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 labeled 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, as many
people will know, has continued over subsequent decades, with
countless shows, industry awards and record breaking viewing
figures to her name.
Cilla with son Robert and
husband Bobby Willis
The Cilla Black of
today, although having focused more in recent years on
phenomenally successful television shows like "Surprise!,
Surprise!" and "Blind Date" has still gone on record to say that
she ultimately wishes to be remembered for her singing. Therefore,
it was more than poignant that EMI released in 2003, during her
40th showbiz year, a definitive 80 track set "The Best of 1963-78".
This was followed by her re-signing to the label to record her 15th studio
album "Beginnings". To top that Cilla published a revealing
autobiography "What's It All About?" which became a Top 5 best-seller.
Although during
2004 Cilla has been out of the public eye, the year has been
eventful! On a personal level, she became a Grandma, when her
first-born son Robert and wife Fiona had a baby boy, Max Robert
Willis. She also surprised audiences when she gave a number of
impromptu singing performances alongside her close friend Sir Cliff
Richard. The year then culminated with a specially commissioned 2-hour
Christmas spectacular "Cilla Live" for digital channel LIVINGtv.
Discover the world
of Cilla Black by picking up a copy of her best-seller
"What's It All About?".
