For an explanation of CoronaVinyl, click here.
Today's CoronaVinyl category is "R," and part of my most recent haul of vinyl from my neighbor were two Chris Rea records, so let's go with his debut solo album, 1978's Whatever Happened to Benny Santini?
Rea is a husky-voiced British singer-songwriter and slide guitarist who had been in a few bands before going solo in the late '70s. The album title Whatever Happened to Benny Santini? is a reference to a pseudonym that Rea had suggested because his label thought his given name apparently didn't fit his musical style, but Rea forged ahead under his own name anyway.
I am not very familiar with Rea, and my only real knowledge of his music is his 1988 holiday hit "Driving Home For Christmas." As a result, I expected the album to be more croony. But it's a good mix of blues-based rock, pop, regular rock, and soft rock. The album reached #49 on the Billboard album chart (his highest-charting in the U.S.) and eventually went gold in the U.S. The title track was a minor hit, going to #71 on the Billboard Hot 100, but it was "Fool (If You Think It's Over)" was his biggest hit, topping out at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.
Rea has continued to make music since then, releasing dozens of albums, with his latest coming in 2019. He has had 13 Top 40 hits on the UK pop chart, including two Top 10s (the aforementioned "Driving Home For Christmas" and 1989's "Road to Hell").
Favorite Song on Side 1: "Dancing With Charlie"
Rea's slide guitar shines on this track, which is a Stones-esque rock song, which makes me believe the "Charlie" may be Charlie Watts, but I guess it could also be early Delta bluesman Charley Patton (though spelled differently), who was a big influence on Rea.
Favorite Song on Side 2: "Three Angels"
This is another blues-based rock song that borders on heartland rock a few years before Mellencamp and Springsteen really popularized the genre.
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