Fool if you think Chris Rea’s career is any way over

CHRIS Rea is in Leipzig as part of his European tour, and by his own admission, having a lovely time.“We’re lucky enough to still tour at a level where we can be comfortable,” he says. “And we’ll be on the road for three or four months every two years, so it’s great. Rather than missing home when I’m on tour, I miss touring when I’m at home.”

He’s about as down-to-earth as people who’ve sold 30m albums get, and speaking to him, it’s impossible to understand how he was mistaken for an American artist when he first launched his career in 1978.

“‘Elton Joel’, that was the idea the record label had for me,” he says, describing the piano-playing, singer-songwriter Elton John/Billy Joel mix he was touted as, which gave record-buyers the wrong impression for three or four years.