Priscilla Maria Veronica White OBE (27 May 1943 – 1 August 2015), better known as Cilla Black, was a singer and television presenter. Championed by her friends the Beatles, Black began her career as a singer in 1963. Her singles “Anyone Who Had a Heart” and “You’re My World” both reached number one in the UK in 1964. She had 11 top 10 hits on the UK Singles Chart between then and 1971 and an additional eight hits that made the top 40. During this period she had several bookings in Blackpool, some of which are detailed below. 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” reached No. 14 in Canada and 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 BBC variety show, Cilla (1968–1976). After a brief time as a comedy actress, she became a prominent television presenter in the 1980s and 1990s, hosting hit entertainment shows such as Blind Date (1985–2003), Surprise Surprise (1984–2001) and The Moment of Truth (1998–2001). In 2013, Black celebrated 50 years in show business. ITV honoured this milestone with a one-off entertainment special which aired on 16 October 2013, The One and Only Cilla Black, featuring Black herself and hosted by Paul O’Grady.
Black died on 1 August 2015 at the age of 72, after a fall in her holiday villa in Estepona, Spain. The day after her funeral, the compilation album The Very Best of Cilla Black (2013) went to number one on the UK Albums Chart and the New Zealand Albums Chart; it was her first number one album. In 2017, a statue of Black commissioned by her sons was unveiled outside the Cavern Club’s original entrance.
The featured image of Cilla Black on her own holding a wine glass was taken in 1970.
Cilla Black joins the Bachelors pop group from Dublin in 1966 as their special guest star in Holiday Startime for a 16-week season at Blackpool’s ABC Theatre. The Bachelors are (l-r): John Stokes, Con Cluskey, and Dec Cluskey. The photo was taken on 9 March 1966.
Beauty pageants have become less popular in recent years but they were still going strong on 14 August 1969. Thirteen girls lined up at Blackpool’s pageant and one of them would be crowned Miss UK. The judges for this beauty pageant are seated in front of the girls; from the left – Eric Morley, Harry Worth, Cilla Black, Sid James and Val Doonican.
Featured Image © Joost Evers / AnefoPublic Domain - CC0
Text source: Wikipedia & Alamy
Images by © Alamy
