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Chris Difford

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Chris Difford
Difford in September 2013
Difford in September 2013
Background information
Birth nameChristopher Henry Difford
Born (1954-11-04) 4 November 1954 (age 69)
Greenwich, London, England
Occupation(s)Musician, songwriter, record producer, singer
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar
Websitechrisdifford.com

Christopher Henry Difford (born 4 November 1954)[1] is an English musician. He is a founding member and songwriter of the rock group Squeeze.

Early life

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Difford was born in Greenwich, London, on 4 November 1954, the youngest of three sons. His mother, Isabel (née Hamilton) was from Northern Ireland and met Difford's father Sidney Lewis Difford (1919–2001) while he was stationed in Belfast during World War II.[2]

Music career

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Difford has written lyrics for over 50 years, most notably in partnership with Glenn Tilbrook. The two were primary members in Squeeze and Difford & Tilbrook. According to Difford, he stole 50p from his mother's purse to put a card in a local sweetshop window advertising for a guitarist to join his band, although he did not have one at the time. Tilbrook was the only person who responded to the advert and they met for the first time shortly afterwards.[3] Some of their best-known songs are "Tempted", "Pulling Mussels (From the Shell)", "Black Coffee in Bed", "Cool for Cats", "Up the Junction" and "Annie Get Your Gun".

Chris Difford performing at London's Royal Albert Hall, October 2009, in aid of the PRS (Performing Right Society) for Music Members' Benevolent Fund.

After the break-up of Squeeze in 1983, Difford continued writing songs for artists such as Jools Holland,[4] Helen Shapiro, Billy Bremner and Elvis Costello. He has also written lyrics for music by Jools Holland, Elton John,[5] Wet Wet Wet,[6] Marti Pellow and others. He was involved with Tilbrook and John Turner in the creation of a musical, Labelled with Love, which was created using the songs of Squeeze.[7] The 1983 musical performed in Deptford was short-lived. In 1984, the pair released the album Difford and Tilbrook and had a minor hit in the UK with "Love's Crashing Waves" which reached 57 in the UK Singles Chart.[8] In 1985, Squeeze reunited, having hits in the US with the album Babylon and On, plus the singles "Hourglass" and "853-5937". Difford left the group in 1999 launching a solo career in 2003 with his album I Didn't Get Where I Am.[9] Difford was also manager of Bryan Ferry[10] and The Strypes. Squeeze reunited again in 2007, and Difford maintained a concurrent solo career alongside his work with the band.

In March 2010, Difford curated Songs in the Key of London, an evening of music dedicated to the capital at the Barbican Centre, London.[11]

In 2017, Difford published his autobiography, Some Fantastic Place: My Life In and Out of Squeeze.

Since 2014, Difford has been running the annual Chris Difford Songwriting Retreat, under the auspices of the Buddy Holly Educational Foundation,[12] providing an opportunity for artists to collaborate with one another to write new songs and create new friendships in a relaxed setting in the English countryside.[13]

In August 2021, Difford launched a podcast series, I Never Thought It Would Happen, with the charity Help Musicians, a charity he is an ambassador for, speaking to guests including Sting, Robbie Williams and KT Tunstall about the highs and lows of life in music. [14]

Personal life

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Difford was raised in Greenwich. He lived in New York with his first wife and their two children. He then lived in Rye, Sussex, with the mother of his two youngest children. Currently, he lives just outside Brighton, Sussex, with his wife, Louise, whom he married in April 2013.[15]

Solo discography

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  • I Didn't Get Where I Am, 2003
  • South East Side Story, 2007
  • The Last Temptation of Chris, 2008
  • Cashmere if You Can, 2011, (SMMC Media SMMC1)
  • Fancy Pants (with Boo Hewerdine), 2016 (Obvious Productions)
  • Let's Be Combe Avenue (Demos 1972), 2017 (Edsel Records – EDSL 0017)
  • Chris To... The Mill, 2017 (Compilation)
  • Pants, 2018

References

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  1. ^ "Chris Difford". Discogs.com. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  2. ^ Difford, Chris (31 August 2017). Some Fantastic Place: My Life In and Out of Squeeze. Hachette UK. ISBN 9781474605694. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
  3. ^ Presenters: Clive Anderson (8 November 2014). "Mick Fleetwood, Matt Berry, Imtiaz Dharker, Glenn Tilbrook and Chris Difford, GoGo Penguin". Loose Ends. 20:50 minutes in. BBC. BBC Radio Four.
  4. ^ Koda, Cub. Jools Holland's Big Band Rhythm & Blues – Jools Holland at AllMusic. Retrieved 25 November 2011.
  5. ^ "Elton John – The Duets Collection". Discogs.com. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
  6. ^ "Wet Wet Wet – The Little Picture". Discogs.com. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
  7. ^ "The Duke". Thedukedeptford.com. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
  8. ^ "Difford and Tilbrook – UK Charts". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
  9. ^ "Chris Difford". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
  10. ^ Duerden, Nick (20 February 2008). "Chris Difford: It's a bit of a Squeeze". The Independent. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
  11. ^ Green, Thomas H (10 March 2010). "Songs in the Key of London at the Barbican, review". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
  12. ^ "The Buddy Holly Educational Foundation". Tbhef.org. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  13. ^ "Chris Difford Songwriting Retreat". Tbhef.org. Retrieved 26 October 2023.
  14. ^ "I Never Thought It Would Happen". Spotify. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
  15. ^ "Magic Summer Live: An interview with Chris Difford". Essentialsurrey.co.uk. 8 July 2013. Archived from the original on 20 August 2013. Retrieved 20 September 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
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