Rick Astley earned his net worth through his many hit singles, his career as a musician and singer, as well as his world tour. Astley made a name for himself as a solo artist with his 1987 song, “Never Gonna Give You Up,” which was a #1 hit single in 25 countries. The man, who made his career beginnings as a local band drummer, eventually turned into the only male solo artist to have his first 8 singles reach the Top 10 in the UK.
Rick Astley Early Life
Richard Paul Astley was born on February 6, 1966, in Newton-le-Willows, Lancashire, England, the fourth child in his family. Even though Rick’s mother resided just a few streets away from his father, Rick was raised by his father after his parents split when he was five. Astley grew estranged from his father after learning that it was he who had evicted his mother. When he was just 10 years old, he joined the church choir and began to sing.
Astley played drums in a variety of local bands while in high school. He met guitarist David Morris in one of these bands. He dropped out of school at 16 and began working as a driver for his father’s market gardening business during the day while also playing drums in bands like Give Way, which covered songs by the Beatles and Shadows, and FBI, a soul band that won numerous talent competitions in the Northern Club circuit during the evenings.
Rick Astley Career
With David Morris on guitar, Astley was still touring as a drummer in 1985 with FBI. A well-known local band, they wrote and performed their own material. Once Morris quit the band to pursue a career as a hairdresser, Astley decided to take over as lead singer. When record producer Pete Waterman heard about him, he convinced him to move to London and work at the Pete Waterman Limited recording studio with RCA Records to publish his records. When Astley was a teenager, he worked as a studio “gofer,” or “tea boy,”
in a recording studio, learning the ins and outs of the recording process. The little-known “When You Gunna,” a collaboration between Astley and Lisa Carter, was issued as a single and received no marketing. The song did not do well in the charts. That year’s New Year’s Day recording of “Never Gonna Give You Up” became his debut solo single. It came out eight months later. When the song was released,
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it became an instant smash due to Astley’s notably deep and rich voice and dance-pop beats. It stayed at the top of the British charts for five weeks and was the year’s most popular single. As a result, it became a worldwide smash success, peaking at No. 1 in 24 countries, including the United States. Also in 1988, the song was named the best British single at the BRIT Awards, and he performed it in front of an estimated 100 million people around the world as part of a world tour. For him, it was the first of a string of 13 top 30 singles in different countries.
In October of same year, Astley released his next song, “Whenever You Need Somebody.” As a result, it became a big hit in Europe, peaking at number one in seven countries and at number three in the United Kingdom. In North America, the song was never released. Four of the songs from Astley’s 1987 album “Whenever You Need Somebody” were written by Astley. UK and Australia voted the album No. 1 and No. 10 in the United States, respectively.
The United Kingdom and Canada awarded it 4x platinum certifications, while the United States awarded it 2x platinum certifications. Astley became the best-selling British act of the year after selling 15.2 million albums globally. When he recorded a cover of Nat King Cole’s “When I Fall in Love” in 1987, it was a tight race to be the top Christmas single in the United Kingdom. For a brief two-week period, the song reached the top of the charts in the United Kingdom. The dance track “My Arms Keep Missing You” served as the record’s B side and became a smash in Europe.
Aside from Never Gonna Give You Up (1984), he also became the only 80s musician to have his two first singles debut at number one, and the most popular club act in the United States with a 12-inch record. Free, a 1991 album featuring Elton John and Mark King, was another success for the singer. Although he was 27 years old and had only released four studio albums, Astley made the decision to retire early in order to spend more time with his family.
With the release of Keep It Turned On and Portrait in 2001 and 2005, he returned to the music scene after a long absence. When Rickrolling became a big Internet fad in 2007 with his Never Gonna Give You Up video, he became an Internet sensation. The next year, MTV Europe Music Awards viewers voted him “Best Act Ever” on the Internet.
Rick Astley Personal Life
Thank you! @Smukfest ♥️🇩🇰 pic.twitter.com/wEtzEs8ElH
— Rick Astley (@rickastley) August 6, 2022
In terms of his private life, Astley is married to Lene Bausager and the father of their daughter Emilie, who was born in 1992.
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