Await! the magic of the old and exciting new

~ The Peter Pan of Pop, Sir Cliff Richard talks of his much-awaited trip to Lanka

In an exclusive interview with Ranjit Vethakan

“I am truly sorry it has taken so long, but I WILL be there this time!” That was an iron-clad promise from Cliff Richard, ahead of his first-ever live concert in Colombo on February 23.

In an exclusive and extensive phone interview with The Sunday Times this week. Britain’s biggest hit machine confessed he never got involved in deciding where he should or shouldn’t go when planning a tour.

“That only complicates matters, so I leave it to those who know best,” he said during this free-flowing chat in the wee hours of the morning!

The singing knight was at great pains to explain that a lot of things had to be considered before a city was included in the itinerary.

“It’s not just me . . . most people in my shoes (entertainers) would like to travel in one (compass) direction. And, if a certain city could not to be included, for logistical reasons, that’s just bad luck,” he pointed out, adding that he had all the while been aware of the enormous following he enjoyed among Sri Lankan music fans.

“While we try to accommodate every possible city, it’s not easy . . . I’m sure you’ve noticed that we are not coming to your part of the world on this tour,” he said, in a pointed reference to my current address Down Under.

“Oh, you know, I’ve actually been to Colombo,” he then interjected excitedly! “Just once . . . that was back in 1973 when I transited, on my way home from Singapore. I still remember enjoying a nice cup of tea inside the building and soon we were off again,” he said.

“But I’m really looking forward to it this time. We’ve put together a good collection of songs . . . there will be the usual ones . . . Evergreen Tree, Summer Holiday, Bachelor Boy, We Don’t Talk Anymore . . . yes, some old hits with a sprinkling from my latest album.”

Two’s Company is Sir Cliff’s new album, put together with the help of some of whose company and music, he enjoys most.
“I’ve done tracks with great singers like Dionne Warwick, Barry Gibb, Daniel O’Donnell, Elton John, Lulu, Hank Marvin, Anne Murray . . . 14 tracks in all!”

The Peter Pan of Pop, who clocks an unbelievable 50 years in the business next year, was in no doubt his Sri Lankan audience would enjoy his two-and-a-half-hour concert with his six musicians – two keyboards, two guitars, a drummer and a saxophonist!
Now well into his 67th year, Harry Rodger Webb, as he is still known officially, singled out Dawn Joseph, a new addition to his long time back-up singers – Peter Howarth, Keith Murrell and Mick Mullins. “I believe Dawn is an exceptional talent!

“She is remarkable,” says the man who has hit the charts in every decade since breaking through in 1958 with Move It! The Bachelor Boy is renowned for launching the careers of several other stars, notably Olivia Newton-John.

The born-again Christian spends a good part of the year – when not touring or engaged in any of his numerous charities – in his island paradise in Barbados and splits the rest between his award-winning winery in Algarve, Portugal, and his London home in Weybridge - a luxurious housing estate he shares with several other superstars.

Sir Cliff had been on a 10-day cruise in the South China Seas before flying to Dubai, where he spent a near-fortnight stay, preparing for his umpteenth Asian tour.

“That was simply great. We had on board about 150, some old friends and we also made some new friends. It was absolutely fabulous. . . great food, great crew . . . everything was great,” he said of the relaxing cruise which began in Vietnam and took in Cambodia and other parts of southern China before winding up in Hong Kong.

Having heard numerous stories as to why Sir Cliff parted company with The Shadows, I sought his version.“Well, I never broke up with them . . . they broke up themselves. First, it was Jet Harris who left with (the late) Tony Meehan, then Bruce Welch and Brian Bennett wanted to pursue other things . . . I was certainly disappointed to see it happen but, you know, these things do happen quite regularly in my business.”

“It was an exceptionally happy 10-year period, but all of us are still great friends.” Sir Cliff had to start again, from scratch, and said he was very lucky to find some quality musicians, some of whom are still with him. “I’m indeed a very lucky guy,” he said of his career. “As you know, I started out as the British answer to Elvis, and it sort of took off from there.”

“At the time I started, I was known as a ‘naughty boy’,” he said, referring to the time when rock ‘n’ roll was still in its infancy, and a long way from being an accepted form of music by those who’d been brought up on a healthy dose of Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole and the like.

“Well, things have changed a bit lately, haven’t they?”

And, contrary to reports about his “failure” to break into the US market, Sir Cliff insisted he certainly had no regrets. “I know I made the US Top 10 only thrice, Devil Woman went to No. 6 while both Dreamin’ and We Don’t Talk Anymore made it to 7,” he said, but was quick to point out that nothing could have made him any happier than he is with his career.

“No matter what some might say, I’ve sold almost 270 million albums; that’s a lot of records! Not many Britons can boast of such an achievement.”

“You know, I have made the charts more than any other British singer. At last count it was a whopping 128 times,” he said. “What’s more, on my recent tour of the UK, I sold more than 150,000 tickets! That’s a lot of seats! I’m truly proud of it,” he said.
“I do work hard to stay fit . . . I hit a lot of tennis balls and have had sessions with most of the leading players in the world. Yes, I do hit thousands of balls when I’m on the tennis court!” he said of his never-satisfied thirst for a game of tennis.

Eavesdropping on this cosy chat on a parallel line from a nearby couch was Rebecca, my 21-year-old daughter, an ardent fan.
Opting not to be left out, she slipped in a question: What’s given him the greatest satisfaction from all his charity work?

“Well, I don’t feel comfortable talking a lot about that side of my life; I, honestly, don’t believe in crowing about it. Yes, I do a bit of charity work here and there and I’ve travelled to places like India and Haiti to help raise funds and engage in other such activities.

“One thing I will never, ever forget is a comment made by a man who’s no longer with us. The late director of Tearfund, George Hoffman, once told me: ‘One man can’t change the world, but YOU can help change one man’s world’! So, I try to do my bit.”