TRIBUTE
Tribute to Chris Rea: the Teesside soul who will always be driving home
SOUNDS LIKE
HOME
For millions around the world, Christmas officially begins the moment they hear the opening lines of Driving Home for Christmas.
But for Teessiders, the song always meant something more.
When Chris Rea sang about snow, traffic lights and the longing to get home, he wasn’ t imagining some anonymous festive scene. He was thinking about Middlesbrough. About Teesside.
And now, following the passing of one of the region’ s greatest musical exports at the age of 74- three days before Christmas Day 2025- Teesside mourns not simply a rock star, but one of its own.
Born in Middlesbrough in 1951, Christopher Anton Rea came from one of the town’ s best-known families. His father, Camillo, owned the famous Rea’ s Ice Cream café on Linthorpe Road, a much-loved Middlesbrough institution long before Chris became an international star.
That grounding shaped the man he became.
While many artists distanced themselves from where they came from, Rea carried Teesside with him everywhere- in his voice, his songwriting and his outlook on life.
That unmistakable gravelly voice became the soundtrack to a remarkable career, selling more than 30 million albums worldwide and producing classics including Fool( If You Think It’ s Over), On the Beach, Auberge, The Road to Hell, I Can Hear Your Heartbeat and Let’ s Dance.
Yet despite the success, Rea remained
refreshingly uncomfortable with fame.“ I’ m not a very good pop star,” he admitted.“ I wish I was.”
There was never anything manufactured about Chris Rea. No swagger. No oversized ego. He remained, at heart, a lad from Middlesbrough who happened to become world famous.
Nothing illustrated that better than the story behind Driving Home for Christmas.
In 1978, out of contract, short of money and recovering from a back injury, Rea was collected from London by his wife-to-be Joan in a battered Austin Mini for the long drive back to Middlesbrough. Caught in traffic as snow fell, he began singing the words:“ We’ re driving home for Christmas.” The rest is music history. That deeply personal journey back to Teesside became one of the world’ s best-loved festive songs, played every December in homes, pubs, offices and shopping centres from Middlesbrough to Melbourne.
Yet Rea never lost sight of where he came from. Songs such as Steel River and Stainsby Girls echoed the landscapes and memories of Teesside, while his friendship with fellow Middlesbrough icon Bob Mortimer reflected the warmth and humour that always surrounded him.
Following his death, Mortimer described him as“ a lovely, brilliant, funny giant of a bloke” and“ Boro legend forever.”
Football was another lifelong passion. His collaboration with Mortimer on Middlesbrough FC’ s 1997 FA Cup final song Let’ s Dance remains a cherished memory for Boro supporters. As does Mortimer’ s hilarious tale alleging Rea
Forever Teesside- Chris Rea utilises his family ice cream connections to promote an early single.
cracked an egg into his bath following the session, as told on TV’ s Would I Lie To You?
Away from the spotlight, Rea was a devoted family man. He and Joan shared decades together and raised two daughters, Josephine and Julia, both immortalised in songs written by their father. That authenticity mattered. Chris Rea represented something instantly recognisable across Teesside- resilient, understated, fiercely loyal and quietly proud. Beneath the blues guitar riffs and chart success was an honesty that resonated with millions.
Every December, new generations discover Driving Home for Christmas. Every winter, that familiar voice returns.
Because the truth is, Chris Rea never really left Teesside.
For all the tours, album sales and worldwide acclaim, the journey that defined him most was still that snowy drive home to Middlesbrough.
Long after the tributes have faded, his songs will remain- playing on car radios heading north on winter roads, echoing through homes at Christmas.
And reminding Teessiders everywhere that no matter how far life takes you, part of you is always driving home.
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