Dinosaurdays - Chris de Burgh

Chris de Burgh - Born Christopher John Davidson in Argentina on 15 October 1948, De Burgh was discovered by songwriters Doug Flett and Guy Fletcher. He was signed to A&M Records in 1974 and set his sights on the soft end of the rock market. His debut album, "Far Beyondt hese Castle Walls" was released in 1975, and our featured album later on that same year. He was well known for using members of the Alan Parsons Project as his backing musicians, although on "Spanish Train...", he used the services of musicians such as drummer Barry De Souza (Rick Wakeman) and bassist Tony Reeves (Colosseum/Greenslade) and others. In 1979 he released arguably his finest album, the awesome "Crusader". A talented songwriter/guitarist/keyboard player, De Burgh went on to record a number of successful albums, but he is probably best known for "Lady in Red", from his "Into the Light" album, which was released in 1986. The single reached number two in the UK and number 25 in the US, rocketing the singer into the limelight. He continued to record into the nineties, but his wholesome image slipped amid publicity over his alleged adultery. He was among the artists invited to perform at a concert in memory of Princess Diana on 27 June 1998. Chris de Burgh - Spanish Train, from "Spanish Train and other Stories", his second album, released in 1975. Born Christopher John Davidson in Argentina on 15 October 1948, De Burgh was discovered by songwriters Doug Flett and Guy Fletcher. He was signed to A&M Records in 1974 and set his sights on the soft end of the rock market. His debut album, "Far Beyondt hese Castle Walls" was released in 1975, and our featured album later on that same year. He was well known for using members of the Alan Parsons Project as his backing musicians, although on "Spanish Train...", he used the services of musicians such as drummer Barry De Souza (Rick Wakeman) and bassist Tony Reeves (Colosseum/Greenslade) and others. In 1979 he released arguably his finest album, the awesome "Crusader". A talented songwriter/guitarist/keyboard player, De Burgh went on to record a number of successful albums, but he is probably best known for "Lady in Red", from his "Into the Light" album, which was released in 1986. The single reached number two in the UK and number 25 in the US, rocketing the singer into the limelight. He continued to record into the nineties, but his wholesome image slipped amid publicity over his alleged adultery. He was among the artists invited to perform at a concert in memory of Princess Diana on 27 June 1998.

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Biography by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
An art rocker who occasionally writes pop-oriented material, Chris de Burgh has never been as popular in his native Britain or the United States as he was in other areas of the world. In America, he's only managed two Top 40 hits — 1983's "Don't Pay the Ferryman" (number 34) and the number three ballad "The Lady in Red" (1986). In Britain, he's had the same number of Top 40 singles — "The Lady in Red" was a number one hit and "Missing You" peaked at number three — yet he's had a number of minor hits. Nevertheless, he has gained an astounding popularity in other countries, particularly Norway and Brazil.

de Burgh signed with A&M Records in 1974, and supported Supertramp on their Crime of the Century tour, building himself a small fan base. His debut, Far Beyond These Castle Walls, was a folk-tinged stab at fantasy in the tradition of the Moody Blues that failed to chart upon its release in February of 1975. That July, he released a single from the album called "Flying." It didn't make an impression in the U.K., but it stayed on top of the Brazilian charts for 17 weeks. This became a familiar pattern for the singer/songwriter, as every one of his '70s albums failed to chart in the U.K. or U.S. while they racked up big sales in European and South American countries. In 1981, he had his first U.K. chart entry with Best Moves, a collection culled from his early albums. It set the stage for 1982's Rupert Hine-produced The Getaway, which reached number 30 on the U.K. charts and number 43 in the U.S., thanks to the eerie single "Don't Pay the Ferryman." de Burgh's follow-up album, Man on the Line, also performed well, charting at 69 in the U.S. and 11 in the U.K.

de Burgh had an across-the-board success with the languid ballad "The Lady in Red" in late 1986; the single became a number one hit in England (number three in America) and its accompanying album, Into the Light, reached number two in the U.K. (number 25 in the U.S.). That Christmas season, a re-release of de Burgh's 1976 holiday song "A Spaceman Came Travelling" became a Top 40 hit in the U.K. Flying Colours, his follow-up to Into the Light, entered the British charts at number one upon its 1988 release, yet it failed to make the American charts. de Burgh never hit the U.S. charts again and his commercial fortunes began to slide slightly in Britain in the early '90s, yet he retained a devoted following around the world.