Cliff Richard

Early in 1958 Harry Rodger Webb became Cliff Richard. The Planets was a name suggested for his backing group. However, they became The Drifters, unaware that in the U.S.A there was a famous soul group of the same name. Eventually they became The Shadows. Cliff was signed by EMI to their Columbia label on August 9th. His first single (released August 29th) has remained an all-time classic - "MOVE IT" reached No. 2 in the British charts. Cliff made his television debut on September 13th and began his first UK tour on October 5th. On tour he experienced "Cliff hysteria" as girls screamed for his attention in the face of their boyfriends' objections. Tired of American pop heroes, British music fans wanted their own - Cliff was their answer. It was not long before film parts were being discussed.