Born on October 15: Chris De Burgh has long had a soft spot for The Lady in Red, his biggest hit

British-Irish singer born in 1948, Christopher John Davison was nevertheless born in... Argentina as his father, a diplomat, was stationed there!

Extremely popular in continental Europe and Great Britain, as well as in South America, the artist has always been an enthusiastic live performer. He has well over 2,500 concerts to his credit as well as several live albums. When not touring, he has taken up residence far from the hustle and bustle of the cities in Ireland in the rural county of Wicklow.

Chris De Burgh (who borrowed his mother's maiden name for his career) speaks almost perfect French. This storyteller turned troubadour loves stories with romantic accents tinged with references to other ages, almost medieval some would say (his latest album is called "The Legend of Robin Hood"). It's true that from "The Spanish Stripper" to "The Grace of a Dancer", from "When I Think of You" to "Be My Valentine", De Burgh shies away from easy melodies and simplistic lyrics (but never from honeyed orchestrations). Indeed, his detractors reproach him for this syrupy side.

Since the beginning of the 2000s, after having launched his own label Berryman, he has held his artistic destiny in his hands and takes the opportunity to have fun. It is therefore no coincidence that he titled his first self-produced album in 2006 "The Road to Freedom".

A few funny anecdotes to finish, his daughter Rosanna won the title of Miss World in 2003 when she was 19 years old. During the festivities celebrating the reunification of Germany in 1990, it was he whom Chancellor Helmut Kohl invited to perform in concert. And the last time I saw him in 2019, a large number of the women in the congregation wore, needless to say... red. That’s right, ladies in red!

(SS/ML - Photo: Etienne Tordoir)

Photo: Chris De Burgh on the festival plain of Werchter (Belgium) on June 10, 1983