The Dreamer: An Autobiography

by Cliff Richard

Early evening on Saturday 13th September, 1958, Cliff Richard and The Drifters appeared on ITV's pop show Oh Boy!, electrifying living rooms across the nation with their now legendary performance of 'Move It'. Overnight, the 17-year-old Elvis fan with big dreams became a real-life teen idol, and Britain had their first rock 'n' roll star. A new chapter had started in the history of music.

Over sixty years later, with a hit in every decade since and over 250 million record sales, Cliff Richard performes live to sell-out audiences with continued success as a recording artist, while era-defining pop stars have come and gone.

Now in his autobiography, Cliff takes us back to 1950s post-War London, where he exploded out of the skiffle scene with his unique new sound. From there he is catapulted into the centre of the British film industry, and goes on to conquer Saturday-night TV. We go behind the scenes on West End musicals, and around the world with him on tour.

Cliff Richard is one of the biggest-selling artists of all time, and he has achieved that while always following his own path, on his own terms. Here he tells his story in his own words, through the toughest times he has faced, to the biggest dreams that came true.

Genres: Nonfiction, Music, Biography, Autobiography, Memoir, Audiobook

416 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 29, 2020

About the author

Sir Cliff Richard is an English singer who has total sales of over 21.5 million singles in the United Kingdom and is the third-top-selling artist in UK Singles Chart history, behind the Beatles and Elvis Presley.

Reviews

[ReadAlongWithSue ★⋆. ࿐࿔catching up · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok....
I grew up with.......

Donny Osmond
Wizard
Beatles
Status Quo
Slade
Bay city Rollers
David Cassidy


To name but a few, and Cliff Richard was another one.
Cliff and the Shadows....remember them? Hank Marvin? I met Hank once he helped a friend of mine change his car tyre!

Anyway...I digress

This book has lots in here I never knew about. And photos that I swooned over!

The audio is good too as it’s actually read by him so I followed along in between when I could, it felt like Cliff was telling me his life story (sad! I know....but it brought me joy)

Because he had never married yet his name had been linked to several girlfriends romantically which was true. I remember, Susan George, Una Stubbs, Sue Barker.

He’s been accused of being gay.

My eldest brother is 71 and he’s never married yet he’s had close relationships when younger and no, he’s not gay, and neither would it matter if he was!

As for a child molester etc.
I took the point when this investigation was going on Cliff said, although it was incredibly difficult for him, it HAD to take place as any investigation should be taken seriously even though his stress level was high, he knew he was innocent.

I personally found it horrendous that this was happening yet, you just never know do you and aspirations will be heard and mud sticks.
So even now, there will be some with doubts though he’s cleared.

His sister was dying while this was going on.

His life story in this book was amazing.

He came from a very religious background which I knew from Hank Marvin who himself went on to become a Jehovahs Witness as Cliff’s mom also was.
I can’t remember if that came out in this book, but it’s a piece of information I already knew about but Cliff wasn’t a Jehovahs Witness although very religious as we all know from some songs.

This book took me down memory land when I watched his films.

We’re all going on a summer holiday. Anyone else watch this? Una Stubbs was in that.

If you were/are a fan of Cliff Richard or just nosy to pick this book up, it’s written really well.
Highly recommend the audio too.

[Jo Coleman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve long found Cliff Richard strangely fascinating for his mixture of dorky enthusiasm and ruthless obsession with success, plus occasionally knocking out a completely excellent pop song. This had plenty of the kind of thing I was hoping for: larky tales about his youth, frequent protests that he doesn’t care about being cool, interspersed with much muttering about long-standing grievances with his record company, not being played on BBC Radio, not being *quite* as successful as the Beatles, etc etc.

I’m sure it's only a few years since I read Cliff Richard's last big shiny autobiography, but understandably, he spends a big chunk of this trying to set the record straight about his recent court cases and accusations of sexual abuse, convincingly enough for me. Less compelling are the lengthy sections where he discovers Christianity and tennis, but his co-writer soon gets him back on track with another zippy anecdote about his encounters with other celebrities, from top chums Cilla Black and Gloria Hunniford to awkward hangouts with Van Morrisson and David Bowie. Most of all, I enjoyed his liberal use of exclamation marks and italics (“I always think: This is the most bought piece of music in the country! With my voice! Wow!”), and was delighted that he had no fear of straying into Alan Partridge territory ("If a Martian came to Earth tomorrow and asked me, 'Cliff, how many iconic rock and roll songs have you made?' I would say 'One - "Move It". And it made history.') I'm looking forward to further instalments of his memoirs on his 90th, 100th and 110th birthdays, at a minimum. (Nice to see Bob Stanley credited in the acknowledgments for fact-checking, too!)

[Bob Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been a fan of cliff for decades and this book is a great review of the star’s life touching on his music and faith. This book was fascinating (full of facts through his career) and very moving (the last chapters about his ordeal and the final epilogue brought a tear to my eye as he faces his final years).

[Mark Brett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Contained interesting info I’d not read elsewhere. From relative wealth to real poverty to hard earned riches.....a guy for whom that wasn’t enough, found peace in faith & family & friends.....such an unpopular choice for some to swallow that there HAS to be dishonesty at its heart.....

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting man, focused on escaping poverty and to achieve. This he does at a young age. Life has been blessed for him, despite suffering loss as we all have.Yet fame has also brought false accusations upon him which almost destroyed him. Thankfully he has survived and I hope the rest of his life will be in peace
I chose to read this book after seeing Cliff perform live for the first time at 85 years of age ( him not me) and being blown away by his still amazing voice and dancing ability. A performer, who clearly loves what he does and all his fans, long may he continue ❤️

[Sammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely a nostalgia read for me. I discovered Sir Cliff at age 7, when I came across a VHS copy of Summer Holiday among my parents collection. I immediately fell into watching it again and again and again, ad nauseam, as kids annoyingly do. I raided my mum's music collection for Cliff's albums, and was quite completely obsessed for at least a full year until I discovered Bo Duke at age 8.

Over the years I've always returned to Cliff with fond memories. Taking my parents to see the stage production of Heathcliff in Edinburgh as a teen, and more recently seeing him perform (for the first time for me) at Harewood House in Leeds. It was cold, exceedingly wet & miserable, which is not ideal for an open air concert, but every single person stayed until the very end.

So this book for me was very much linked to my childhood, and in my nostalgia-tinted mind, this was a very enjoyable book. If someone who wasn't particularly a fan would enjoy it as much, I'm not sure.

[Tracey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Very interesting read

[Carin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first became a fan of Cliff Richard at the age of 14. My mum had been a fan in her teens. Maybe that inspired me. I don't know. This biography gave me a very good impression of Cliff's live and character. It certainly did not disappoint me. I am very happy I bought it. It has been very inspirational and made me an even bigger fan. Thank you for sharing your life story Cliff.

[Mrs S Waite · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous

I am a massive fan of Cliff and have all hit music,calendars, films. and go to all his concerts but when it comes to reading big thick books I get bored. I have a lot of his books and skim read most.
Not this book I couldn’t put it down. It the best of his books and I’ve loved reading it word for word

[Susan Barton · Rating 2 out of 5]

I know Cliff Ridhard has had an exciting life but this book was quite dull good to read his own account of the police investigation on him but I cant say I would recommend this book to anyone

[Val Robson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this autobiography and found it really interesting, fun and uplifting. I wouldn't say I was a fan of Cliff but I have seen him in concert a few times with a friend who has been a fan for decades.

I learned lots of things about Cliff in this book that I didn't know which I found quite fascinating, especially about his childhood in India and their move to England and a life of near poverty for many years. After the initial section he didn't mention his family members much but I suspect they would prefer it that way.

He spoke about many girlfriends when he was younger but didn't develop a deeper relationship with some as it would have had a negative impact on his career. I was therefore surprised when he became a Christian and was willing to give up his entire career at one point as he didn't think the two were compatible.

I loved reading about his attempted meetings with Elvis and how he met his other friends such as Gloria Hunniford, Sue Barker, Jill Dando and Cilla Black. It was great reading about all his work encounters too, especially with the amazing Shadows group.

I really appreciated that it was a proper autobiography in that it went chronologically through the whole of his life. I've read too many autobiographies lately that are just a load of anecdotes in no particular order - this was a traditional autobiography written very well. I was also pleased that the print was a good sized and well spaced. Doubtless intended for his typical readership but I for one was very grateful! I was sorry when I finished it as it was a lovely read in the dark days of winter lockdown in the UK. Easily five stars for me.

[Ruby · Rating 4 out of 5]

During the coronavirus pandemic, Cliff Richard set about writing his autobiography. He has had a magnificent career, and is the only artist to have had a top-five album in eight consecutive decades.

The book was one which I devoured, finishing it in less than two days. It was interesting - unputdownable, actually! It's a meaty book, not boring at any point. It is the story of the man who inspired The Beatles - John Lennon once said "before Cliff Richard and the Shadows, there had been nothing worth listening to in British music."



I have never been particularly interested in the music of Cliff Richard, born Harry Webb, however upon finding out that he lived three streets down from me in Cheshunt, I couldn't help myself. It was nice to read about his early career because I knew the venues and the roads that he was talking about.

I also really liked that the book was written in the last year - it's very current, and personal. Like all of us, Cliff fears the coronavirus pandemic but realises that it is something which will eventually come to an end despite it feeling like it goes on forever.

The book is also very personal, touching on the sexual misconduct allegations which were filed against Cliff Richard in 2014 (they were found to be false), and how they made him feel. It was heartbreaking to hear about how the false accusations made him ill; giving him sleepless nights and, at worst, shingles.

Cliff Richard's autobiography was personal and answers every question that I had about him - I didn't even know I had any.

[Colin Hayes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not a massive fan of Cliff's music, although I have respect for him as a person Although he is much maligned there can be no doubt that he made an important contribution to British Rock 'n' Roll with his early songs in particular Move It (arguably the first British rock 'n' roll record) and this should be acknowledged, it's still an fantastic tune that stands the test of time. He was influenced by Elvis Presley and had had a lifelong love of his music. As the years went on he went for probably safer ground but his early contribution in undeniable.

He had always spoke open about his Christian faith and never shyed away or been embarrassed about it. Here his live of music and performing is intertwined with his love of God. (As the last line in the book points out). It was really interesting hearing him taking about his faith.

He comes across as being very focused as far as his music career is concerned, he doesn't dish the dirt on anyone but has a couple of gripes about his music not getting played in the radio these days. He also quite amusingly totally dismisses Punk in a single sentence saying none of them could play. It does seem that he misses the point about Punk and the seismic shift it had on the music scene.

The final couple of chapters deal with the 2 years of Hell he had beginning in 2014 when he was falsley accused of sexual assault allegations and the subsequent legal action he took against South Yorkshire police and the BBC for the roles they played in it. What he went through was clearly took it's toll on him, but thankfully he came through it.

All in all an interesting, easy to read book. I enjoyed reading it.

[Alex Stone · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read cliff's other biography with penny junor a few years ago in my opinion this is better the detail about growing up & being in the music industry in the 50's & 60's is excellent.
cliff is a private person and although relationships are briefly talked about there is no details we will never know the truth about his sexuality gay bi or asexual but it doesn't matter.
because the book is a great read and unlike some musicians cliff has real talent and doesn't need shock tactics to sell his music he also talks about the criticism of his music & heathcliff.
he comes off as a nice man the only criticism is that the 80's & 90's era are not as detailed as the first half of the book in my opinion he would have been better doing two volumes.
I've read a lot of biographies over the years but this is one of the best I will defintely read this book again and would recommend to others whether you are a casual or die hard fan.

[Carol Mottershead]

I've been a fan of Cliff Richard ever since my Cliff crazed cousin got me into him, but I'd never read any of the books about him until now. He sounds a great bloke and I once said in a work seminar, as an entertainment agent, that I want one day to be working alongside him in some capacity. Not as an audience member, or some sort of underling working for him but as an equal!
His book 'The Dreamer' was launched in Nov 2020 and my book 'Joan - Put on a Happy Face' (and the name of his sister I might add ) was launched in Sept 2020. I hope our books will meet on a bookshelf in a shop somewhere one day or maybe I'll be attending a book fair as an author and we'll meet as equals... that would be amazing! He sounds great! Genuine! and I wish him the best of luck with his career. Long may Cliff Richard Live!

[Carol Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This autobiography dates from the 1950's. It contains photos. As I am a Cliff fan I enjoyed reading especially about his early life. It is about Cliff's wildest dreams, and how they came true. He has been fortunate in this respect and has had close family and friends around him. The book is dedicated to his fans and I enjoyed every page. He deserves his knighthood because he has worked hard as a musician, actor and philanthropist. and has a voice like pure gold. For Cliff fans a book to keep and treasure.

[Sharon Waterfall · Rating 4 out of 5]

I gave this the benefit of the doubt by giving this 4 out of 5 rather than 3.

I enjoyed many elements of the book where he tells about how many of his songs came together and all about the music industry and people he met along the way. However, it did get a bit boring when he started complaining the 'unfair' treatment about the lack of radio plays. He's a man of great privilege and yes he did get some unfair treatment like the televised raid on his house, but sometimes he sounds a little spoilt.

[MG · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had no preconceptions when I decided to download the audio book. Cliff Richard was a pop star from my school years. Then he was the occasional headline for various reasons including his music. But I found this book read by Cliff fascinating as I had not realised how busy he has been over over the decades into his 80s. Whew! I might have even gone to one of his frequent concerts if I had taken notice.
The writing in some places could be improved but I was kept interested for the entire book. It seems the hard copy has images. Will check those out now.
Worth a read.

[Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I whizzed through this book as it was an enjoyable and fascinating read. Much better than the last two books I read as there was no child abandonment or child abuse, though the trumped up allegations of child molesting against Cliff a couple of years ago was quite harrowing and downright disgusting. Reading what the police and the BBC did to him in the name of justice was more like in the name of Injustice!

As I say a good read and although not really a big fan but like a lot of baby boomers he does feel he is part of our life and long may he carrying in performing.

(He once held a door open for me at Bray Studios)

[David Robert Bloomer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love listening to a bit of Cliff Richard. I did read a book by him a few years back and found it really interesting finding out about him. This book is even better than that one.
It feels like he's having a conversation with you about his life. It's been a pretty good life to. He really had lived his dream. This book covers his life up to the pandemic. So I it's chock full of his life in showbiz and outside it to.
Really good read and a really nice guy.

[Claire Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

This audiobook was brilliant! His voice is lovely to listen to and it felt like he was just chatting away in my ear. I often fell asleep listening - not because it was boring but it very calming. Such an interesting life and fascinating to hear the details of such a long-lived “celebrity” experience. Such a different climb to stardom than how it is today. Loved all his wee anecdotes and stories, and his brush with those nasty allegations was heartbreaking to listen to. Highly recommend!

[Janette Charman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like Cliff, I have grown up with him and his music. His Christmas songs are my favourites. I love the fact that he has openly embraced his faith. However, this book seemed like an ego trip. It was all about what he had done, his success. It lacked depth of emotion regarding relationships. As much as the book had lots of details regarding his career and how he spent his wealth, it seemed hollow to me.

[jean sargent · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book very much I’ve been a fan of his since i was 9. A lot of what i read i knew but was fascinated by the story behind what i knew,with some of his personal life and thoughts. A fascinating read. Would recommend to any Cliff Richard fan.

[Regan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating story. Cliffs story is alot different to the other rockographies that I read. But even though I am a lot younger than the majority of his audience, I still love his music and if you do then read this.

[Tommy Maker · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best Cliff autobiographies I have read. Chartering territory never charted before. Very personal, and some of the stuff he talks about I was there. So blast from past reading this. Totally recommend all fans of cliff to read, and have it in their collection. Roll on centurion Cliff.

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved everything about this book as Cliff seems such a lovely person! He is open and honest and wears his heart on his sleeve. I was amazed how many records he has done and what he has achieved. So many interesting facts about him and he continues to make great songs!

[Zarah Jenkinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I enjoyed reading about the early part of his career with The Shadows and the praise he heaped upon the songwriters who have made his career, at times it just felt like he was showing off, which became very annoying in places. Worth a read, but question some of the stories.

[Mark Bulpitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fascinating, heartfelt and enjoyable autobiography about a truly talented British legend.

[Ann Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great for all Cliff fans. Very detailed, but not as much personal details as I would have liked. I would have liked more on his faith too. I loved it. Highly recommended.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always loved Cliff. I think his book is open and honest and written from the heart. Loved all his name drops...