Born in the city of Leeds, Chris Raddings is one of the most respected singers on the British Country Music circuit.
He currently lives in Harrogate, North Yorkshire where he lives with his wife Fiona, her two sons Ollie and Alex, and his daughter Eleanor.
Chris first picked up his older brother’s much-neglected guitar at the age of 13 and was inspired to play after hearing the Shadows and their iconic instrumental Apache. Chris caught the country music bug soon after when the TV advert for the Johnny Cash album ‘Itchy Feet’ caught his eyes and ears in the mid-seventies.
The ‘New Country’ revival of the 1990s saw Chris take his first steps on the British Country Music circuit. Although something of a late starter as a singer, he found the positive response to his distinctive and authentic vocals encouraging.
Chris released his first album ‘Watching You Go’ in 1997 under the wing of his then high-flying friends the legendary Cheap Seats. This quality John Pettifer-produced effort received critical acclaim with its mixture of self- penned and original material from UK and Nashville based songwriters.
In recent years Chris has really come into his own as a solo performer, appearing at many of the major venues and festivals. With increasing confidence and self-belief, Chris has really hit his stride of late, resulting in impressive self-assured performances on the road. This has seen him nominated best male vocalist twice in recent years for the British Country Music Awards.
In the mid-1990s, Chris was asked to sing lead vocals on a series of demo songs recorded at Liverpool’s legendary Hanks Place. The session musicians adopted the name “The Highrollers”. They recorded original songs from top Nashville (Tom Shapiro) and Uk-based songwriters. The sessions were funded by Sony/BMG and also featured guitar virtuoso John Pettifer. Chris released the album “Parr Street Sessions” in early 2013.
Chris is currently recording a much anticipated follow up to ‘Watching You Go’ an all self-penned affair entitled ‘Coming Out of the Shadows’. Once again this will involve the talents of Mr Pettifer at the producing helm. Watch this space as Chris’s star looks destined to shine even brighter.
