Chris de Burgh

Chris de Burgh’s real name is Christopher John Davison. He was born on 15 October 1948 in Argentina. Initially, the talented singer, songwriter, and musician enjoyed rock. However, with time, Chris started focusing on pop music. De Burgh’s hits reached high spots on British and American charts. He was also very popular abroad. Chris has numerous fans in Norway, Brazil, and Russia. In 1986, his song “Lady in Red” conquered charts all over the world. Since the beginning of his singing career, De Burgh sold more than 45 million copies of his albums in many countries.

The talented singer was born in a small city called Venado Tuerto. His father, Charles Davison, was a British ambassador while his mom was a secretary from Ireland. When Chris decided to become a musician, he chose his mother’s last name for a pseudonym since it seemed more appropriate for a celebrity. The Davison family moved around a lot. Young Chris lived in Malta, Nigeria, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

When De Burgh was a teenager, his family decided to settle in Ireland where the boy’s dad purchased a castle. The 12th-century building was in dire straits. However, Charles renovated the castle and turned it into a successful hotel. In the hotel, Chris arranged his first concerts, performing for the guests. The talented young man enrolled in Marlborough College in England. Then he went on to Trinity College in Dublin. De Burgh was studying English, French, and History. After graduating, the young man decided to become a professional musician.

In 1974, the aspiring singer signed a contract with A&M Records. He immediately got an excellent chance to shine. The famous British group Supertramp invited Chris to accompany it on a tour. During the tour, Chris started acquiring fans. The same year, he released the first LP, Far Beyond These Castle Walls. However, the album didn’t make it into the charts. Several months later, Chris presented a new single “Flying”. Even though the song wasn’t popular in the UK, it became a hit in Brazil where it stayed in the top chart for 17 weeks. All albums Chris recorded in the 1970s became extremely popular in Europe and South America. However, they didn’t make it into British and American charts.

In 1975, Chris presented the second album, Spanish Train and Other Stories. After its release, the artist embarked on a tour to find new fans. The LP featured such popular songs as "Patricia The Stripper”, and "A Spaceman Came Travelling". Before 1970s were over, the singer recorded three more LPs.

In 1982, Chris finally managed to conquer the UK Charts with his compilation album, Best Moves. Next year, he presented another LP, The Gateway. It came in 30th on the UK Albums Chart and climbed to the 43rd spot on Billboard 200. Such success was attributed to the single “Don’t Pay the Ferryman”, which was a huge hit. The album earned a platinum certification in Germany. The next LP, Man on the Line, which came out in 1984 was also a hit in Germany. Additionally, it reached the 11th spot on the UK Albums Chart.

In 1986, de Burgh recorded his most famous single “The Lady in Red”. The song reached top spots on the UK, Canadian, and Irish charts. It came in third on Billboard Hot 100. The LP, Into the Light, which featured the single, also became very successful. It reached high spots on European and British charts and earned several platinum certifications. However, the album didn’t manage to appear on Billboard 200. The rest of Chris’ albums, recorded after Into the Light, couldn’t become successful in the U.S.A either. That didn’t keep the singer from giving numerous concerts, tickets to which were selling out regularly.

In 1997, Chris recorded a new song "There's a New Star Up in Heaven Tonight", dedicated to Princess Diana. Only 100 copies came out. The artist’s fans could get the single by buying one of his compilation albums, The Ultimate Collection (2000) or Now and Then (2009).

In the 2000s, the singer recorded several successful albums. They appeared in British charts and a few if them earned gold statuses. In 2007, de Burgh became the first singer from Europe, who got a chance to perform in Iran. However, the government canceled the concert eventually. He also got a chance to perform in Lebanon.

Chris de Burgh continues recording new songs and releasing new albums. In 2016, he recorded the next LP, A Better World. It came in 60th on the UK Albums Chart and reached the 7th spot on Germany.