Chris de Burgh
Chris de Burgh (born October 15, 1948 in Venado Tuerto , Argentina ; born Christopher John Davison ) is an Irish singer and composer . His greatest successes include The Lady in Red , Don't Pay the Ferryman , Where Peaceful Waters Flow , Missing You (1988) and High on Emotion . In total, his albums (including 20 studio albums) have sold over 45 million copies worldwide. The sound carriers received gold or platinum awards around 200 times.
Career
Chris de Burgh was born in Argentina on October 15, 1948. His father was a British diplomat, which is why he spent a few years abroad as a child. After the Davison family had lived in Argentina, Nigeria and Zaire from 1947 to 1959, Davison came to the family castle, Bargy Castle in County Wexford in south-east Ireland when he was six . There he learned to play the guitar and went to school. After boarding school at Marlborough College , Davison studied Romance and English at Trinity College in Dublin from 1968 to 1971 . Today a small plaque hangs on the door of the music room, in which he always played the piano.
After several smaller appearances, solo and with a band, Davison went to London , where he received his first recording contract with A&M Records in 1972 . At that time he took his mother's maiden name, Maeve Emily, and called himself Chris de Burgh from then on. The roots of the de Burgh family - an Irish-Norman noble family - go back to the 12th century.
In 1974 de Burgh brought out his debut album Far Beyond These Castle Walls . The included song Turning Round (later renamed Flying ) was his first hit and was number one on the charts in Brazil for several weeks. A year later, the album Spanish Train and Other Stories was released .
Its level of awareness in Germany increased significantly in 1981 with the release of the album Best Moves (see below), which was presented extensively and very positively by several radio stations, including by Elke Heidenreich in the WDR show Entertainment on the Weekend . Several tours followed (for example in the supporting act for Supertramp ) in late 1982 with the album The Getaway and the single Don't Pay the Ferryman . Two years later he reached the top of the charts in ten European countries with the single High on Emotion from the album Man On the Line . Both albums were produced by Rupert Hine , who contributed significantly to the success of these albums. In 1986 the world hit Lady in Red followed , which sold eight million times and became number one in over 20 countries. De Burgh was also able to record further successes with the following studio albums Flying Colors (1988), Power of Ten (1992) and the accompanying tours.
From the end of the 1990s, the commercial success waned somewhat, but de Burgh's tours continued to be well attended. Highlights included his appearances at Holiday on Ice and his participation in the Nokia Night of the Proms in 2001. In 2004 Chris de Burgh completed numerous solo concerts on his Road-to-Freedom tour in Germany. On July 2, 2005, he played in Live 8 in front of the Victory Column in Berlin. In 2006 he released the album The Storyman with his own, newly formed record company Ferryman Productions .
In March 2008, the production of the movie Through These Eyes began to which de Burgh contributed book, soundtrack and money. As early as 1997, de Burgh played a gas station attendant in the film How to Cheat in the Leaving Certificate . His studio album The Hands of Man was released in October 2014. In September 2016, de Burgh released his studio album A Better World , which took 7th place in Germany.
Private
Chris de Burgh lives in Enniskerry, south of the Irish capital Dublin. He has been married to Diane Morley since November 1978. They have three children: Rosanna (* 1984) and their two sons Hubert (* 1988) and Michael (* 1990). "For Rosanna" from the album "Into the Light" (1986) is dedicated to his daughter, who 17 years later, in 2003, won the titles Miss Ireland and Miss World . De Burgh dedicated the song “Just A Word Away” from the album “Flying Colors” (1988) to his son Hubert.
Songs
Chris de Burgh usually tells stories and legends, fairy tales and "fantasy stories" in his songs. Several songs contain allegories of death ( Don't Pay the Ferryman , 1982; Spanish Train , 1975). Some songs are also committed to pure comedy ( Patricia the Stripper , 1975; The Record Company Bash , 1980; A Night on the River , 1988). Until the end of the 1980s, de Burgh's albums repeatedly featured small “ rock operas ”, such as the song trilogy The Leader , The Vision and What About Me? On the album Into The Light . , referred to in the official video as The Leader Trilogy , which were often over ten minutes long. With the album The Storyman he returned to this form ( The Mirror of the Soul ).
Many of the songs are autobiographical. The song Brazil (1977) was written immediately after his first return to South America since leaving the continent as a child. In Perfect Day (1977) is told by a picnic with de Burgh's (then) girlfriend Diane and their friends Paul and Susan. Paul Tullio is a college friend from Trinity College and is still one of Chris de Burgh's closest friends. Susan Morley is Diane's sister. The picnic described in Perfect Day actually took place in the summer of 1976. In late 1976 Paul Tullio and Susan Morley married, and de Burgh dedicated the song In a Country Churchyard to them . Contrary to popular belief, the song The Lady in Red isn't for Diane, but Something Else Again from 1979 .
Several songs by Chris de Burgh also deal with the Northern Ireland conflict ( I'm Counting On You , 1982) or the Falklands War ( Borderline , 1982). The song The Getaway (1982) deals with the death of IRA activist Bobby Sands , who died in prison in 1981 after a hunger strike.
In a 1988 television portrait by ZDF, Chris de Burgh said that he could only write his songs in Ireland. He has never composed a single note outside of Ireland. He revised this statement in an interview with the Frankfurter Rundschau in 2006. He could write songs all over the world.
Discography
Studio albums
year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
DE | AT | CH | UK | US | IE | |||
1975 | Far Beyond These Castle Walls | - | - | - | - | - | - |
First published: January 31, 1975
|
1975 | Spanish Train and Other Stories | - | - | - |
UK78 (3 weeks) UK |
- | - |
First published: November 1st, 1975
(chart entry 1985) |
1977 | At The End Of A Perfect Day | - | - | - | - | - | - |
First published: August 5, 1977
|
1979 | Crusader | - | - | - |
UK72 (1 week) UK |
- | - |
First published: January 1, 1979
(chart entry 1986) |
1980 | Eastern wind | - | - | - | - | - | - |
First published: July 4, 1980
|
1982 | The Getaway |
DE1
platinum
(58 weeks)DE |
AT3 (14 weeks) AT |
- |
UK30 (16 weeks) UK |
US43 (22 weeks) US |
- |
First published: December 19, 1982
|
1984 | Man on the line |
DE1
platinum
(52 weeks)DE |
AT9 (12 weeks) AT |
CH1 (38 weeks) CH |
UK11
silver
(24 weeks)UK |
US69 (19 weeks) US |
- |
First published: May 10, 1984
|
1986 | Into the light |
DE2 × 2
(62 weeks)DE |
AT19 (6 weeks) AT |
CH2 (34 weeks) CH |
UK2 × 2
(59 weeks)UK |
US25th
gold
(32 weeks)US |
- |
First published: June 1, 1986
|
1988 | Flying Colors |
DE2
platinum
(58 weeks)DE |
- |
CH2
gold
(24 weeks)CH |
UK1
platinum
(30 weeks)UK |
- | - |
First published: October 3, 1988
|
1992 | Power of Ten |
DE1
gold
(31 weeks)DE |
AT29 (6 weeks) AT |
CH3
gold
(20 weeks)CH |
UK3
gold
(10 weeks)UK |
- | - |
First published: April 2, 1992
|
1994 | This way up |
DE4th
gold
(19 weeks)DE |
AT37 (1 week) AT |
CH5
gold
(17 weeks)CH |
UK5
silver
(8 weeks)UK |
- | - |
First published: May 19, 1994
|
1999 | Quiet revolution |
DE6th
gold
(16 weeks)DE |
- |
CH10 (9 weeks) CH |
UK23 (5 weeks) UK |
- | - |
First published: September 23, 1999
|
2002 | Timing is everything |
DE12 (7 weeks) DE |
- |
CH18 (7 weeks) CH |
UK41 (1 week) UK |
- | - |
First published: September 16, 2002
|
2004 | The Road to Freedom |
DE5
gold
(18 weeks)DE |
AT39 (7 weeks) AT |
CH22 (9 weeks) CH |
UK75 (1 week) UK |
- | - |
First published: March 8, 2004
|
2006 | The Storyman |
DE8 (10 weeks) DE |
- |
CH28 (6 weeks) CH |
UK38 (2 weeks) UK |
- | - |
First published: October 9, 2006
|
2008 | Footsteps |
DE9
platinum
(34 weeks)DE |
AT38 (6 weeks) AT |
CH22nd
gold
(17 weeks)CH |
UK4th
silver
(6 weeks)UK |
- |
IE22 (6 weeks) IE |
First published: November 20, 2008
|
2010 | Moonfleet & Other Stories |
DE3
gold
(25 weeks)DE |
AT42 (2 weeks) AT |
CH31 (11 weeks) CH |
UK25 (2 weeks) UK |
- |
IE33 (2 weeks) IE |
First published: October 22, 2010
|
2011 | Footsteps 2 |
DE10
gold
(18 weeks)DE |
AT44 (3 weeks) AT |
CH3 (18 weeks) CH |
UK38 (2 weeks) UK |
- | - |
First published: October 14, 2011
|
2012 | Home |
DE15 (11 weeks) DE |
AT48 (2 weeks) AT |
CH19 (5 weeks) CH |
UK92 (1 week) UK |
- | - |
First published: October 12, 2012
|
2014 | The Hands of Man |
DE8 (12 weeks) DE |
AT37 (1 week) AT |
CH22 (4 weeks) CH |
UK71 (1 week) UK |
- |
IE45 (1 week) IE |
First published: October 24, 2014
|
2016 | A better world |
DE7 (8 weeks) DE |
AT49 (1 week) AT |
CH17 (11 weeks) CH |
UK60 (1 week) UK |
- | - |
First published: September 23, 2016
|
gray hatching : no chart data available for this year
Compilations & live albums
year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
DE | AT | CH | UK | US | IE | |||
1981 | Best moves |
DE4th
gold
(87 weeks)DE |
- | - |
UK65 (4 weeks) UK |
- | - |
First published: September 1981
compilation |
1984 | The very best of | - | - | - |
UK6th
gold
(70 weeks)UK |
- | - |
First published: December 1984
compilation |
1989 | Spark to a Flame: The Very Best of |
DE2
platinum
(34 weeks)DE |
AT11
gold
(14 weeks)AT |
CH3
platinum
(14 weeks)CH |
UK4th × 2
(31 weeks)UK |
- | - |
First published: October 24, 1989
compilation |
1990 | High on Emotion: Live from Dublin |
DE8th
gold
(20 weeks)DE |
AT23 (2 weeks) AT |
CH14th
gold
(7 weeks)CH |
UK15th
gold
(6 weeks)UK |
- | - |
First release: September 11, 1990
live album |
1995 | Beautiful dreams |
DE29 (14 weeks) DE |
- |
CH24 (8 weeks) CH |
UK33
gold
(8 weeks)UK |
- | - |
First release: October 27, 1995
live album |
1997 | The Love Songs |
DE51 (9 weeks) DE |
- |
CH17 (5 weeks) CH |
UK8th
gold
(12 weeks)UK |
- | - |
First published: September 30, 1997
compilation |
2000 | The Ultimate Collection |
DE39 (8 weeks) DE |
- |
CH76 (2 weeks) CH |
UK19th
gold
(4 weeks)UK |
- | - |
First published: November 27, 2000
compilation |
2005 | Live in Dortmund |
DE39 (4 weeks) DE |
- | - | - | - | - |
First release: June 27, 2005
live album |
2008 | Now and Then | - | - | - |
UK12 (3 weeks) UK |
- |
IE21 (16 weeks) IE |
First published: April 21, 2008
compilation |
2013 | Lady In Red The Collection | - | - | - | - | - |
IE42 (21 weeks) IE |
compilation
|
gray hatching : no chart data available for this year
more publishments
- 1974: Far Beyond These Castle Walls
- 1977: At the End of a Perfect Day
- 1979: Live on SA
- 1980: Eastern Wind
- 1997: Live in South Africa
- 2001: Notes from Planet Earth
- 2004: Star Boulevard - Best of
- 2004: The River Sessions
- 2006: Much More Than This
- 2007: Missing You - Best
- 2007: gold
- 2009: Footsteps (Special Edition) (DE:platinum)
Singles
year | Title album |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
DE | AT | CH | UK | US | |||
1976 | A Spaceman Came Traveling Spanish Train and Other Stories |
- | - | - |
UK94 (1 week) UK |
- |
First published: 1976
|
1982 | Don't Pay the Ferryman The Getaway |
DE24 (16 weeks) DE |
- | - |
UK48 (7 weeks) UK |
US34 (14 weeks) US |
First published: September 1982
|
The Getaway The Getaway |
DE24 (17 weeks) DE |
- | - | - | - |
First published: November 1982
|
|
1983 | Ship to Shore The Getaway |
DE69 (3 weeks) DE |
- | - | - |
US71 (5 weeks) US |
First published: February 1983
|
Where Peaceful Waters Flow The Getaway |
DE52 (7 weeks) DE |
- | - | - | - |
First published: October 1983
|
|
1984 | High on Emotion Man on the Line |
DE12 (18 weeks) DE |
AT12 (6 weeks) AT |
CH5 (16 weeks) CH |
UK44 (5 weeks) UK |
US44 (13 weeks) US |
First published: April 1984
|
The Ecstasy of Flight (I Love the Night) Man on the Line |
DE49 (5 weeks) DE |
- |
CH29 (1 week) CH |
UK80 (4 weeks) UK |
- |
First published: August 1984
|
|
1986 | Fire on the Water Into the Light |
DE46 (10 weeks) DE |
- |
CH16 (6 weeks) CH |
UK88 (3 weeks) UK |
- |
First published: April 1986
|
The Lady in Red Into the Light |
DE5 (14 weeks) DE |
AT7 (10 weeks) AT |
CH18 (7 weeks) CH |
UK1
gold
(17 weeks)UK |
US3 (26 weeks) US |
First published: June 1986
|
|
Fatal hesitation into the light |
- | - | - |
UK44 (4 weeks) UK |
- |
First published: September 1986
|
|
The Ballroom Of Romance Into the Light |
- | - | - |
UK40 (6 weeks) UK |
- |
First published: December 1986
|
|
1987 | One Word (Straight To The Heart) Into the Light |
DE60 (5 weeks) DE |
- | - | - | - |
First published: March 1987
|
The Simple Truth (A Child Is Born) |
DE31 (5 weeks) DE |
- | - |
UK36 (6 weeks) UK |
- |
First published: December 1987
|
|
1988 | Missing You Flying Colors |
DE29 (15 weeks) DE |
- |
CH20 (2 weeks) CH |
UK3 (13 weeks) UK |
- |
First published: October 1988
|
Tender Hands Flying Colors |
- | - | - |
UK43 (7 weeks) UK |
- |
First published: December 1988
|
|
1989 | Sailing Away Flying Colors |
DE56 (5 weeks) DE |
- | - |
UK78 (3 weeks) UK |
- |
First published: February 1989
|
This Waiting Heart Spark to a Flame |
DE36 (15 weeks) DE |
- |
CH27 (2 weeks) CH |
UK59 (4 weeks) UK |
- |
First published: October 1989
|
|
Diamond in the Dark Spark to a Flame |
- | - | - |
UK95 (1 week) UK |
- |
First published: November 1989
|
|
1992 | Separate tables Power of Ten |
DE39 (11 weeks) DE |
- |
CH25 (5 weeks) CH |
UK30 (4 weeks) UK |
- |
First published: April 1992
|
By My Side Power of Ten |
DE61 (8 weeks) DE |
- | - | - | - |
First published: October 1992
|
|
Talk To Me Power of Ten |
DE86 (6 weeks) DE |
- | - | - | - |
First published: December 1992
|
|
1994 | Blonde Hair Blue Jeans This Way Up |
DE56 (13 weeks) DE |
- | - |
UK51 (2 weeks) UK |
- |
First published: May 1994
|
This Silent World This Way Up |
DE52 (12 weeks) DE |
- | - | - | - |
First published: August 1994
|
|
This Is Love This Way Up |
DE55 (9 weeks) DE |
- | - | - | - |
First published: December 1994
|
|
1995 | The Snows of New York Beautiful Dreams |
- | - | - |
UK60 (2 weeks) UK |
- |
First published: December 1995
|
1996 | I'm Not Crying Over You Beautiful Dreams |
- | - | - |
UK77 (1 week) UK |
- |
First published: February 1996
|
1997 | So Beautiful The Love Songs |
- | - | - |
UK29 (6 weeks) UK |
- |
First published: September 1997
|
1999 | When I Think of You Quiet Revolution |
DE75 (9 weeks) DE |
- | - |
UK59 (2 weeks) UK |
- |
First published: September 1999
|
2000 | A Woman's Heart Quiet Revolution |
DE96 (3 weeks) DE |
- | - | - | - |
First published: January 2000
|
2006 | One World The Storyman |
DE99 (1 week) DE |
- | - | - | - |
First published: September 2006
|
2010 | Lonely Sky Moonfleet & Other Stories |
- | - | - |
UK36 (1 week) UK |
- |
First published: December 2010
(with Ben & James Hazelby) |
Concert videos
year | Surname | Specialty |
---|---|---|
1984 | Chris de Burgh - The Video | Live video of a concert in Hamilton, Canada (VHS) |
1985 | The Munich Concerts | Live video of a concert in the Olympiahalle Munich (VHS) |
1990 | High On Emotion - Live from Dublin! | Live video of a concert at RDS Stadium Dublin (VHS) |
1995 | Beautiful Dreams Live | Live video of a concert in Birmingham (VHS) |
2001 | Benefit for Volendam | Charity concert for the victims of the accident in Volendam on New Year's Day 2001 (VHS / DVD) |
2004 | The Road To Freedom - Live | Live DVD of a concert in the Bielefeld city hall |
2005 | Beautiful Dreams Live | Live DVD with a film from a concert in Birmingham in 1995 (VHS re-release) |
2010 | Footsteps - Live in Concert | Live DVD with recordings of the 2009 world tour |
Awards for music sales
|
|
Note: Awards in countries from the chart tables or chart boxes can be found in these.
Country / Region | silver | gold | platinum | Sales | swell |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Awards for music sales (country / region, awards, sales, sources) |
|||||
Germany (BVMI) | - | 8 × gold8th | 8 × platinum8th | 4,950,000 | musikindustrie.de |
Canada (MC) | - | 4 × gold4th | 7 × platinum7th | 900,000 | musiccanada.com |
Norway (IFPI) | - | gold1 | - | 20,000 | ifpi.no ( Memento from November 5, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) |
Austria (IFPI) | - | gold1 | - | 25,000 | ifpi.at |
Switzerland (IFPI) | - | 5 × gold5 | platinum1 | 160,000 | hitparade.ch |
United States (RIAA) | - | gold1 | - | 500,000 | riaa.com |
United Kingdom (BPI) | 4 × silver4th | 7 × gold7th | 5 × platinum5 | 2,980,000 | bpi.co.uk |
All in all | 4 × silver4th | 27 × gold27 | 21 × platinum21st |
literature
- Dave Thompson : The Chris de Burgh Story. Zsolnay-Verlag, 1989, ISBN 3-552-05012-4 .
- Tony Clayton-Lea: Chris De Burgh: Authorized Biography. Sidgwick & Jackson Ltd, 1996, ISBN 0-283-06236-3 .
swell
- ^ "I was born on the 15th of October 1948 in a town in Argentina called Venado Tuerto. I believe it was around 5 o'clock in the morning. " Chris de Burgh ( Memento from July 27, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ gmx.net
- ↑ Papa is the best - Interview with Chris de Burgh and daughter Rosanna Bunte.de, October 27, 2008.
- ↑ Article in Bunte.de
- ^ Dave Thompson: The Chris De Burgh: From a Spark to a Flame. Omnibus Press, London 1987, ISBN 0-7119-0976-8 .
- ↑ a b c Chart sources: DE AT CH UK US IE
Web links
- Chris de Burgh in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- official page
- Literature by and about Chris de Burgh in the catalog of the German National Library
- Chris de Burgh at Musik-Sammler.de
- Photos of Chris de Burgh and his daughter Rosanna ( Memento from July 19, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
personal data | |
---|---|
SURNAME | De Burgh, Chris |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Davison, Christopher John (real name) |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Irish singer |
DATE OF BIRTH | October 15, 1948 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Venado Tuerto , Argentina |