Chris Andrews (singer)
Encyclopedia
Chris Andrews is a singer and successful songwriter
whose musical career started in the 1960s.
'Chris Ravel and The Ravers', and was playing at Soho
venues which included The 2i's Coffee Bar and Flamingo Nightclub. On 14 March 1959, he made his UK
television
debut, performing on the Oh, Boy!
show
. He would later return in April to perform a cover
of Cliff Richard
's, "Move It
".
For Adam Faith
, Andrews wrote "The First Time" (#5, 1963) and "We Are In Love" (# 11, 1964), and then a string of hits
for Sandie Shaw
. They included "Girl Don't Come" (#3, 1964/65), "I'll Stop at Nothing" (#4, 1965), "Message Understood
" (#6, 1965) and "Long Live Love
" (#1, 1965). The latter remained a chart topper
in the UK Singles Chart
for three weeks. "Girl Don't Come" was covered by Cher
on her debut album
, All I Really Want to Do
.
Also in 1965, Andrews as a solo
artist
, got to #3 in the same listings with "Yesterday Man
", which peaked in Germany at #1 for four weeks.; followed up with a #13 hit in the UK "To Whom It Concerns". The instrumental
section of this song was used as the theme for RTÉ
's long-running TV programme
, The Late, Late Show, until 1999, and a re-arranged version returned as the show's theme music in September 2009. As well as obtaining a high placing in the UK chart
with "Yesterday Man", it also climbed to #1 in Ireland
and Germany
. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc
. Later releases were not as successful, but his own hits are seen as early examples of reggae
influenced white pop music
. Although his chart appearances dwindled in the UK
by 1966, his chart topping success continued in mainland Europe
for a number of years, particularly in Germany, and Andrews often recorded
in foreign languages
.
In South Africa, his later single releases proved particularly popular, with "Pretty Belinda" (1969), "Carol OK" and "Brown Eyes" (both 1970) all topping the charts there. "Yo Yo" reached #7 at the end of 1970.
Today, Andrews is still active in his career as a singer/songwriter, working primarily in mainland Europe as well as the United Kingdom.
Currently he has homes in Spain
and Germany
.
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
whose musical career started in the 1960s.
Career
Andrews, by his mid teens, had formed his own groupBand (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
'Chris Ravel and The Ravers', and was playing at Soho
Soho
Soho is an area of the City of Westminster and part of the West End of London. Long established as an entertainment district, for much of the 20th century Soho had a reputation for sex shops as well as night life and film industry. Since the early 1980s, the area has undergone considerable...
venues which included The 2i's Coffee Bar and Flamingo Nightclub. On 14 March 1959, he made his UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
debut, performing on the Oh, Boy!
Oh, Boy! (TV series)
Oh Boy! was the first teenage all-music show on British TV airing in 1958 and 1959. It was produced by Jack Good for ITV.Good had previously produced 6.5 Special for the BBC Television, but wanted to drop the sport and public-service content from this show, and concentrate on the music...
show
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
. He would later return in April to perform a cover
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of Cliff Richard
Cliff Richard
Sir Cliff Richard, OBE is a British pop singer, musician, performer, actor, and philanthropist who has sold over an estimated 250 million records worldwide....
's, "Move It
Move It
"Move It" is a song recorded by Cliff Richard and the Drifters . Originally intended as the B-side to "Schoolboy Crush", it was released as Richard's debut single on 29 August 1958 and became his first hit record. It is credited with being one of the first authentic rock and roll songs produced...
".
For Adam Faith
Adam Faith
Terence "Terry" Nelhams-Wright, known as Adam Faith was a Teen idol English singer, actor and later financial journalist. He was one of the most charted acts of the 1960s. He became the first UK artist to lodge his initial seven hits in the Top 5...
, Andrews wrote "The First Time" (#5, 1963) and "We Are In Love" (# 11, 1964), and then a string of hits
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
for Sandie Shaw
Sandie Shaw
Sandie Shaw is an English pop singer, who was one of the most successful British female singers of the 1960s. In 1967 she was the first UK act to win the Eurovision Song Contest...
. They included "Girl Don't Come" (#3, 1964/65), "I'll Stop at Nothing" (#4, 1965), "Message Understood
Message Understood
"Message Understood" is the sixth single by 1960s British girl singer Sandie Shaw. Released in September 1965, it was written by Shaw's usual songwriter Chris Andrews and became her fifth consecutive top-ten hit single in the UK, reaching number six....
" (#6, 1965) and "Long Live Love
Long Live Love (Sandie Shaw song)
"Long Live Love" is a Chris Andrews composition which in 1965 afforded Sandie Shaw the second of her three UK #1 hits.-in the UK:Shaw was sufficiently confident in the hit potential of the buoyant "Long Live Love" as to turn down the chance to "It's Not Unusual" allowing the last-named song to be...
" (#1, 1965). The latter remained a chart topper
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
for three weeks. "Girl Don't Come" was covered by Cher
Cher
Cher is an American recording artist, television personality, actress, director, record producer and philanthropist. Referred to as the Goddess of Pop, she has won an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, three Golden Globes and a Cannes Film Festival Award among others for her work in...
on her debut album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, All I Really Want to Do
All I Really Want to Do (album)
All I Really Want to Do is the debut solo album by American singer and actress Cher and was released on October 16, 1965 by Imperial Records. The album was produced for Cher by her husband and singing partner, Sonny Bono, with contributions from arranger Harold Battiste...
.
Also in 1965, Andrews as a solo
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
, got to #3 in the same listings with "Yesterday Man
Yesterday Man
"Yesterday Man" is a song written by Chris Andrews and his debut single as a solo singer, released in 1965. It went up to position three in the UK charts and number one in Ireland and Germany....
", which peaked in Germany at #1 for four weeks.; followed up with a #13 hit in the UK "To Whom It Concerns". The instrumental
Instrumental
An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments....
section of this song was used as the theme for RTÉ
Raidió Teilifís Éireann
Raidió Teilifís Éireann is a semi-state company and the public service broadcaster of Ireland. It both produces programmes and broadcasts them on television, radio and the Internet. The radio service began on January 1, 1926, while regular television broadcasts began on December 31, 1961, making...
's long-running TV programme
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
, The Late, Late Show, until 1999, and a re-arranged version returned as the show's theme music in September 2009. As well as obtaining a high placing in the UK chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
with "Yesterday Man", it also climbed to #1 in Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
. Later releases were not as successful, but his own hits are seen as early examples of reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
influenced white pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
. Although his chart appearances dwindled in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
by 1966, his chart topping success continued in mainland Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
for a number of years, particularly in Germany, and Andrews often recorded
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
in foreign languages
Natural language
In the philosophy of language, a natural language is any language which arises in an unpremeditated fashion as the result of the innate facility for language possessed by the human intellect. A natural language is typically used for communication, and may be spoken, signed, or written...
.
In South Africa, his later single releases proved particularly popular, with "Pretty Belinda" (1969), "Carol OK" and "Brown Eyes" (both 1970) all topping the charts there. "Yo Yo" reached #7 at the end of 1970.
Today, Andrews is still active in his career as a singer/songwriter, working primarily in mainland Europe as well as the United Kingdom.
Currently he has homes in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
Songwriting credits
- "As Long as You're Happy Baby" — Sandie Shaw
- "Come Closer" — Adam Faith
- "Don't Run Away" — Sandie Shaw
- "First Time" — Adam Faith
- "Girl Don't Come" — Sandie Shaw
- "Here's Another Day" — Adam Faith
- "How Can You Tell" — Sandie Shaw
- "I'll Remember Tonight" — The Mamas & the PapasThe Mamas & the PapasThe Mamas & the Papas were a Canadian/American vocal group of the 1960s . The group recorded and performed from 1965 to 1968 with a short reunion in 1971, releasing five albums and 11 Top 40 hit singles...
- "I'll Stop at Nothing" — Sandie Shaw
- "Long Live Love" — Sandie Shaw
- "Message UnderstoodMessage Understood"Message Understood" is the sixth single by 1960s British girl singer Sandie Shaw. Released in September 1965, it was written by Shaw's usual songwriter Chris Andrews and became her fifth consecutive top-ten hit single in the UK, reaching number six....
" — Sandie Shaw - "Nothing Comes Easy" — Sandie Shaw
- "Nothing Less than Brilliant" — Sandie Shaw
- "Run" — Sandie Shaw
- "Show Me" — Sandie Shaw
- "Think It All OverThink It All Over"Think It All Over" is the twenty-second single by 1960s British girl singer Sandie Shaw. It was her final single to be written by Chris Andrews and was influenced by the German oompah bands that were popular at the time. The single peaked just outside the U.K. Top 40, and became Shaw's final...
" — Sandie Shaw - "Think Sometimes About Me" — Sandie Shaw
- "Today" — Sandie Shaw
- "Tomorrow" — Sandie Shaw
- "We Are in Love" — Adam Faith
- "You Don't Love Me" — The Roulettes
- "You've Not ChangedYou've Not Changed"You've Not Changed" is the fifteenth single by 1960s British girl singer Sandie Shaw. This was the first single A-side to be written by Chris Andrews since "Think Sometimes About Me" almost a year previously. Shaw feels that at the time this was her best single for some time and it reached Number...
" — Sandie Shaw
UK chart singles
| Year | Title | UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | "Yesterday Man Yesterday Man "Yesterday Man" is a song written by Chris Andrews and his debut single as a solo singer, released in 1965. It went up to position three in the UK charts and number one in Ireland and Germany.... " |
#3 | Decca Decca Records Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades.... |
| 1965 | "To Whom It Concerns" | #13 | Decca |
| 1966 | "Something On My Mind" | #41 | Decca |
| 1966 | "What'cha Gonna Do Now?" | #40 | Decca |
| 1966 | "Stop That Girl" | #36 | Decca |
See also
- List of artists under the Decca Records label
- Number 1 Singles in Ireland 1965Number 1 Singles in Ireland 1965This is a list of singles which topped the Irish Singles Chart in 1965.Note that prior to 1992, the Irish singles chart was compiled from trade shipments from the labels to record stores, rather than on consumer sales....
- List of artists who reached number one in Ireland
- Number-one hits of 1966 (Germany)Number-one hits of 1966 (Germany)This is a list of the German Media Control Top100 Singles Chart number-ones of 1966.-References:* Ehnert, Günter . HIT BILANZ Deutsche Chart Singles 1956-1980. ISBN 3-922542-24-7* * ----...
- List of people from Havering
- List of performances on Top of the Pops
External links
- Chris Andrews personal website and Management A.Andrews (in English and German)
- Official website
- [ Chris Andrews biography at the Allmusic websiteWebsiteA website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
]