SINGER

Chris Rea

1951 - 2025

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Christopher Anton Rea ( REE-ə; 4 March 1951 – 22 December 2025) was an English rock and blues singer-songwriter, guitarist and record producer, known for his distinctive gravelly voice and slide guitar playing. Rea recorded twenty-five studio albums beginning in the late 1970s and although he had modest success with Water Sign (1983) and Wired to the Moon (1984), his commercial breakthrough came with Shamrock Diaries (1985), followed by platinum-sellers On the Beach (1986) and Dancing with Strangers (1987). Two of his million-selling albums topped the UK Albums Chart: The Road to Hell in 1989 and its successor, Auberge, in 1991. He had already become "a major European star by the time he finally cracked the UK Top 10" with the single "The Road to Hell (Part 2)". Read more on Wikipedia

His biography is available in 43 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 41 in 2024). Chris Rea is the 188th most popular singer (down from 165th in 2024), the 880th most popular biography from United Kingdom (down from 704th in 2019) and the 25th most popular British Singer.

Chris Rea is most famous for his song "The Road to Hell."

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Among SINGERS

Among singers, Chris Rea ranks 188 out of 4,381. Before him are Chris Norman, Zarah Leander, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, Billy Joel, Giuseppe Di Stefano, and Roberto Carlos. After him are Birgit Nilsson, Robbie Williams, Beniamino Gigli, Jon Bon Jovi, Kathleen Ferrier, and Usher.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1951, Chris Rea ranks 47. Before him are Prabowo Subianto, Gordon Brown, Myint Swe, Elio Di Rupo, Tommy Hilfiger, and Kirstie Alley. After him are Ben Carson, Salva Kiir Mayardit, David Coverdale, Kenny Dalglish, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, and Rob Halford. Among people deceased in 2025, Chris Rea ranks 59. Before him are Punsalmaagiin Ochirbat, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Peter Lax, Udo Kier, Violeta Chamorro, and Jochen Mass. After him are Costas Simitis, Ján Zachara, Alfredo Palacio, Vitold Fokin, Oleg Gordievsky, and Alfred Brendel.

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In United Kingdom

Among people born in United Kingdom, Chris Rea ranks 880 out of 8,785. Before him are Dionysios Kasdaglis (1872), Catherine of Lancaster (1373), Henry Maitland Wilson (1881), Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809), David Irving (1938), and Rex Harrison (1908). After him are Mary, Princess Royal and Countess of Harewood (1897), James Macpherson (1736), Percy Fawcett (1867), Robbie Williams (1974), Bobby Robson (1933), and David McCallum (1933).

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Among SINGERS In United Kingdom

Among singers born in United Kingdom, Chris Rea ranks 25. Before him are Peter Gabriel (1950), Bruce Dickinson (1958), Bryan Ferry (1945), Annie Lennox (1954), Dua Lipa (1995), and Chris Norman (1950). After him are Robbie Williams (1974), Kathleen Ferrier (1912), David Coverdale (1951), Rob Halford (1951), Van Morrison (1945), and Mel B (1975).

British born Singers

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