Christopher Henry Difford (born 4 November 1954) is an English singer, musician, songwriter and record producer. He is a founding member and songwriter of the

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

group Squeeze.

Musical career

Born in

Greenwich Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich ...

, London, Difford has written lyrics for over 40 years, most notably in partnership with

Glenn Tilbrook Glenn Martin Tilbrook (born 31 August 1957) is the lead singer and guitarist of the English band Squeeze, a band formed in the mid-1970s who broke through in the new wave era at the decade's end. He generally wrote the music for Squeeze's son ...

. The two were primary members in Squeeze and

Difford & Tilbrook Difford & Tilbrook are the songwriting team of Chris Difford and Glenn Tilbrook, known for their work as the principal writers for the new wave rock band Squeeze. In addition to playing guitar for the band, they are responsible for the group's ...

. 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. Some of their best-known songs are " Tempted", " Pulling Mussels (From the Shell)", " Black Coffee in Bed", " Cool for Cats", "

Up the Junction ''Up the Junction'' is a 1963 collection of short stories by Nell Dunn that depicts contemporary life in the industrial slums of Battersea and Clapham Junction. The book uses colloquial speech, and its portrayal of petty thieving, sexual encoun ...

" and " Annie Get Your Gun". ChrisDifford2009

After the break-up of Squeeze in 1983 Difford continued writing songs for artists such as Jools Holland, Helen Shapiro, Billy Bremner and

Elvis Costello Declan Patrick MacManus Order of the British Empire, OBE (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer-songwriter and record producer. He has won multiple awards in his career, including a Grammy Award in ...

. He has also written lyrics for music by Jools Holland,

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...

Wet Wet Wet Wet Wet Wet are a Scottish soft rock band formed in 1982. They scored a number of hits in the UK charts and around the world in the 1980s and 1990s. They are best known for their 1994 cover of The Troggs' 1960s hit " Love Is All Around", which ...

, 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. The 1983 musical performed in

Deptford Deptford is an area on the south bank of the River Thames in southeast London, within the London Borough of Lewisham. It is named after a ford of the River Ravensbourne. From the mid 16th century to the late 19th it was home to Deptford Dock ...

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 charts. In 1985 Squeeze reunited, having hits in the US with ''

Babylon and On ''Babylon and On'' is the seventh album released in September 1987 by the British new wave group Squeeze. History Eric "ET" Thorngren produced the album, along with Glenn Tilbrook. The group officially expanded to a sextet with the addition o ...

'', "

Hourglass An hourglass (or sandglass, sand timer, sand clock or egg timer) is a device used to measure the passage of time. It comprises two glass bulbs connected vertically by a narrow neck that allows a regulated flow of a substance (historically sand) ...

" and "

853-5937 "853-5937" is a song by English rock band Squeeze released on the band's 1987 album '' Babylon and On''. Released as the fourth UK single and the second US single from the album, "853-5937" was a moderate chart hit in both nations, reaching ...

". Difford left the group in 1999 launching a solo career in 2003 with his album ''I Didn't Get Where I Am''. Difford was also manager of

Bryan Ferry Bryan Ferry CBE (born 26 September 1945) is an English singer and songwriter. His voice has been described as an "elegant, seductive croon". He also established a distinctive image and sartorial style: according to ''The Independent'', Ferry an ...

and

The Strypes The Strypes were a four-piece rock band from Cavan, Ireland, formed in 2010 consisting of Ross Farrelly (lead vocals/harmonica), Josh McClorey (lead guitar/vocals), Peter O'Hanlon (bass guitar/harmonica) and Evan Walsh (drums). The band played ...

. Squeeze reunited again in 2007, and Difford maintains 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 The Barbican Centre is a performing arts centre in the Barbican Estate of the City of London and the largest of its kind in Europe. The centre hosts classical and contemporary music concerts, theatre performances, film screenings and art exhi ...

, London. In 2017, Chris published his autobiography ''Some Fantastic Place: My Life In and Out of Squeeze''. Since 2014, Chris has been running the annual Chris Difford Songwriting Retreat, under the auspices of the Buddy Holly Educational Foundation, 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.Chris DIfford Songwriting Retreat
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Personal life

Difford was raised in Greenwich. He lived in New York with his first wife and their two children. He then lived in

Rye, Sussex is a small town and civil parish in the Rother district of East Sussex, England, two miles from the sea at the confluence of three rivers: the Rother, the Tillingham and the Brede. An important member of the mediaeval Cinque Ports confederati ...

, with the mother of his two youngest children. Currently, he lives just outside

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

, Sussex with his wife, Louise, whom he married in April 2013.

Solo discography

* ''I Didn't Get Where I Am'', 2003 * ''South East Side Story'', 2007 * ''

The Last Temptation of Chris ''The Last Temptation of Chris'' is an album by Chris Difford, one of the founding members of the new wave band Squeeze. It was released on 7 April 2008. This is his second solo album, a follow-up to '' I Didn't Get Where I Am'' in 2002. It is ...

'', 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

External links

Chris Difford official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Difford, Chris 1954 births Living people English baritones English record producers English lyricists English new wave musicians English songwriters Male new wave singers People from Greenwich Squeeze (band) members Ivor Novello Award winners Musicians from London Musicians from Kent