Christopher Anton "Chris" Rea is an English singer-songwriter, recognisable for his distinctive, husky voice and slide guitar playing. The British Hit Singles & Albums stated that Rea was "one of the most popular UK singer-songwriters of the late 1980s. He was already a major European star by the time he finally cracked the UK Top 10 with his 18th chart entry; 'The Road to Hell'." By 2009, Rea had sold more than 30 million albums worldwide. He is well known for his 1978 hit song "Fool" that charted No.12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent three weeks at No.1 on the U.S. Billboard adult contemporary chart. The song was later covered by Elkie Brooks and was a top 20 hit in the UK. Although Rea had limited success in the United States, two of his albums, The Road to Hell and Auberge, topped the UK Albums Chart. The book Guinness Rockopedia described him as a "gravel-voiced guitar stalwart". 

March 4th, 1951 in Middlesbrough (Age 74) as Christopher Anton Rea