Cilla Black

Cilla Black was born Priscilla White on 27th May 1943 and used to be a hat-check girl at the now legendary Cavern in Liverpool. Brian Epstein discovered her there and signed her up as his token female act to complete his 'stable of stars'. Epstein probably did not realize that after The Beatles, this tall ginger headed girl would be the most successful of all his signings.

Cilla's first record was (unsurprisingly) a Lennon/McCartney composition called Love of the Loved (presumably churned out on a bad day for all concerned). It reached number 35 in late 1963.

To follow up she chose a Burt Bacharach song originally recorded by Dionne Warwick in America. Cilla's version featured to full effect her astonishing voice which changes tone entirely when she turns up the volume. She quickly became known as the girl with two voices; One soft, gentle and Scouse for quiet bits, and one a real belter for the climax of the songs. 

Anyone Who Had A Heart was the first British number one by a female vocalist since Helen Shapiro at the end of 1961. Cilla Black was on her way, and Brian Epstein's 25% of the action was worth having! Her second number one was You're My World but she was never to hit the very top.

By August 1967, only days before his premature death, Epstein had engineered Cilla's switch to television. It proved to be a shrewd move as, through her own variety show for the BBC, she regularly commanded a staggering audience of 22 million. This popularity has continued over subsequent decades, with countless shows, industry awards and record-breaking viewing figures to her credit.

In the 1970s and 80s, Cilla made the transition from pop star to family entertainer. She continued to score hits throughout Europe with songs like I Don't Know How To Love Him (from the musical Jesus Christ Superstar) and toured to appreciative audiences around the world. 

She also played major roles in successful TV shows like Blind Date and Surprise Surprise.

Cilla's success came full circle in 1997 when she was awarded the OBE by the Queen for her distinguished achievements as an entertainer. In 2003, Cilla re-signed with EMI and recorded her 15th studio album Beginnings. She also published a revealing autobiography, What's It All About?, which became a best-seller.