At 85 years old, Sir Cliff Richard is demonstrating remarkable staying power in the music industry, currently embarking on another successful tour that continues to draw enthusiastic crowds across the globe.
The remarkable career timeline
The British music legend recently completed performances in Australia and New Zealand before launching the UK segment of his Can't Stop Me Now tour in Cardiff. The tour will conclude at London's prestigious Royal Albert Hall on 9 December. What makes this particularly extraordinary is that Sir Cliff first ignited the British rock'n'roll era with his hit Move It back in 1958 - meaning he's been entertaining audiences for an incredible 67 years.
The secret to his longevity
According to Ian Gittins, who has ghostwritten two books for Sir Cliff including his autobiography The Dreamer, the singer himself frequently questions his enduring career. "He asks himself that an awful lot," Gittins reveals. "His contemporaries when he started were Billy Fury, Marty Wilde and Adam Faith, and he said to me two or three times, 'How am I still going?'"
Gittins attributes this remarkable longevity to several key factors:
- Extraordinary tenacity and incredible drive
- Maintaining physical fitness through tennis and gym sessions
- A manageable touring schedule of approximately 30 shows annually
- Strong connection with his loyal fanbase
The relationship between Sir Cliff and his audience remains particularly special. "He's very fond of them," Gittins notes, "and they're extraordinarily fond and protective of him. They have grown up and grown old with him."
The shift from pop mainstream to national institution
Sir Cliff's separation from mainstream pop culture began in the mid-1960s when he fully embraced Christianity. In 1966 - the same year the Beatles released Revolver - he toured the UK not as a conventional rock singer but as a preacher. This marked a decisive turning point that effectively exiled him from pop's centre stage.
Despite this shift, Richard Williams predicted this transformation as early as 1980, suggesting the singer might become "the next century's Vera Lynn" - a prophecy that has essentially come true. Sir Cliff has evolved into a national institution who commemorates significant events like Christmases and royal anniversaries.
Today, while he may not attract new fans through radio play, his core audience remains fiercely loyal. His carefully managed public appearances - primarily through Christian publications and select mainstream outlets - have maintained his connection with his dedicated followers while perhaps preventing a broader reassessment of his genuinely important musical legacy.
Yet behind the perma-smiling, perma-tanned entertainer lies the raw rock'n'roller who once electrified Britain. As comedian Jimmy Tarbuck recalled from their late-1950s tours together: "The girls were going crazy, that you couldn't hear yourself think. And all the mums hated Cliff because they thought he was a sex object."
