No band or artist can claim either the longevity or the breadth of his success, none have navigated international fame and celebrity with such integrity and professional dedication - and few have earned the love and respect afforded by three generations of fans. We know his story - the music, the man, the hits, awards, records, sell-out tours and his legacy, but this book is his story and his history, in an indelible collection of memorable photographs that comprises an incomparable and compelling archive, devotees will treasure. IT BEGAN, as so many legends have since...with a guitar. The year is 1957.Dwight D. Eisenhower is inaugurated as President of the United States for a second term, Elvis Presley is energising the youth of nations and as the Soviet Union launches the Sputnik satellite, Rodger Webb comes home to his wife Dorothy and their young family with a gift for his 17-year-old son Harry. The Cavern Club is about to open in Liverpool and two young schoolboys named Lennon and McCartney meet at a fete where they share an adolescent dream to form a band.
But long before the Mersey beat is born, the boy and his new guitar in the tiny bedroom of a semi-detached house in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, begin a journey. The journey will span decades and continents and inspire hearts and minds. It will accumulate hundreds of gold and platinum discs, 88international entertainment awards, more than 250million record sales, 10box office hits and millions of minutes of airtime. The accolades exhaust the imagination, but one will stand out, a testament to the relationship between one man and his audience. Surpassing The Beatles, Elvis Presley and every act that ever stood before a microphone and a packed house, this man will record number one hits in all the six decades since rock 'n roll began. Who would bet against a seventh? This is a record of that journey, the story of that boy, his shiny new guitar and a journey that continues, on stage, to this day. It has been chronicled countless times. But this is Cliff. His Story. In pictures