Chris Rea

Christopher Anton Rea (4 March, 1951) is a successful British singer-songwriter, from Middlesbrough. He is best known for his 1989 album The Road to Hell. His father owned an ice-cream parlour just outside Middlesbrough, in Guisboro

Christopher Anton Rea (4 March, 1951) is a successful British singer-songwriter, from Middlesbrough. He is best known for his 1989 album The Road to Hell. His father owned an ice-cream parlour just outside Middlesbrough, in Guisborough, but previously had parlours throughout the area. Locally, "going to Rea's" (pronounced "Ree-a's") meant going out for ice-cream.

Rea won a national talent contest in 1975 but was unable to clinch a record contract. He left the band to pursue a solo career and achieved great success when he signed to the Magnet label and recorded the album Whatever Happened to Benny Santini? in 1978. ("Benny Santini" was rumoured to have been a stage name Rea considered). With the help of single Fool (If You Think It's Over) the album went gold in the U.S..