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CLIFF RICHARD: THE BACHELOR BOY
by Steve Turner
Published by Carlton Books in May 2008 at £19.99
Cliff
Richard has been Britain’s longest surviving and most consistent hit music maker
and 2008 marks the 50th anniversary of his entry into show business,
his first single and his first British tour.
Starting
his career as a rock ‘n’ roll threat to decent, upstanding citizens, he is now a
friend to royalty and prime ministers, a Knight and a holder of the OBE.
Cliff Richard:
The Bachelor Boy tells his story in
the format of a unique oral history, through the voices of his friends, family
and colleagues – giving the reader the unique feeling that they are listening in
on a dinner party attended by most of the key people in Cliff’s career. The
stories told in
The
Bachelor Boy reveal Cliff as seen by those
closest to him and, in contrast to the many official publications, this book
does not just include only the flattering stories. Author, Steve Turner’s
probing questions have elicited extraordinary memories and observations,
previously unheard by the public.
Packed
with rare and fascinating photographs of Cliff at work and at leisure,
The Bachelor
Boy will stand as a lasting testament to one of the most glorious
careers in British showbusiness and is sure to be a must-have for all Cliff fans
around the world.
AUTHOR
Steve
Turner is the author of many music biographies on stars such as Marvin Gaye, The
Beatles and Van Morrison. As Cliff Richard’s authorised biographer, he is
frequently used as a consultant on Cliff Richard-related radio and TV projects.
His previous book for Carlton, A
Hard Day’s Write: The Stories Behind
Every Beatles’ Song, has now sold over a quarter of a million copies. He
lives in London.
www.carltonbooks.co.uk
- In March Cliff will spend a week visiting Tearfund
projects in Brazil, his first visit to South America.
- Towards the end of April, Cliff will spend a few days
walking the Great Wall of China, as part of a team led by Olivia
Newton-John, to raise funds for her proposed Cancer Centre in Australia.
More information will follow, including details of how to sponsor Cliff.
- Tickets for Cliff's Time Machine tour will be
despatched towards the end of July. It is now common practice by promoters
and ticket agents to send tickets much nearer to show dates, partly in an
effort to counter secondary ticketing and touting.
- Vida Nova tinto and rose 2006 are available from Waitrose
on-line, and stocks of the rose are expected to be in about 100 stores at
the end of February, followed later by the tinto.
Woking Informer 9/3/2001
Facing up to a Cliff obsession
Being one of the young ones doesn't stop you liking
Cliff….Carol Hall from Knaphill is living proof. She's an extreme
Cliff Richard fan at the relatively tender age of 34. Siobhan Ring
went to meet her.
Carol, is President of
Cliff-Guaranteed – the London and Surrey fan club for everyone's favourite
Bachelor Boy. As a schoolgirl in Gloucestershire, Carol was rather
different from the average 80's teenager. She says: "I grew up listening to
The Carpenters, The Beatles and things like that. When all my friends
were leaving school 1982 there were into Human League and Duran Duran.
I loved them too but I carried on preferring Cliff. I bought records,
posters, pictures – everything I could find!"
Carol's obsession continued
as an adult and when she moved south, she became a member of Cliff
Guaranteed. "Three years ago a lady in Kingston was running the club when
her mother became seriously ill. Understandably, she didn't have much
time to work at it and it slid down a bit. I was the first person to
apply to take it over and I really enjoy it. It's non-profit making, a
hobby – though it takes a lot of my time!"
Carol, who lives in
Alexandra Gardens, Knaphill, has quadrupled the membership and created a
website for the club for the latest news on Cliff. (In case you're
wondering, it's not called a Harry Webb-site) And she's got some good
contacts too – a journalist in Cobham who sends every Cliff cutting she sees
and honorary member Daniel O'Donnell, who often rings for a chat or a
snippet of information. "He's lovely," sighs Carol. "He's like an Irish
Cliff. He's good-looking, he sings, he's unmarried, he's a Christian, he's
friendly.."
But sadly for Mr O'Donnell,
it is Cliff's music that reigns supreme. Carol finds it hard to define
her passion. Music is the main appeal but also Cliff's charisma and
personality play a strong part.
Daughter Stephanie shares
her mother's musical taste, as well as liking S Club 7 like any
self-respecting nine-year-old. But Kevin, Carol's partner, has
banished the Peter Pan of Pop to the study. "It's a Cliff-free zone
downstairs. I can't have any pictures down there!"
But Carol has got Cliff fan
clubs sweaters that she wears out shopping in case any new recruits appear.
"I've got one that says 'I run YOUR fan club' on the front and 'I run HIS
fan club' on the back.
Sadly though, although
Cliff lives just up the road in Weybridge – Carol has never met him….yet!
Meanwhile, there is a concert season at the Royal Albert Hall to look
forward to, newsletters to write, queries on Cliff to answer and the website
to update. With so much to do, as just as well she's a young one!
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