Black, Cilla (1943–)
Black, Cilla (1943–)
English pop singer and television host. Born Priscilla Maria Veronica White, May 27, 1943, in Liverpool, England; dau. of John Patrick White (dock worker) and Priscilla White (market-stall owner); attended Anfield Community College (typing course); m. Bobby Willis (her manager), 1969 (died 1999); children: 3 sons.
Became mini-celebrity in Liverpool, performing alongside legendary acts that established the Mersey Sound, such as the Beatles, Gerry and the Pacemakers, and the Hurricanes; debuted on British singles charts with Lennon-McCartney song, "Love of the Loved"; hit #1 with Burt Bacharach's "Anyone Who Had a Heart" (1964), then the biggest selling single of all time by a British female recording artist; hit #1 again with "You're My World"; was at the forefront of the British pop scene with 20 consecutive Top-40 hits on singles and albums; appeared at sell-out concerts throughout Europe and Australia (1963–78); fading as a pop icon (late 1960s), had last hit, "Surround Yourself with Sorrow" (1969); starred in her own popular variety show for BBC and went on to host "Blind Date" (1985–2003) and "Surprise! Surprise!" (1998–2001); released album "Beginnings" (2003).
See also autobiography, What's It all About? (Ebury, 2004).