Cilla Black

Priscilla Maria Veronica White OBE (27 May 1943 – 1 August 2015), known by her stage name Cilla Black, was an English singer, actress, entertainer and media personality. Championed by The Beatles, she began her career as a singer in 1963, and her singles "Anyone Who Had a Heart" (1964) and "You're My World" (1964) both reached number one. Black had eleven Top Ten hits on the British charts between 1964 and 1971. In May 2010 new research published by BBC Radio 2 showed that her version of "Anyone Who Had a Heart" was the UK's biggest selling single by a female artist in the 1960s. "You're My World" was also a modest hit in the US, peaking at No. 26 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Along with a successful recording career in the 1960s and early 1970s, Black hosted her own eponymous variety show, Cilla, for the BBC between 1968 and 1976. After a brief time as a comedy actress in the mid-1970s, she became a prominent television presenter in the 1980s and 1990s, hosting hit entertainment shows such as Blind Date (1985–2003) and Surprise Surprise (1984–2001).

In 2013, Black celebrated her 50 years in show business. British television network ITV honoured this milestone with a one-off Entertainment special which aired on 16 October 2013. The show, called The One & Only Cilla Black, featured Black herself and was hosted by Paul O'Grady.

Links To Peel
In the 60's one of Peel's favourite tracks along with Simon and Garfunkel's "Sparrow" was "Liverpool Lullaby", credited to Stan Kelly. It was covered by Judy Collins and had a clear personal resonance for him as an obvious choice for a late-night radio show, but the song was later recorded by Cilla Black, who also sang it on her BBC TV show. In spite of Black's more authentic Liverpudlian credentials, Peel paid no attention to her version of the song.

To celebrate the 1000th episode of Top Of The Pops on 05 May 1983 (TOTP), the BBC choose John Peel and David Jensen to co-host the show, which featured a wide array of past hits, DJs and interview, including an interview with Cilla Black and an old clip of her performance on Top Of The Pops in 1969.

The Smiths later covered a Cilla Black song called 'Work Is A Four Letter Word', which was the B-side to 'Girlfriend In A Coma'. Her song covered by The Smiths was played on Peel's show in 1987. Peel also played a track from Vinyl Junkie called 'Anyone' in 1998, which was basically a Happy Hardcore version of Cilla Black's 'Anyone Who Had A Heart' song.

Shows Played
1983
 * 05 May 1983 (TOTP): Surround Yourself With Sorrow (clip from 27 February 1969)

Covered
(The list below was compiled only from the Cover Versions page of this site. Please add more information if known.)

Artist | Track | First Known Play
 * Smiths: Work Is A Four Letter Word (03 August 1987)
 * Vinyl Junkie: Anyone (29 April 1998)