune. These were prematurely faded out to the regular weekly closing announcement "The Cliff Richard Show was under the musical direction of Tito Burns". This occurred on at least three occasions during the first series. A short burst of the Shadows 'Quartermaster's Stores' closed Show No.11 on 15th September, and 'Three-Thirty Blues' closed another undated show. Cliff's 'I Want You To Know' was used as an 'outro' for Show No.12 on 22nd September 1960. More to come! (Paul Rumbol. www.ohboytvshow.com email: rumbers@live.co.uk May 18: John Perry, ex-Cliff backing singer (talking about "I'm nearly famous" album) "It was an amazing time. Bruce was determined to drag Cliff into the twentieth century and here were a bunch of songs of high quality. Cliff and the others had previously heard the songs in demo form and had gone through them at Bruce's flat in Hampstead and later at David Bryce's residence. So it was not a 'starting from scratch' situation, for for all that it still took some magic to record these songs, in such a short period of time, and still satisfy the perfectionist nature of both Cliff and Bruce." May 18: On BBC Radio Gloucestershire today several mentions about the Cliff Fan Club of Gloucester & Oxford's big 30th Anniversary party, which took place at the weekend (posting yesterday). May 18: Cliff's Time Machine is at No.6 and 40 and in the Amazon 'easy listening' Music DVD chart today. Here is the Top 10: 1."The Jolson Story/Jolson sings again". 2.Eurovision Song Contest 2004. 3.Celine Dion. 4.Eurovision Song Contest 2006. 5.Il Divo. 6.CLIFF RICHARD (Standard edition). 7.James Last. 8.Joe Longthorne. 9.John Denver. 10.Andrew Lloyd Webber. Outside the Top 10: 29.From a distance...The Event - CLIFF RICHARD selling for £14.98. 40.Time machine - CLIFF RICHARD (Special edition). 45.Here & Now Live - CLIFF RICHARD selling for £7.98. 50.An audience with - CLIFF RICHARD selling for £6.98. May 18: Tickets are on sale now for The Jet Harris 50th Anniversary Concert and will make an excellent souvenir because they are emblazoned with a brand new silhouette image chosen by Jet himself. Only 500 tickets have been printed. Jet also chose the Amersham Rock 'n' Roll Club as the venue for the two dates on Saturday, June 6th and Sunday June 7th because he wanted an up close and personal venue. Box office 01494-433311 www.amershamrocknrollclub.co.uk May 17: It was 50 years ago... Sunday, May 17th 1959. Cliff Richard and the Drifters appear at the Embassy Theatre in Peterborough. They are supported on the bill by Wee Willie Harris and The Bachelors. May 17: Radio presenter Keith Skues (talking about Cliff): "He looked good. He sounded great. He was a polished performer. He had a varied offering. There was a genuine air about him. He was in no way snobbish. He had professionalism. He had time for everyone - broadcasters, listeners and the general public. By 1963 I had worked with many big names in the pop world, but none were so charming and professional off the set as Cliff. He had my highest admiration then and today I have not altered in any way my feelings." May 17: Cliff spotted at Wimbledon today on BBC-2 TV. He is wearing a pin-striped suit, white shirt and dark blue tie. He is watching Agassi and Henman playing a singles match. May 17: It was 50 years ago... Bruce Welch: "Our main concern after arriving in each new town was to organize digs for ourselves. Usually the stage doorman had a list of likely places to stay which were cheap and cheerful and provided the basic requirements. Some of them, however, left a lot to be desired, and chances were that two or three of us would end up sharing a room together, sometimes even the same bed. All overnight accomodation costs came out of our own pockets, so we went for the cheapest available, and there was a great rivalty between us to see who could come up with the least expensive room for the night." May 17: Cliff's Miss you nights was played today on "The Richard Atkins Show" on BBC Radio Gloucestershire. May 17: Alan Sievewright, consultant designer on Cliff's The young ones film: "The young ones, particularly, holds up very well. It all seems very simple, but simple things are difficult to achieve. It projected an exuberance and really it was this film that set Sidney (Fury) and Herb (Ross) on their now very illustrious careers. No one thought Cliff a great actor but he was damn good, and there and then, and since, I have had to take my hat off to him. Cliff had to work very, very hard. I doubt Cliff had ever kicked his legs in the air save on a few pop songs but here he was with dance routines among professionals." May 17: "That clip of Cliff singing 'Early in the morning' is brilliant. I don't know where they manage to get all those from on Youtube, but they are unique. Thanks for letting us know about it and all the continued news you provide" - Jackie Martin. May 17: "Good reading about "I'm nearly famous" album. That has long been my particular favourite album of Cliffs. It had such a fresh sound and every time I listen to it, I never seem to tire of it" - Les Raikes. May 17: Cliff talking about "I'm nearly famous" album. "When 'I'm nearly famous' was released in 1976, for the first time I became an album artist. Now, it's funny, that between 1976 to 1988 I've sold far more records than I did before." May 17: Last night 100 members of the Cliff Richard Fan Club of Gloucester and Oxford attended their 30th Anniversary Party at The Belfry Hotel, Littledean, Glos. Banners and balloons abounded. There were special guests from the world of radio with local radio presenters from across the years. Special 'Pearl' Award trophies were given out to long-serving members of the club. This was followed by a Cliff Disco covering the club's 30 years and a very large 30th anniversary cake. The dancing went on to the early hours of this morning! May 16: It was 50 years ago... Saturday, May 16th, 1959. Cliff Richard and the Drifters appear at the Granada Theatre in York. They are supported on the bill by Wee Willie Harris and The Bachelors. May 16: Music industry news. A decision on whether Live Nation and Ticketmaster should be allowed to merge is expected soon. An Office of Fair Trade spokeswoman says a decision on the deal, which was announced in February, is "imminent" with the European Competition Commision suggesting it is now unlikely to scrutinise the tie-up. Last year Live Nation's revenues exceeded $4.1bn (£2.72bn) while Ticketmaster's were $1.4bn (£0.93bn). May 16: Cliff: "There's this fake thing about the rock'n'roll image that you have to swear and spit at your audience. I'm an enigma only because I don't fit the bill. I don't mess up the first-class cabin of a jumbo jet with marmalade and I don't throw TV sets out of the window." May 16: On BBC2-TV tomorrow Sunday, May 17th, 3.30pm-5.00pm, Wimbledon Tennis: Centre Court Celebration. Live coverage as a star-studded line-up that includes Steffi Graf, Andre Agassi and Tim Henman play the first matches under Centre Court's new retractable roof. Radio Times says: "Has there been a more heroic Centre Court performance than Cliff Richard's rain-induced impromptu singalong, when he sang unaccompanied for 20 minutes. This week Katerhine Jenkins, Faryl Smith and Blake attempt to emulate the great man, albeit with professional backing (Cliff could only call on Martina Navratilova and Virginia Wade)." May 16: IT WAS 50 YEARS AGO TODAY... "OH BOY!" On May 16th 1959, OH BOY! show No.36, 6.00pm-6.30pm, ITV. Produced by Jack Good. Compered by Tony Hall. RESIDENT WEEKLY BAND & PERFORMERS: Lord Rockingham's XI, Red Price, The Dallas Boys, Neville Taylor & The Cutters, Cherry Wainer, The Vernons Girls. THIS WEEK'S SPECIAL GUESTS: Bill Forbes, Conway Twitty, Don Lang, Marty Wilde, Mike Jackson, Mike Preston, Pierce Rodgers. This is the eleventh show of 13 recorded for export to the United States. It is now thought that this original telerecording, once catalogued with ABC at Teddington, Middlesex until 1968, may be in the private hands of someone in the United Kingdom. Also some of the 13 copies sent to America are known to exist and in the possession of a private collector in Arizona or New Mexico. American star Conway Twitty makes his second and final appearance on “Oh Boy!". He had flown especially to Britain to make his debut appearance on last week’s show (16th May) when he sung his smash hit “It’s Only Make Believe.” This week he promoted his new single release “Hey Susie” backed by the resident “Oh Boy!” band. Stalwart Marty Wilde, one of Jack’s favourite artistes, makes his 15th of 17 appearances in the series. Marty went on to host and star in Jack’s forthcoming ABC pop series “Boy Meets Girl” in September 1959. Bill Forbes makes his ninth of eleven appearances. Don Lang makes his tenth of eleven appearances. Visit the excellent "Oh Boy!" website on: www.ohboytvshow.com May 16: Cliff talking about "I'm nearly famous" album. "It's a big surprise, because I've known for a long time that some people just can't take me. They don't understand what I believe, they reckon I'm too good, too wholesome...Not that I mind having that sort of image. I'm happy to have people think that about me. Even if they are wrong! I talk too much for a start. I'm fairly free and easy and I'm too truthful. It's always getting me into trouble." More to come! May 16: Cliff on YouTube. There is a great clip of Cliff singing Early in the morning on stage in Hong Kong. Check out:www.youtube.com May 16: Radio presenter Keith Skues (talking about meeting Cliff in Kenya): "He gave me at least three hours of a very busy schedule to record a marathon interview.The Shadows also participated. The two big names in Kenya in the early 1960s were Elvis and Cliff. There was no chance Elvis would visit, but Cliff did and won the hearts of every teenager, black and white, in the country." May 16: Cliff's Words from his "Lost and Found (From the archives)" CD, was played by Brian Matthews on his Sounds of the Sixties show on BBC Radio 2 today. May 16: Cliff's Time Machine is at No.4 and 24 and in the Amazon 'easy listening' Music DVD chart today. Here is the Top 10: 1."The Jolson Story/Jolson sings again". 2.Celine Dion. 3.Il Divo. 4.CLIFF RICHARD (Standard edition). 5.Eurovision Song Contest 2006. 6.Eurovision Song Contest 2004. 7.From a distance...The Event - CLIFF RICHARD selling for £14.98. 8.Bryn Yemm. 9.Roy Orbison. 10.Michael Ball. Outside the Top 10: 24.Time machine - CLIFF RICHARD (Special edition). 66.Here & Now Live - CLIFF RICHARD selling for £7.98. May 16: Up-coming gigs for Cliff sound/lookalike Jimmy Jemain: Friday, May 22nd-Sinah Waren Village, Hayling Island, Saturday, May 23rd-The Academy Theatre, Barnsley, Friday, May 29th-Lyndene Hotel, Blackpool, Saturday, May 30th-Chadwick Hotel, Blackpool, Saturday, June 6th-Three Wishes, Edgeware, London, Sunday, June 7th-The Pavillion, Whitby, Wednesday, June 17th-Holme Farm Holiday park, Brean Sands, Weston-Super-Mare, Thursday, June 18th-Seagull Inn, Brean Sands, Weston-Super-Mare and Saturday, June 27th-Gladstone Theatre, Port Sunlight, The Wirral. May 15: It was 50 years ago... Cliff appears in the film Serious Charge starring Anthony Quayle, Andrew Ray and Sarah Churchill. Cliff says, "The people who made the film must have been daft. I was cast as Curly, but instead of simply changing the name of the character, they went through the painful and complicated procedure of curling my hair with hot tongs every morning before the day's shooting". May 15: The audiobook of Cliff's chart-topping book My Life, My Way Audio CD is published by Hachette Audio on Thursday, July 9th, 2009. £13.20 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK. Available from: www.amazon.co.uk May 15: More on Cliff at the RNIB - May 21st. On Thursday, May 21st Cliff is performs at a gala dinner in London, in aid of the RNIB (Royal National Institute for the Blind). More names have now been added to list. Cliff Richard, Brian Conley, Robin Cousins, June Whitefield, June Brown, Jess Conrad, Bobby Crush, Linda Lusardi, Joanna Lumley, Zoe Tyler, Peter Sallis, James Bolan, Billy Boyle, Liz Smith, Sam Kane, Kev Orkian, & Jill Martin, Cast of the tour of 'Dinnerladies'. May 15: Cliff talking about "I'm nearly famous" album. "Bruce and I knew we could do an album like 'I'm nearly famous' - it was just a matter of finding the right material. You see, the trouble was that when people knew the songs were for me, they kept coming up with stuff that sounded like 'Congratulations'. So, this time, Bruce didn't tell anyone who the songs were for. He knew what he wanted and he went out looking for it. And what he came up with were the sort of good rocking numbers I sang right back at the beginning of my career". More to come! May 15: "Cliff has with 25 songs, the most entries in the annual Dutch Radio 5 Sixties Top 1000. The Young Ones is at number two, the highest entry" - Jan Lensink (The Netherlands). May 15: KPM All Stars, which includes Brian Bennett and Alan Hawkshaw, CD Live at The Jazz Cafe. Recorded live October 2006. Track listing: Soul Train, Cuban Groove, Music to Drive by, Funky Express, Blockbuster, Dave Allen at Large, Grange Hill (aka Chicken Man), Countdown, Channel 4 News at 7, Beat Boutique, That’s What Friends Are For, Loving You, Hit Me Hit Me, Sports Medley (Big Match/Wimbledon/ Grandstand), Superstars, Don’t Have Sleepless Nights, Second Cut, Girl in a Sportscar, Senior Thump, The Champ, 21 Denmark Street, Everlasting Love. £10.99. Available from the excellent Leo's Den (Links page). May 15: Cliff's 2-CD 50th anniversary album is at No.58 in the Amazon 'easy listening' album chart today selling for £5.96. May 15: Up-coming gigs for Shadows tribute band The Bootleg Shadows: Saturday, June 6th-Melton Theatre, Leicester and Saturday, June 2nd-Tivoli Theatre, Wimborne, Nr Bournemouth. May 15: Cliff: (on longevity) "You have to work at it. You can't just assume you're going to make a record and it will all happen by itself, it doesn't. But, most importantly you have to love what you're doing. Then, of course, even the tough parts are bearable because you're doing whay you want to do. I've done all I want to do, but, like any art form, you never get to be perfect, but you try. So it never stops, you always want to try and get that little bit better and improve all the time". May 15: On Pick of the pops tomorrow Saturday, May 16th on Radio 2, 1.00pm-3.00pm, Dale Winton plays the hits from the chart this week in 1962. They include: B. Bumble and the Stingers, Elvis Presley, The Shadows, Cliff Richard with "I'm looking out the window/Do you wanna dance", Brenda Lee, Ketty Lester, Adam Faith, Del Shannon, Jimmy Justice, Bruce Channel, Acker Bilk and Billy Fury. May 15: Cliff Roses. C. Gregory Roses Ltd £5.85 will replace any rose purchased in the Autumn which has not grown by 1st June the following year, provided we are satisfied that the plant was cared for in a proper way. Rose Tweed Nursery, 101 Broadgate, Weston, Spalding, Lincolnshire, PE12 6HY. Tel: 01406 371633 enquiries@cgregoryroses.uk.com or Style Roses £8.95, 10 Meridian Walk, Holbeach, Spalding, Lincolnshire, PE12 7NR. Tel. 01406 424089. www.styleroses.co.uk. info@styleroses.co.uk May 14: There is a one-page article in the current (May) issue of the UK magazine The Beat. It’s a review of the recent three Cliff reissues. May 14: Peter Vince, EMI engineer: "He has always stuck by me and others will say the same thing. At Christmas I always got something from Cliff and he has carried on doing this. The scale may be less from years ago when we worked closely with each other but he still remembers and it means a great deal to me and other people". May 14: Cliff talking about "I'm nearly famous" album. "Bruce knows what I can and can't do. I mean, I can't sing like Robert Plant, so I don't even try to! But I can do a rocky number like 'Devil woman' and I can do a soft ballad like 'Miss you nights'. Those I think are the two extremes of any sort of music". More to come! May 14: Cliff's Time Machine is at No.2 and 36 and in the Amazon 'easy listening' Music DVD chart today. Here is the Top 10: 1.Il Divo. 2.CLIFF RICHARD (Standard edition). 3."The Jolson Story/Jolson sings again".4.John Denver. 5.Celine Dion. 6.Daniel O'Donnell. 7.Matt Monro. 8.Andrew Lloyd Webber. 9.Lesley Garrett. 10.Michael Ball. Outside the Top 10: 14.Castles in the air - CLIFF RICHARD selling for £12.78. 36.Time machine - CLIFF RICHARD (Special edition). 49.Here & Now Live - CLIFF RICHARD selling for £7.98. May 14: BBC to broadcast Centre Court Celebration. BBC Sport will provide live coverage of Wimbledon’s Centre Court Celebration which will launch the new Centre Court roof, on BBC2, this Sunday, May 17th, 3.30pm – 5.00pm. Tennis stars Andre Agassi, Steffi Graf, Kim Clijsters and Tim Henman will play a combination of men’s singles, women’s singles and mixed doubles for an increased capacity crowd under the new Centre Court roof. Sue Barker will present live from Wimbledon with Andrew Castle and John Lloyd providing expert commentary on the matches. Extended live coverage of the matches, as well as live music from Katherine Jenkins, Faryl Smith and Blake will be available on the BBC Red Button and BBC Online www.bbc.co.uk/tennis between 2.30pm and 6.00pm. May 14: Cliff and Radio Luxembourg. Paul Rumbol from the ‘Oh Boy!’ website continues his series on Cliff Richard’s recordings at Radio Luxembourg, which began 50 years ago this month. Cliff's first 13-week series demanded 60 songs (ie. 5 songs per show x 13 shows). That was quite a tall order for any artiste to honour, and my research suggests that Cliff and the Shadows recorded a total of around 36 tracks during the spring and early summer of 1960, leaving a shortfall of some 24 songs. This dearth of material posed something of a small nightmare for producer Roger Pusey (a not uncommon one with other artists also) and the simple adopted solution to the problem was to repeat and re-repeat many of the songs throughout the series. More to come! (Paul Rumbol. www.ohboytvshow.com email: rumbers@live.co.uk) May 13: Peter Vince, EMI engineer: "Alas, for some, Cliff is too good to be true; it just happens that he is a nice guy. I never heard him swear and he would apologise when he was wrong, and never adopt a prima donna image. I have been in the studio with him countless times, and in the cafe that was near the Abbey Road complex, and never known him turn nasty". May 13: Cliff on YouTube. There are some great Cliff clips including an exclusive clip of Cliff and Daniel O'Donnell singing Travellin' light. Check out:www.youtube.com May 13: Cliff talking about "I'm nearly famous" album. "When we first gave the finished tapes to the record company, they went wild. I was amazed. I thought, "You mean they actually like it?" When it came out, I wondered if the press would do the same old knocking bit, but they actually liked it too. I was bowled over!" More to come! May 13: In the Amazon 'easy listening' Music album chart today the Cliff CDs stand at: 56.Rare B-sides. 62.Lost & Found (from the archives) and 82.Japan Tour '74 selling for £6.98 each. www.amazon.co.uk May 13: Cliff's 2-CD 50th anniversary album is up to No.24 in the Amazon 'easy listening' album chart today selling for £5.96. May 13: Piers Morgan has been granted unprecedented access to interview Sir Cliff Richard at the singer’s Caribbean home in a brand new entertainment special for ITV1. When Piers Met Sir Cliff will be broadcast later in 2009. For the first time ever, Sir Cliff has allowed TV cameras into his home in Barbados and shows Piers the beautiful beach front property. In an in depth interview, Piers questions Sir Cliff about his astonishing 50 year career, his inspirations and what motivates him and examines how the legendary performer came to be the success he is today. Cliff chats to Piers as he tours the house and grounds, and even challenges the Britain’s Got Talent judge to a game of tennis. Piers Morgan says, “I first interviewed Sir Cliff when I was a 19-year-old reporter on the Wimbledon News, and have been fascinated by him ever since. I was astonished by the access Sir Cliff gave me for this interview, including a whole day of conversation at his magnificent Barbados home.” (www.officialpiersmorgan.com) May 13: Cliff at Dora Tribute. On Sunday, May 31st Cliff will be among a host of celebrities paying tribute to Dora Bryan's seven-decade theatrical career in a gala show at Her Majesty's Theatre in London. Proceeds from the show will go to the Variety Club's Children's Charity, and tickets can be obtained through www.seetickets.com or by calling 0844-4124657. May 13: Cliff at the RNIB. On Thursday, May 21st Cliff performs at a gala dinner in London, in aid of the RNIB (Royal National Institute for the Blind). May 13: Cliff and the Shadows 2009 tour - Sept-Oct. Some tickets are still available for the following dates of the Cliff & The Shadows Tour: - Mon 21 Sep - Dublin, Wed 23 Sep- Belfast, Sat 10 Oct - Glasgow, Thurs 15 Oct - Sheffield, Sun 18 Oct - Manchester, Thurs 22 Oct - Wembley, Fri 23 Oct - Wembley. May 12: Cliff talking about "I'm nearly famous" album. "There really has been the most amazing buzz about this album, and it started as long ago as while we were actually recording. A couple of the guys working on the sessions actually came up and asked if they could have a copy of the album when it was finished! That's unheard of, normally they wouldn't give me a second thought". More to come! May 12: Music industry news. Radio listening across the UK has reached a 10-year high of 45.8m, following a yearly gain in reach of 365,000 listeners. The increased use of digital technology saw weekly digital listening hours rise 12% year-on-year to 206m. The Q1 2009 Rajar figures show that 20.1% of all radio listening is now conducted via a digital device, up from 17.8% in Q1 2008. May 12: Bruce Welch: (on the Cliff and the Shadows reunion tour this year) "We hadn't thought too much about it being 50 years. But it is, so why not celebrate it? (Bruce is also looking forward to going back to the North East. Bruce grew up in Chester-le-Street, Newcastle) "I haven't seen the Arena yet. Of course, we used to play the City Hall, which is still going strong and I used to sing there in a choir when I was at Rutherford College. My mum is buried in Chester-le-Street and I come up once a year and have a drive around the old haunts. Newcastle is a very groovy place now I am told, with girls walking around in T-shirts in February. A lot different to in the 50s!" May 12: Cliff's Time Machine is back at No.3 and 39 and in the Amazon 'easy listening' Music DVD chart today. Here is the Top 10: 1.Il Divo. 2."The Jolson Story/Jolson sings again". 3.CLIFF RICHARD (Standard edition). 4.John Denver. 5.Celine Dion. 6.Engelbert Humperdinck. 7.Eurovision Song Contest 2006. 8.Barbra Sreisand. 9.Joe Longthorne. 10.The Dubliners. Outside the Top 10: 15.His Land - CLIFF RICHARD selling for £15.69. 28.Here & Now Live - CLIFF RICHARD selling for £7.98. 39.Time machine - CLIFF RICHARD (Special edition). 49.An audience with - CLIFF RICHARD selling for £6.98. May 12: On Pick of the pops on Saturday, May 16th on Radio 2, 1.00pm-3.00pm, Dale Winton plays the hits from the chart this week in 1962. They include: B. Bumble and the Stingers, Elvis Presley, The Shadows, Cliff Richard with "I'm looking out the window/Do you wanna dance", Brenda Lee, Ketty Lester, Adam Faith, Del Shannon, Jimmy Justice, Bruce Channel, Acker Bilk and Billy Fury. May 12: Cliff and Radio Luxembourg. Paul Rumbol from the ‘Oh Boy!’ website continues his series on Cliff Richard’s recordings at Radio Luxembourg, which began 50 years ago this month. In the commemorative 1978 BBC radio series '20 Golden Years', interviewer Tim Rice asks Cliff about his memories of Radio Luxembourg: TIM RICE: At about the time of that great album 'Me and My Shadows', I remember you had a show on Luxembourg also called 'Me and My Shadows'? CLIFF RICHARD: Yes it was every Saturday night (sic), a fifteen minute thing. We didnt spend long doing it because once we got our repertoire, which was not very many songs in those days - both our songs - (laughs) ...... every now and then they'd just change the order. We'd come in when we had some new ones and maybe record five new ones, and they would be added to the bunch that was already there and they would just swap them around. All i had to do was do a bit of chat, like....'The boys and I have been on tour and got a new song - or words to that effect!!' (laughs) More to come! (Paul Rumbol. www.ohboytvshow.com email: rumbers@live.co.uk) May 11: Did you know?... why the title song of Cliff's film musical The Young Ones was changed in the U.S. (to "It's wonderful to be young") was to avoid confusion with The Wild Ones. May 11: Cliff's Wired for sound was played today on "The Chris Evans Show" on BBC Radio 2. May 11: Cliff: (on X-Factor/talent shows) "We used to have Opportunity Knocks so it's not a new thing, it's just that this has become so big now. You know, by creating a six month show, the person that wins that competition is a household name before they've even recorded. Leona Lewis was known by everybody before she made her first record. And that's good because who'd have thought that she was wandering aroung Britain somewhere able to sing like that. Only time will tell whether she has the desire or the ability to stick around". May 11: The three Cliff CDs - out now. The Cliff CDs Japan Tour '74, Rare B-sides and Lost and Found are £5.99 each from Keymail Order. Tel.020-8603-2600 or visit: www.keymailorder.co.uk May 11: Music industry news. Universal Music Group has licensed 300,000 tracks to the People's Music Store, effectively doubling its catalogue. The site now allows users to build their own online music store, where they receive 10% of proceeds from sales which they can use as credit on downloads. May 11: Bruce Welch: (on the Cliff and the Shadows reunion tour this year) "It's a bit of history. For want of a better word, we were pioneers and certainly the first famous group. I think the original group boom came from The Shadows. Apache was 1960, and then suddenly every group had a guy with glasses on playing lead guitar. Everybody wanted to be Hank. I think most of them still do" (laughs). May 11: Cliff's 2-CD 50th anniversary album is at No.48 in the Amazon 'easy listening' album chart today selling for £6.46. May 11: Cliff talking about "I'm nearly famous" album. "It took us about a month in all, but that wasn't working every day; sometimes we'd go in at two and finish at five-thirty or we'd record in the evenings form seven to ten, and obviously we'd work a lot of overtime. I reckon that if you put the session all together, it was done in a fortnight". More to come! May 10: "North Norfolk radio played Summer holiday on its request show today" - Andrew Price. May 10: "Yet another Cliff and Shadows date! Now this one is the first night of the tour! Here's to getting some decent seats for this" - John Brogan. May 10: Una Stubbs: "It was a great run and such fun. Both of us had lots of things happening and he (Cliff) would be tied up with tours and recordings and so somehow, as it often happens, time marches on. But we have kept in touch and when we meet up it's as though it was yesterday that we were together. We've simply got on so well. I suppose it was at a time when we were very young, finding success, seeing everything as new and exciting and we built up a good relationship, companionship really". May 10: Cliff and the Shadows 2009 tour - Sept-Oct. Due to phenomenal demand the Cliff and The Shadows 50th anniversary reunion tour has now been extended from the initial 11 dates to 22 dates in total. May 10: Cliff and the Shadows tour - extra date! Another New Date! On sale Friday, May 15th 9am. Ticket price 81.25 Euro (inclusive of booking fee). Kilarney, Co. Kerry INEC Arena: Saturday, Sep 19th. Tel.0818 719300 (in Ireland). Tel.0870 243 4455 (in the UK). Tel.(+353) 64 6671555 (international) www.ticketmaster.ie May 10: Bruce Welch: (on the Cliff and the Shadows reunion tour this year) "We hope it is going to be fantastic. We hope it is going to be wonderful. I know Cliff is raring to go and we are raring to go, it will be a fantastic time, I think. Fifty years is a long time but the memories are with you forever, especially from the early days. It is just exciting, playing the big venues. I hope there are enough people alive that remember Hank and I will be nearly 68, Cliff will be 69 and Brian will be nearly 70, but I think we can show today's young pretenders a thing or two!" May 10: Did you know?... that from the royalties of "Move it" Cliff's first gift to his parents was a television set. May 10: Cliff talking about "I'm nearly famous" album. "I had these two songs, 'Devil woman' and 'I wish you'd change your mind and stay', and Bruce Welch also had four or five songs written by Allison & Sills. We also heard another forty songs and choose the best of the bunch. Then we went into the studios to begin work on the album". More to come! May 10: Cliff's Time Machine is back at No.1 and in the Amazon 'easy listening' Music DVD chart today! Here is the Top 10: 1.CLIFF RICHARD (Standard edition). 2.Celine Dion. 3.Il Divo. 4.Barbra Streisand. 5."The Jolson Story/Jolson sings again". 6.Michael Ball. 7.Robbie Williams. 8.Matt Monro. 9.From a distance...The Event - CLIFF RICHARD selling for £14.98. 10.Harry Connick Jnr. Outside the Top 10: 29.An audience with - CLIFF RICHARD selling for £6.98. 32.Time machine - CLIFF RICHARD (Special edition). May 9: Una Stubbs: (talking about the sketches in Cliff's TV series) "The audience loved them and seemed to like the fact that I got Cliff in the end! They didn't seem to be jealous". May 9: The Olivia Newton-John 2-DVD set Olivia Newton-John: Video Gold 1 & 11 contains 39 tracks, which include: Totally hot, Landslide, Magic, Physical, A little more love, Silvery rain, Hopelessly devoted to you, Let me be there, Heart attack, Soul kiss, I honestly love you, Sam, Suddenly, You're the one that I want and Xanadu. The DVD is at No.44 in the Amazon 'easy listening' Music DVD chart today selling for £15.69. May 9: IT WAS 50 YEARS AGO TODAY... "OH BOY!" On May 9th 1959, OH BOY! show No.35, 6.00pm-6.30pm, ITV. Produced by Jack Good. Compered by Jimmy Henney. RESIDENT WEEKLY BAND & PERFORMERS: Lord Rockingham's XI, Red Price, The Dallas Boys, Neville Taylor & The Cutters, Cherry Wainer, The Vernons Girls. THIS WEEK'S SPECIAL GUESTS: Billy Fury, Conway Twitty, 'Cuddly' Dudley, Dean Webb, Dickie Pride, Marty Wilde, Maureen Kershaw, Tony Sheridan & The Wreckers. This is the tenth show of 13 recorded for export to the United States. It is now thought that this original telerecording, once catalogued with ABC at Teddington, Middlesex until 1968, may be in the private hands of someone in the United Kingdom. Also some of the 13 copies sent to America are known to exist and in the possession of a private collector in Arizona or New Mexico. Conway Twitty flies in from the United States especially for the first of two consecutive performances on this show and next week's 16th May edition. In the show he sang his number 1 smash hit “It’s Only Make Believe.” Billy Fury makes his fourth of six appearances in the series. Cuddly Dudley makes his 18th and penultimate appearance. He would appear again in the final show on 30th May in which many of the “Oh Boy!" stars were booked to perform abridged versions of their songs in an action packed show. Dean Webb makes his second and final showing. Dickie Pride makes his sixth of eight appearances. Tony Sheridan and his Wreckers make their sixth and last appearance. Maureen Kershaw makes her only appearance in the series. After the show many viewers switched channels to watch Cliff Richard and the Drifters make their BBC debut appearance on “Drumbeat.” Cliff makes his BBC television debut with not one, but TWO appearances on the same night! At 6.30pm he and the Drifters starred in BBC’s pop show “Drumbeat” along with Terry Dene. It is probable he promoted his new single release “Mean Streak” which he did the previous week on “Oh Boy!" (2nd May 1959). An hour later on BBC at 7.30pm Cliff and the Drifters topped the bill in “Here’s To The Next Time” a 35th anniversary tribute show to Henry Hall. Both shows were broadcast live and probably never telerecorded. As a result these performances are presumed lost forever. Visit the excellent "Oh Boy!" website on: www.ohboytvshow.com May 9: In the Amazon 'easy listening' Music album chart today the Cliff CDs stand at: 53.Japan Tour '74. 57.Rare B-sides. 83.Lost & Found (from the archives) selling for £6.98 each. www.amazon.co.uk May 9: Cliff's 2-CD 50th anniversary album is at No.84 in the Amazon 'easy listening' album chart today selling for £6.96. May 9: Cliff talking about "Small corners" album. "The title of the album 'Small corners' was conceived from the old children's hymn which ends with the line "You in your small corner and I in mine". I thought as I was doing my own thing in my small corner it was an apt title. I really feel this one is a part of me!" May 8: "I have been listening to the radio station "Gold" (1548AM) and available elsewhere because they play music from the 60s, 70s and 80s. I listen at nights after 10pm and at the weekends. They feature Cliff a lot and I have heard "Devil Woman" and "Please don't tease" in the same week recently. Last Saturday, David 'Kid' Jensen had Graham Gouldman (of 10CC fame) as a guest on his morning show. Graham said his father took him to a Cliff and the Shadows concert in Manchester in the sixties and he had a fantastic time. When Graham's Dad died they found an unfinished poem that he had written after the Cliff concert titled 'Cliff and the boy'. Graham said he will be going to the Reunion concerts later this year and he knows that Keith Hayman will be playing keyboards. For those of you who watch youtube videos, check out Cliff with Atomic Kitten singing one of their hits "You are" and the group Another Level with Cliff's hit "Some People". Great videos!" - Walter daCosta. May 8: Did you know?... that from the royalties of "Move it" Cliff bought himself a brand new super hi-fi stereo. May 8: It was 50 years ago... Cliff's fourth single Mean streak enters the UK singles chart. It goes on to peak at No.10. The song is written by Ralph, Samwell and Seener. May 8: Una Stubbs: (talking about Cliff's TV series) "They were particularly popular programmes, but if they gave the impression of being almost ad-libbed, I can tell you they were tightly scripted". May 8: Cliff talking about "Small corners" album. "I wanted to prove that pop songs with words about God didn't have to be anything like people's pre-conceived ideas of Gospel music. But I'm not trying to convert anyone to Christianity. You can't judge what effect you are having by counting heads. A lot of people still don't think it's 'cool' to like me, and I keep seeing record reviewers almost apologising for liking my album. But I don't think I have to justify singing about my views. No one else does, and that includes people such as Kris Krisofferson, Seals & Croft and even Elvis Presley". May 8: Cliff at Dora Tribute. On Sunday, May 31st Cliff will be among a host of celebrities paying tribute to Dora Bryan's seven-decade theatrical career in a gala show at Her Majesty's Theatre in London. Proceeds from the show will go to the Variety Club's Children's Charity, and tickets can be obtained through www.seetickets.com or by calling 0844-4124657. May 8: Cliff's Time Machine is at No.3 and No.36 in the Amazon 'easy listening' Music DVD chart today. Here is the Top 10: 1."The Jolson Story/Jolson sings again". 2.Celine Dion. 3.CLIFF RICHARD (Standard edition). 4.Joe Longthorne. 5.Il Divo. 6.Val Doonican. 7.Barbra Streisand. 8.Robbie Williams. 9.Barbra Streisand. 10.Gene Pitney. Outside the Top 10: 36.Time machine - CLIFF RICHARD (Special edition). An audience with - CLIFF RICHARD selling for £6.98. May 8: Brian Bennett: (on Cliff) "Well, he has remained single and so that has made a difference; the rest of us have had relationships and families. He had the extra time for doing things. He is the kind of person who fills every hour. He doesn't throw tantrums; argue, yes, but that's a different thing. I think Cliff has found enormous happiness". May 8: Cliff and Radio Luxembourg. Paul Rumbol from the ‘Oh Boy!’ website continues his series on Cliff Richard’s recordings at Radio Luxembourg, which began 50 years ago this month. As fans would expect, Cliff and The Shadows recorded a plethora of rock ‘n’ roll classics for inclusion in the first series of ‘Me and My Shadows’ on Luxembourg.This included ‘Baby I Don’t Care’, ‘What’d I Say’, 'Let's Have A Party', ‘Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On’, 'Hang Up My Rock 'n' Roll Shoes', ‘Willie and The Handjive’ and ‘I Want You To Know’. This final track found later release on the ‘Listen To Cliff’ album of May 1961 but this is an early version of the song, first broadcast on Luxembourg on 15th September 1960, which Cliff introduces by a different title –‘Don’t You Know’. More to come! (Paul Rumbol. www.ohboytvshow.com email: rumbers@live.co.uk) May 7: Cliff talking about "Every face tells a story" album. "I usually sing straight. There are three songs I konw of where we double-tracked for effect. My voice has got better over the years and, well, I'm more cheeky with it now I've been singing like this (double-tracking vocal back-ups). I keep saying I've been one step ahead and now they've all caught up". May 7: Did you see?... Bobby Davro on Cash in the Celebrity Attic on BBC2-TV today. Included in Bobby's collection a large Cliff Richard print, tennis jacket and tennis cap signed by Cliff (from the Cliff birthday cruise). The print sold for £120 and the cap, tennis shirt and photo made £110. The auction raised £966 for charity. Cliff did quite a few Cliff impressions along the way! May 7: Bruce Welch: "When Cliff Richard and the Drifters were booked to appear on tour with the Kalin Twins, the quality of his first record got us in the engagement in the first place, and we were paid by the promoter. It wasn't a lot of money but we were paid a fee. Today, a number of up-and-coming artists actually pay as the support act on tour with major headliners. Record companies with a new act to break will often use part of thier promotional budget to buy into a major tour, to the tune of tens of thousands of pounds. But it is money well spent, because the rewards can be spectacular. The prestige value of supporting with one of the world's top-line acts is immeasurable, and they benefit also through the publicity surrounding such a tour. Exposure in this way can lead to millions of record sales". May 7: The distribution of Cliff's Vida Nova and Onda Nova range of wines in the UK have switched to Chalie Richards, the premium wine arm of drinks company Halewood International. Bob Rishworth, managing director at Chalie Richards says "I have generally dismissed celebrity wines as being a marketing gimmick, but having tasted the Vida Nova and Onda Nova range I can honestly say that I was bowled over the quality, it really is terrific wine. Sir Cliff is extremely passionate about his wines (his vinyard surrounds his Portuguese home), and would like his wines to be judged on merit and not because of his endorsement. Portuguese wines are currently experiencing an increase in popularity, so this is a great time to be adding such a prestigious brand to our portfolio". May 7: Cliff's Time Machine is at No.48 in the Play.com Music DVD chart today selling for £14.99. May 7: Cliff: (on the 'Cliff and the Shadows' years) "I guess I was one of the first to use a group as more than just backing. In the early days we never discussed ending the relationship even if with all our success people kept thinking it would end. Certainly we discussed it hundreds of times. I remember we made up our minds that we would never part because it seemed silly to break up something that was so precious to us and the fans". May 7: In the Amazon 'easy listening' Music album chart today the Cliff CDs stand at: 47.Rare B-sides. 65.Lost & Found (from the archives) selling for £6.98 each. www.amazon.co.uk May 7: Cliff's 2-CD 50th anniversary album is at No.29 in the Amazon 'easy listening' album chart today selling for £6.96. May 6: Did you know?... that when asked who has the best voice he's ever heard Cliff says "Mariah Carey. I don't know anyone else who can hit the high and low notes with such equal power". May 6: Brian Bennett: (on the 'Cliff and the Shadows' years) "It was important we didn't spend lots of time together, too many groups do this and so they never come together feeling fresh, like the beginning of a new school term! I think we were so different as people and that helped". May 6: Did you know?... that when asked about his favourite song from his own repertoire, Cliff said it was too hard to choose just one, but Devil woman, We don't talk anymore and Miss you nights are among the ones he most enjoys singing. May 6: Cliff's Time Machine is at No.2 and No.36 in the Amazon 'easy listening' Music DVD chart today. Here is the Top 10: 1.Il Divo. 2.CLIFF RICHARD (Standard edition). 3.Celine Dion. 4.Eurovision Song Contest 2004. 5.John Denver. 6."The Jolson Story/Jolson sings again". 7.Eurovision Song Contest 2004. 8.Here & Now Live - CLIFF RICHARD selling for £7.98. 9.Judy Garland. 10.Roy Orbison. Outside the Top 10: 27.From a distance...The Event - CLIFF RICHARD selling for £14.98. 36.Time machine - CLIFF RICHARD (Special edition). May 6: Cliff talking about "Every face tells a story" album. "The album took about five weeks. We basically worked on it non-stop since we came back from Russia. We are very quick, much quicker than most. We keep hearing about people taking four months over an album but we know basically what we want - whereas a lot of people go in the studios and don't even know what songs they're going to do. I sing in the vocal back-ups. That always helps on the general tone of the record because I always think the best sound is when you sing with yourself. It means the texture's the same, plus it adds a certain warmth". More to come1 May 6: Music industry news. Spotify users in the UK have topped the 1million mark. More than half of the site's registered users are now based in the UK. May 6: A Tribute to Cliff Richard at the exclusive Dovecliff Hall. A special evening to celebrate Cliff’s amazing 50 Years in show business. On Saturday, May 9th, Simon Goodall will be performing songs from his own “50th Tribute to Cliff Richard Album” as well as performing his very own “unplugged set” he specially put together for Cliff’s 50th Tribute lunch last September at the Dorchester Hotel in London. In addition, Simon will include some of his own material written especially for Cliff. The evening also includes an exquisite three-course meal. Seats are limited, so to avoid disappointment please contact: Dovecliff Hall, Stretton, Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, DE13 OJD. Telephone 01283 531818 Email enquiries@dovecliffhall.co.uk Ticket prices are £32.50 per head. May 6: "I am finding the Radio Luxembourg series very fascinating. The radio station was responsible for not only bringing pop music to the airwaves in a big way, but also for the beginnings of many radio presenters, who would later go on to wider audiences on Radio 1 and 2 and many independent stations. Radio Luxembourg was a huge influence on the radio world. The fact that it played Cliff records was, of course, a bonus" - Trevor Barnard. May 5: Brian Bennett: (on the 'Cliff and the Shadows' years) "There were so many terrific times and when I get asked to sort out individual happenings I sometimes get a blank, and it was some time ago! There was no time for egos, and anyway they would get boring amongst people working closely together. We were never treated by Cliff as though we were some accessory to his own success". May 5: On Sunday, May 10th Fawlty Towers - Re-opened on Gold TV (Sky 110, Virgin 126), 9.00pm-11.05pm, the cast look back at the benchmark sitcom. Contributions from John Cleese, Connie Booth, Prunella Scales and Andrew Sachs. Also interviews with many of the sitcom's guest actors, including Bernard Cribbins, Una Stubbs, Geoffrey Palmer and David O'Reilly. May 5: Cliff talking about "The 31st of February Street" album. "I think on The 31st of February Street it was a progression into something else, away from the albums I'd done in the past, which were just a string of songs. It's not as though I've never been able to do it. You've got to use that kind of voice for that kind of song". May 5: In the Amazon 'easy listening' Music album chart today the Cliff CDs stand at: 28.Rare B-sides. 56.Lost & Found (from the archives) 59.Japan Tour '74 selling for £6.98 each. www.amazon.co.uk May 5: Cliff's 2-CD 50th anniversary album is at No.30 in the Amazon 'easy listening' album chart today selling for £6.96. May 5: Cliff and Radio Luxembourg. Paul Rumbol from the ‘Oh Boy!’ website continues his series on Cliff Richard’s recordings at Radio Luxembourg, which began 50 years ago this month. The 2nd complete show to recently surface from Cliff's first Lux series is Show No.11 from 15th September 1960. Sadly once again it is only an off-air recording, of variable quality and subject to sporadic interference. The show's contents are as follows ... Thursday 15th September 1960. 1.Me and My Shadows (Opening Theme). 2.I Want You To Know. 3.Thinking Of Our Love. 4.Bongo Blues (Shadows). 5.Ilford Sporti Cameras Advertisement. 6.What’d I Say. 7.Let’s Have A Party. 8.Me and My Shadows (Closing Theme). More to come! (Paul Rumbol. www.ohboytvshow.com email: rumbers@live.co.uk) May 4: Cliff talking about "Rock'n'roll juvenile" album. "I wanted to say that rock'n'roll progresses, it becomes something else which is just as good. It doesn't grow old. I wanted an album with energy, which I felt the punk lot had, and I had felt perhaps my records lacked spontaneity and energy". May 4: Did you see?... Cliff talking about "West side story" No.4 in The 100 Greatest Musicals on More4 TV today. May 4: Cliff: "In a way, I'm in a fortunate position, I suppose, for no-one is likely to let me forget that I've a standard to maintain. One slightly dounbtful joke or lyric and the next week's mail would be full of letters from triumphant critics: '...and you call yourself a Christian!' In actual fact, I don't have to do much vetting of scripts or lyrics these days. Other people do it on my behalf!" May 4: Cliff at the RNIB. You can win two tickets to see Sir Cliff Richard perform at this exclusive dinner. Enter prize draw for a chance to win two tickets to the exclusive RNIB Gala Dinner, held in one of London's top hotels on Thursday, May 21st. On arrival you will be greeted to a champagne reception followed on by dinner with a menu inspired by the world famous, Michelin starred chef, Albert Roux OBE. The evening will finish with a world-class performance from Sir Cliff Richard in front of a private audience. Tickets to this special dinner are available by prize draw only. Entries cost £5 each. As well as a chance to see Sir Cliff perform live, your participation in the prize draw will help provide services for blind and partially sighted people. To buy a chance to see Cliff Richard perform at the exclusive RNIB Gala Dinner Tel. 0845-345-0054 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm). Competition entry closes on Monday, May 11th. Draw to take place on May 13th. Winners will be notified by May 15th. May 4: Cliff's Time Machine is back at No.1 in the Amazon 'easy listening' Music DVD chart today. Here is the Top 10: 1.CLIFF RICHARD (Standard edition). 2."The Jolson Story/Jolson sings again". 3.Il Divo. 4.Fireplace. 5.Eurovision Song Contest 2006. 6.Jane McDonald. 7.The Carpenters. 8.Solomon Burke. 9.Andrew Lloyd Webber. 10.Gene Pitney. Outside the Top 10: 18.An audience with - CLIFF RICHARD selling for £6.98. 29.Time machine - CLIFF RICHARD (Special edition). May 4: Cindy Kent, lead vocalist with The Settlers: (talking about Cliff) "He's moved along a path and grown so much. I don't think he's someone who looks back much. I think he's a wonderful person and I am unreservedly a great fan. What you see is what you get, with Cliff. There is no ulterior side to him, no deep undercurrants. He's a very talented performer, very straight and honest". May 4: Cliff's chart-topping Time Machine has gone out of the Official Music Video/DVD Top 20 chart this week. May 3: It was 50 years ago... Cliff: "I had to prove I wasn't going to be a one-hit or a few hits artist, like so many. I mean I was thrilled to become an 'overnight sensation' and I really did worry when 'Move it', for instance, made number two. It made the next few records that much more important ... I determined from early on that there must be plenty of hard work. Life became a whirl and the pace I was set was terrific. My schedule was packed with one-night stands, variety, television, broadcasting, rehearsals, photographs and press interviews. Wow! it went on and just goes on. I had these recording schedules. Oh, yes, I mean recording is one thing but at the same time we had to find songs and I had to learn them. I mean, remember I had to learn some new numbers for 'Oh Boy!' Fortunately everyone was so friendly in recording, Norrie, the boys, engineers, and so on". May 3: Cliff talking about The Rolling Stones. "Actually I liked most of their stuff. "As tears go by" and "Play with fire" were particular favourites, and though on first hearing I didn't like "19th nervous breakdown" I ended up liking it, for it had lots of excitement and a good sound, and that's what counts". May 3: Cliff & Barry Gibb on YouTube. There is a unique version of Cliff singing Fields of gold with Barry Gibb on YouTube. Check out: www.youtube.com May 3: Bruce Welch: (on the 'Cliff and the Shadows' years) "It's impossible to select any one incident from all the happy times we've had together - simply because it's all been one big ball!" May 3: In the Amazon 'easy listening' Music album chart today the Cliff CDs stand at: 18.Rare B-sides. 34.Lost & Found (from the archives) selling for £6.98 each. www.amazon.co.uk May 3: Cliff's 2-CD 50th anniversary album is at No.42 in the Amazon 'easy listening' album chart today selling for £6.96. May 3: "It's lovely to read all about the "Oh Boy" shows and Radio Luxembourg. I remember years of listening to Luxembourg in my bedroom. You had to keep moving the radio around as the reception kept changing but it was the only way to hear non-stop pop music. The Cliff "Me and my Shadows" series was the highlight of the week for me" - Alan Hudson. May 3: Jet Harris shows coming up. Back in our Rock'n'Roll days concerts feature Billie Davis and special guest Denny Laine on selected dates. Today. Sunday, May 3rd-Arts Centre, Evesham, Worcestershire, Tel. 01386-442348 and Friday, May 8th-Dovehouse Theatre, Solihull, Warwickshire, Tel. 0121-7067139. May 2: Cliff talking about "Blue turns to grey". "The song was picked out of a bunch of demonstration discs which had been lying around our agent's office. We were about to put it on - it was a case of something to do - when we realised the song's composers were Mick (Jagger) and Keith (Richards). I remembered then it had been recorded by a group called The Mighty Avengers. We were after a good up-tempo thing in the modern idiom, too. It was a nice song. It's the type of number that interested me, not who wrote it". May 2: On Saturday, July 25th top Shadows tribute band The Rapiers appear with 60's hitmaker Mike Berry (Tribute to Buddy Holly, Don't you think it's time, The sunshine of your smile) at the Oilers Motorcycle Club, Honkala, Aitoo, Finland. May 2: Cliff's book 50 Favourite Bible Stories published by Lion Hudson is one of three books short-listed for an award 'Childrens Book of the Year'. May 2: IT WAS 50 YEARS AGO TODAY... "OH BOY!" On May 2nd 1959, OH BOY! show No.34, 6.00pm-6.30pm, ITV. Produced by Jack Good. Compered by Tony Hall. RESIDENT WEEKLY BAND & PERFORMERS: Lord Rockingham's XI, The Dallas Boys, Neville Taylor & The Cutters, Cherry Wainer, The Vernons Girls. THIS WEEK'S SPECIAL GUESTS: Alma Cogan, Cliff Richard & The Drifters, Marty Wilde, Mike Preston. This is the ninth show of 13 recorded for export to the United States. It is now thought that this original telerecording, once catalogued with ABC at Teddington, Middlesex until 1968, may be in the private hands of someone in the United Kingdom. Also some of the 13 copies sent to America are known to exist and in the possession of a private collector in Arizona or New Mexico. Red Price is in hospital and did not appear in this edition. This is Cliff and the Drifters first appearance since 28th March (5 weeks absence) Cliff duets with both Marty Wilde and Alma Cogan. This is Alma Cogan’s second and final appearance in the series. She had first appeared on the 14th February edition (show no.23). Visit the excellent "Oh Boy!" website on: www.ohboytvshow.com May 2: Cliff: "In the old days, it was in the form of a hack pianist who would thump out the tune that had to be learned, as many times as necessary. Recently it's by way of a demo which is often better than the reocrd which follows! It goes back, I suppose, to my childhood hang-up of not bothering with things that didn't interest me. Basically I'm not much interested in learning music; I don't feel the need for it and there's no incentive". May 2: Cliff's Time Machine is at No.30 in the Play.com Music DVD chart today selling for £14.99. May 2: It was 50 years ago... With just five Oh Boy! shows to run before the end of the series, the BBC’s rival pop show “Drumbeat” makes a concerted attempt to secure big name artists for its broadcasts over the summer of 1959 when it holds a monopoly over teenage viewers without any competition. They immediately sign up Cliff Richard and the Drifters to appear on the 9th May edition (his BBC debut) and book him for a further 2 appearances on 20th and 27th June 1959. The NME announce Cliff is also to star in a tribute BBCTV show the same night: "CLIFF RICHARD breaks entirely new ground on May 9th, when he makes his first appearance on BBC-TV - starring in the peak-hour Saturday evening 35th anniversary tribute to Henry Hall, "Here's To The Next Time." Following a cavalcade of stars with whom Henry has been associated, the show will close with Cliff and The Drifters - as representatives of the new artists with whom Henry is always coming into contact. The NME also announce Laurence Harvey is now cast for the lead role in “Expresso Bongo”. Peter Sellers had originally been named. (Paul Rumbol. www.ohboytvshow.com email: rumbers@live.co.uk) May 2: Cliff's Time Machine is at No.3 and No.25 in the Amazon 'easy listening' Music DVD chart today. Here is the Top 10: 1.Il Divo. 2.John Denver. 3.CLIFF RICHARD (Standard edition). 4."The Jolson Story/Jolson sings again". 5.Robbie Williams. 6.Celine Dion. 7.Matt Monro. 8.Barbra Streisand. 9.Joe Longthorne. 10.Elaine Stritch. Outside the Top 10: From a distance...The Event - CLIFF RICHARD selling for £14.98. 25.Time machine - CLIFF RICHARD (Special edition). May 1: Did you know?... that songs Cliff love include: "Heartbreak hotel" - Elvis Presley, "Sailing" - Christopher Cross, "I honestly love you" - Olivia Newton-John, "Money for nothing" - Dire Straits, "Your song" - Elton John, "Another tear falls" - Gene McDaniels and "Fabulous" - Charlie Gracie. May 1: Mickie Most (talking about Cliff): "To survive the Sixties was a tough job, with the Liverpool sound and the mass of groups. So many of those with him from the Fifties did not. He survived flower-power, metal, glam, junk, the punks, the disco scene, the technical bods, computer music, you name it. He's stayed in there. He's won more Derbys than Lester Piggott and not gone to prison!" May 1: Cliff chart site. For those who like statistics ... from June 2002 upto April 30th, 2009, the successful hits total for Cliff Chart Site website now totals 27,345,931. May 1: Cliff: "What I do recognise as a weakness is my inability to read a note of music, although in my defence I argue again that my singing comes toally naturally and even learning a tune from a set of dots has a contrived ring about it. The problem, if that's the right word, is that if I hear a song and like it, I can learn it very easily. They call it a natural ear and, given that, the pop world serves the rest up on a plate". May 1: In the Amazon 'easy listening' Music album chart today the Cliff CDs stand at: 44.Rare B-sides. 64.Lost & Found (from the archives) selling for £6.98 each. www.amazon.co.uk May 1: Cliff's 2-CD 50th anniversary album is at No.31 in the Amazon 'easy listening' album chart today selling for £6.96. May 1: Cliff's Two's company - The Duets is at No.63 in the Amazon 'easy listening' album chart today selling for £9.78. May 1: Cliff and Radio Luxembourg. Paul Rumbol from the ‘Oh Boy!’ website continues his series on Cliff Richard’s recordings at Radio Luxembourg, which began 50 years ago this month. There are no known running orders to the first 1960 Me and My Shadows series. Any documentation, along with the master tracks themselves, have long disappeared. However, recently audio recordings have surfaced of two complete shows, which I have been able to date as from Thursday 8th and 15th September 1960. (Shows 10 & 11). Sadly they are only off-air recordings, of variable quality and subject to sporadic interference. Here is the content to the first show ... Thursday 8th September 1960. 1.Me and My Shadows (Opening Theme). 2.Let The Good Times Roll. 3.Please Don’t Tease. 4.Apache (Shadows). 5.Ilford Sporti Cameras Advertisement. 6.Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On. 7.Me and My Shadows (Closing Theme). More to come! (Paul Rumbol. www.ohboytvshow.com email: rumbers@live.co.uk) May 1: On The Malcolm Boyden Breakfast Show on BBC Radio Oxford today Malcolm chatted to Cliff fan Bernadette Downes, who recalled seeing Cliff on the "Oh Boy!" TV shows and myself on the Fan Club and the appeal of Cliff. Cliff records played: Move it and The young ones. May 1: Today on The Malcolm Boyden Breakfast Show on BBC Radio Oxford, 7.00am-10.00am, there is a feature on Cliff and his appeal at approx. 9.10am. 95.2FM. Later today on BBC South West TV, 6.00pm-6.30pm, (BBC Oxford) there is another Cliff feature. Can be viewed on: www.bbc.co.uk/oxford click on 'BBC Oxford TV'. May 1: In April this website had 361,936 successful hits. This is the 3rd highest monthly figure for April since the website started in 2002. A huge and sincere THANK YOU for your continued support. Previous messages to these have been deleted. William bringing you the latest up-to-date Cliff news!