Biography "In 1963, Cilla Black turned professional as a singer and since then she has triumphed in the mediums of pop, comedy & television..."
As a
singer Cilla has released 15 studio albums and during the 1960s and 70s charted an impressive 19 singles in the UK 'Top 40' charts. Over the last 5 decades she has also established herself as the first lady of
British television with countless hit shows to her name
such as the variety-entertainment series "Cilla" (1968-76),
sitcom "Cilla's Comedy Six" (1975), people show "Surprise!,
Surprise!" (1984-2002) and dating game "Blind Date" (1985-2003).
Born Priscilla Maria Veronica
White, on the 27th May 1943, she grew up in a very musically
oriented household in one of the toughest parts of Liverpool.
Living with her parents and three brothers she was often
encouraged to practice her innate singing talent by performing
to the rest of her family.
During her late teens a sheer drive to become famous made her
adamant that she would not be labelled as just another girl
"suitable for office work". Understandably, she wanted more from
life and could regularly be found escaping to the trendy haunts
of the Cavern club where she'd hang coats earning five bob an
hour. Perfectly placed amongst the up-and-coming stars of the
day she wowed them with her singing and confidently convinced
the powers that be to let her share the spotlight on stage! She
also served coffee at the Zodiac (Duke Street) another clubbers'
haven, where, incidentally, she met her husband to be, Bobby
Willis.
Thanks to a lot of support from her friends she quickly became a
mini-celebrity in her own neighbourhood, performing alongside so
many legendary acts that were fundamental in establishing the
Mersey Sound, such as The Beatles, Gerry and the Pacemakers, The
Fourmost and Rory Storm and the Hurricanes.
Then, due to a twist of fate, Priscilla, known to friends as
Cilla, almost overnight received a new stage name, when the
music paper the "Mersey Beat" misprinted it. So, as if by magic,
she became Cilla Black, a name that she favoured and happily
kept.
It wasn't long until Cilla came to the attention of Brian
Epstein, a local talent scout and manager of The Beatles.
Epstein was introduced to her by none other than John Lennon,
who persuaded him to arrange an audition at The Majestic
Ballroom in Birkenhead. Unfortunately, the combination of nerves
and singing to The Beatles, who played in their key, made the
audition a flop. No matter, all was not lost, as to her surprise
she was later spotted by Epstein while singing "Bye, Bye
Blackbird" in the jazzy surroundings of the Blue Angel club.
This performance finally convinced him to sign her, so on the
6th September 1963, she became his only female vocalist!
There was an immediate bond between Cilla and Epstein. From the
moment he met his starlet he wanted to nurture the 'Judy
Garland' qualities he believed she possessed, having high
aspirations of creating a British icon who, in his prophetic
words, would be "...one of the biggest stars in this country for
thirty or forty years". His faith, combined with Cilla's talent,
effortlessly convinced George Martin, the renowned producer of
Matt Monro, Shirley Bassey and The Beatles, that she was worthy
of signing to Parlophone Records (a subsidiary label of the EMI
Group).
Shortly afterwards, Cilla Black made her debut on the British
singles charts with one of the first of many songs given to her
by her peers John Lennon and Paul McCartney. "Love of the
Loved", a song she'd often heard The Beatles perform at the
Cavern, made a modest impression on the British charts when it
was released on the 27th September 1963.
This was soon to be overshadowed by her next release, which
Epstein discovered on a trip to the USA. "Anyone Who Had a
Heart", a song by Burt Bacharach, had already proved to be a
massive hit for Dionne Warwick which Cilla, as a keen follower
of the US Top 100, had already admired prior to it being
suggested. Her knockout rendition recorded in January 1964 went
on to become not only her first 1 but still, to this day, the
biggest selling single of all time by a British female recording
artist.
As luck would have it, George Martin then acquired the perfect
follow up, an Italian ballad, "Il Mio Mondo", which he had
translated - becoming, "You're My World". This epic "torch" song
went on to become her second 1, paving the way for an influx of
other Italian songs such as Dusty Springfield's "You Don't Have
To Say You Love Me". Furthermore, it broke her into the tough US
market as well as gaining her massive support across Europe and
Australasia, culminating in hundreds of sell-out concert dates
throughout her time at EMI (1963-78).
During the sixties Cilla managed to sustain her place at the
forefront of the Brit-Pop music scene, with one of the most
impressive starts for a British female recording artist,
including 20 consecutive Top 40 triumphs on the singles and EP
charts. To place this unprecedented success into perspective, it
happened during a decade when achieving a Top 20 single meant
that you had to sell 100,000 copies a day in the UK alone!
By August 1967, only days before his premature death, Epstein
had engineered Cilla's switch to television. It proved to be a
shrewd move as, through her own variety show for the BBC, she
regularly commanded a staggering audience of 22 million. This
popularity has continued over
subsequent decades with in more recent years shows such as "Surprise!,
Surprise!" (1984-2002) and "Blind Date" (1985-2003) having established her as the first lady of British television attaining her
record breaking viewing figures and many industry awards.
Cilla may nowadays be best known for her work on television but she ultimately
would like people to remember her for her singing as music remains her first love. It was therefore poignant that on her 40th showbiz year (2003) her
original record label EMI released a definitive 80-track set "The Best of 1963-78" and re-signed her to record her
15th studio album "Beginnings". Cilla also that year published her very
revealing autobiography "What's It All
About?" which became a 'Top 5' British best-seller.
Thanks ever so much for the add! As I had said in my note to you, I ran your fan club for Canada way back when and met you (and Bobby) backstage when you appeared for the first time on the Ed Sullivan Show in New York. What an exciting time that was for all of us!
I once came to a recording of Blind Date. I really enjoyed it, it was very interesting. I wanted to meet you after the recording but we had to go back to the coach.
I do miss seeing Blind Date and Surprise, Surprise on the TV.
You have a lovely singing voice and I like your accent.
Plz comment back it will be great to hear from you.
Hi Cilla, Please check out my latest video of me at the Robin 2 club in Bilston, performing Something Tells Me and Your My World. Best Wishes Karli Ose (11)
