Chris Rea did try to join a band, The Elastic Band, as a teenager, but his father told him he needed to finish his 'O' levels first, so he didn't get in, ultimately leading him to later join Magdalene and then form The Beautiful Losers before his solo career .
The successful singer who joined elastic band instead of Chris was Eugene McCoy who owns and is also the chef of the Crathorne Arms . As coincidence would happen , The lads from gone fishing filmed the episode with Chris Rea at the Crathorne Arms and ate a meal cooked by Eugene.
Also coincidentally I auditioned for elastic band as the keyboard player but failed! I was drunk because my mate who was the drummer of my then current band didn’t want me to leave!
The singer who turned up at my sudition with Elastic Band also didn’t get the slot! They made a big mistake ! Hi name ??
David Coverdale of Whitesnake ! Check him out !
All these stories can be read in Boys in the Bands and Redcar jazz club by Chris Scott Wilson. Good Xmas presents
OFB
@powmillnaemore A close friend I had, when I was in my early twenties, was a neighbour of the Rea’s who lived on Low Lane.
After we left the “Kirk” on New Year eve, we would go to the Rea’s house for a drink and something to eat. Mr Rea’s specialty was chicken in red wine.
Young Chris would often strike up a tune and sing on the family piano.
Memories, what would we do without them?
Chris Rea’s songs have been a soundtrack of much of my adult life. I never got to see him live but his songs have been with me for a long time. He genuinely seemed like a nice guy.
Well, OFB, hidden talents! I hope you still play? As for me, I’m not at all musical. I often say I have Van Gogh’s ear for music. But I love Chris Rea, and I shed a silent tear today when hearing the news. A great Boro icon has gone. Even the club have acknowledged how sad this is.
Well, this has been some thread!
The result at Bristol City? The team can get over that by doing the business at home in front of a sell-out crowd against Blackburn Rovers on Boxing Day.
I think we all agree possession stats are fine and dandy but the game is about how many goals you score and how many you concede. I know there are arguments about how the team needs a fast/tricky winger who can get behind defences. But that is of little value unless you have the people up front to convert those crosses and balls into the box into goals.
Three goals so far for the season by Christmas time is not the sort of return that any striker would consider "satisfactory". Shots are fine but a reasonable proportion need to be on target, to make the opposition keeper work. KH has only been in post for five games and he might get Conway and Strelec scoring regularly. I certainly hope so. Otherwise I'd say it is a regular goalscorer the team needs. Promotion has proved VERY difficult for this club to achieve so to do that without someone who can score 20-odd goals (or a couple who can get to 15) might be a bit of a stretch.
I am delighted that Sol Brynn has been given a long contract (no doubt on a much-increased wage).
I am disappointed Boro lost at Brighton but I am not in despair about it. I would have torn your hand off if, at the start of the season, I had been offered Boro's clear second place in the league table by Christmas. I suspect the manager will sort out the situation. Time will tell. I have said many times, that we should not get ahead of ourselves (whilst still being optimistic) as it is a long season.
And Chris Rea. Very sad news but his health has been grim for over 20 years. What songs he wrote! Some of the stories about him in the posts above (the driving test and the poor instructor, for example) is so bizarre and I can't understand how a version of it hasn't been used by Bob Mortimer in "Would I Lie To You?" One of those times when, although very sad to hear the news, when you read the stories you can't stop smiling. He brought much pleasure to the world.
Football is not the only avenue where the word "legend" is grossly abused. Chris Rea will always be a Legend and he will remain as iconic a symbol of Teesside as the Middsllesbrough Transporter Bridge. Funnily enough I was, yesterday, watching a YouTube video about a couple visiting Bilbao and crossing the Transporter Bridge there.
Sorry, folks. I thought I had typed Bristol (not Brighton) when mentioning Boro's defeat this last weekend.
@clive-hurren. Brilliant article and a big loss. RIP Chris. Many thanks Clive for sharing. 😎
I’ve got to go out at lunchtime to collect a new pair of glasses but I’ll be back later to post the starter for the Blackburn game.
Quite a few years ago I made a video about my life story. Not that there was much to tell, more a way of trying out digital video editing. I used Steel River as the sound track. The story, of course, included my sister who was a Stainsby Girl.
It seems like pretty well everybody on here was influenced by Chris Rea. That's some achievement.
It should be an exciting spectacle then !
Do I get a glassy stare for that ?
OFB
No, but you’ve been framed!
I met my wife whilst playing at a gig at the Swan Hotel in Redcar in 1966. She had gone to the dance with a group of friends and next year we are going to celebrate 60 years of meeting!
My band was the Satellites and I was the keyboard player. We broke up when we won a contest to play the American airforce bases in Germany only to discover that the small print also included the bases in Vietnam during the conflict !
In the photo was a gig we played at the Swan Hotel at Billingham with a female singer Little Frankie who modelled herself on Lulu.
The bass guitarist on the photo went professional and was on new faces and did the cruise ships.
I’m the guy without the drum sticks !
OFB
Sad, very sad news about Chris Rea. The best song for me is Chisel Hill, very autobiographic. Best wishes everyone
ATB
UTB
John
What a handsome young man you were - must've been a great and exciting time in the sixties being in band at the time of a cultural revolution and the rise of young ambition. Not sure if the younger generation now have that same spirit of adventure?
@werdermouth I think they still have it, but back in the 60s & 70s the world seemed full of possibilities - each generation had an expectation of a better life and more prosperity than the one before. I’m not sure that still applies, sadly.
You may be right - the future seemed to be an exciting prospect back then but it certainly feels as if we're entering one that lacks a positive vision that is being shaped for the many - stuck between too many false prophets without answers that stand up to scrutiny, powerful megalomaniacs who want more and more control and an AI revolution that is putting people second - Let's hope there are some young people to step up and make a future they want to see and not get trapped by the noise of their devices and apps!