The "which famous person died today" thread

What he thought of record companies off his first album.

when he got a record deal, his label, Magnet, suggested he change his name. He mockingly proposed "Benjamin Santini," a name that would appeal to Jewish and Italian listeners - a big slice of the American market. At least one executive at Magnet took it seriously, telling him it was a good idea.

Rea kept his real name but came up with a backstory for Benny Santini, a promising young pop star packaged for stardom. In this song, he tells that story, with Santini falling out of favor, leaving many to ask, "Whatever happened to Benny Santini?"

 
Just heard he was on the dole, lost his manager, couldn’t drive and his wife drove down to London to bring him back up north in her mini and that’s when he wrote driving home for Christmas. Fantastic song rip.
 
city2 said:
Just heard he was on the dole, lost his manager, couldn’t drive and his wife drove down to London to bring him back up north in her mini and that’s when he wrote driving home for Christmas. Fantastic song rip.
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Copied this. Someone had posted it on another site.

"In 1978, just before Christmas, Chris Rea was down to his last £200. He was about to be dropped by his record company and he’d lost his driver’s license. He arranged for his wife Joan to come pick him up at Abbey Road studios in London and through a snowstorm, they started driving home to Middlesborough. It took more than six hours and, on the way, whenever they stopped for snow plows, Chris was scribbling down lyrics to a song. When they finally arrived home, he found a £15,000 cheque on his welcome mat. “Fool (if you think it’s over) had, unbeknownst to him, become a huge hit in North America. The lyrics he’d written on the drive were shelved for 8 years and reappeared in 1986 on the B side of his single “Hello Friend”. DJ’s flipped the single over and fell in love with this new Christmas song. Since then, it’s become a holiday staple at our house and thousands of others. Today’s Coolest Song of the Day is “Drivin’ Home for Christmas”
 
yeseye said:
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This song always had a special resonance for Mrs Vienna and I.

In the run-up to our first Christmas together, her children were insisting that she spent the celebrations with them, rather than travel to Cornwall with me to stay with my parents.

So, our plan was to watch City on the Saturday afternoon, then travel back to Stoke, where we’d stay overnight, before I took her to catch the train up to York, after which, I’d drive down to God's Own Country.

When the game finished, the first song played on the PA system was Driving Home For Christmas. We looked at each other, as if to say, "How ironic".

However, before we’d reached the car, Lesley's daughter rang her to say that they were happy for her to go to Cornwall with me.

R. I. P. Chris.
 
Vienna_70 said:
This song always had a special resonance for Mrs Vienna and I.

In the run-up to our first Christmas together, her children were insisting that she spent the celebrations with them, rather than travel to Cornwall with me to stay with my parents.

So, our plan was to watch City on the Saturday afternoon, then travel back to Stoke, where we’d stay overnight, before I took her to catch the train up to York, after which, I’d drive down to God's Own Country.

When the game finished, the first song played on the PA system was Driving Home For Christmas. We looked at each other, as if to say, "How ironic".

However, before we’d reached the car, Lesley's daughter rang her to say that they were happy for her to go to Cornwall with me.

R. I. P. Chris.
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What a lovely story Vienna, I'm sure they're both up there now sharing a glass or two together. R.I.P to them both.
 
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