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Sign in Sad news reaches us this afternoon that Chris Rea has died after a short illness, aged 74. Many news outlets will no doubt be making the link between the timing of his passing and one of Rea’s most enduring hits – Driving Home For Christmas, which is currently Number 30 in the UK charts – but Rea was about much more than just one song. Originally a blues player, with a distinctive gravelly voice and slide guitar style, he became one of the more unlikely pop stars of the late 1980s/ early 1990s the old-fashioned way, by slowly building up a following, through word of mouth and by releasing consistently solid albums. After playing in various local Middlesbrough bands, it was his group The Beautiful Losers winning Melody Maker’s Best Newcomers award in 1973 that convinced Magnet Records founder Michael Levy to sign Rea.
Published: December 22, 2025 4:31 pm
Source: MusicRadar — Read original