Sir Cliff Richard celebrated his 86th birthday surrounded by fans and made a major announcement about his upcoming album. The event took place a day after his birthday, with guests chosen from fans who pre-ordered his new record, Only Number Ones.
Afternoon tea with fans in London
The music legend joined fans at London’s Intercontinental Hotel on Park Lane for a special afternoon tea of sandwiches, scones and desserts, hosted by radio personality Ken Bruce. Alongside treats like a dark chocolate and hazelnut hat and a date and orange eclair, Sir Cliff was presented with a two-tiered 86th birthday cake.
During the event, which marked the release of his forthcoming album, the musician exclusively shared a few tracks with the audience. These included his version of My Sweet Lord and a new rendition of Oh, Pretty Woman, originally a UK number one for Roy Orbison 62 years ago this week.
Special announcement from Sir Cliff
In a special announcement, Cliff shared: "I am so thrilled to have been able to celebrate my 86th birthday with my fans. They have always been very special to me and are the reason why I continue to make music and tour."
"They helped me all of these years to get to number one, and it is great that I am now able to give back with my own versions of number one tracks that I personally love."
Album release and tracklist
The new record, set for release on November 27, reimagines classic and contemporary chart-topping singles from Cliff's past eight decades. The tracklist includes covers of Norman Greenbaum’s 1969 hit Spirit In The Sky, The Monkees' I’m A Believer, and Bing Crosby's White Christmas.
Also featured are Harry Styles’s Sign Of The Times, The Beatles' From Me To You, The Everly Brothers' All I Have To Do Is Dream, Elvis Presley's Return To Sender, Bill Haley And His Comets' Rock Around The Clock, and David Soul's Don’t Give Up On Us.
The deluxe edition includes 14 of Sir Cliff’s own UK number one singles, such as The Minute You're Gone, We Don’t Talk Anymore, The Young Ones, Bachelor Boy, Summer Holiday and Congratulations.
