Geoff English went to school in Middlesbrough with Chris Rea and shared his memories of the late great rock legend
08:00, 03 Jan 2026Updated 12:52, 04 Jan 2026
Chris Rea, front left, at St Philomena’s RC School in Middlesbrough(Image: UGC)
A schoolboy pal of Chris Rea has shared memories of the popular ‘leader of the gang’ including nods to his love of music and sports cars. Geoff English attended school with the singer-songwriter who sadly passed away on December 22 aged 74.
From 1957, Geoff and Chris were in the same class at St Philomena’s Primary School on Ayresome Street, which was later renamed Sacred Heart in 1963. They were also in the same form class at the boys’ grammar school – St Mary’s College in Saltersgill – from 1962 to 1967.
Born on March 4, 1951, Chris was the son of ice cream king Camillo. The Rea name was famous all over Teesside, for Camillo’s ice cream factory and the chain of cafes and coffee bars.
It was in the cafes that Chris worked as a teenager, clearing tables. And he reportedly learned to drive in his dad’s ice cream van.
Geoff, who lived on Warwick Street, recalled St Philomena’s stood close to the main entrance of Ayresome Park and they would see players coming and going. Some even would engage in a kick about in the street, he said.
Chris was “a popular kid”, said Geoff, and was “recognised as the leader of the gang”. He told Teesside Live: “He had this big social circle which at the time you would call ‘a gang’.
“He had a lot of kids who would flock around him. mostly because he was a keen footballer. The gang would play football together on Saturday morning at Clairville playing fields.
“I was invited but wasn’t much of a player myself. He wasn’t exclusive in his friendships – a gang suggests it was an us and them kind of thing but that wasn’t so, he was always very accessible.
“He followed at the time Real Madrid which I had never even heard of and I don’t suppose most kids had. He seemed more worldly in some respects.
“One Saturday when his father’s ice cream factory was being extended, he put out a general invite to all the boys to come and play on the building site. This was the 1950s version of a soft play centre – great place for nine and ten-year-olds.”
Chris Rea with his ‘Stop Me and Buy One’ bike from Rea’s Ice-creams
Geoff, 74, who now lives in the East Riding of Yorkshire, kindly shared a photograph of Chris at school from around 1960/61 and said: “The class photo was probably taken in Mrs Ferguson’s class Junior 4 which nowadays I think would be year six.
“The photograph was one of a set of four taken by the teacher. Unfortunately, I’ve lost the other three.”
Geoff recalled how Chris loved flashy cars from a young age and dreamed of one day owning his own Ferrari. “Even at that age he spoke of his wish to own a Ferrari which he assured me were all handmade – no surprise to me as I couldn’t envisage any other way of making a car,” he said.
Chris saw his dreams come true and went on to own many Ferraris over the years. He supported various charities and many of his beloved motors were sold at auction to raise funds. In January last year, he donated a Mini to go under the hammer, raising funds for domestic violence charity Refuge.
Chris in the Mini which was auctioned in February(Image: Handout)
Reports suggest Chris picked up a guitar for the first time age 21, but Geoff recalled seeing him with a guitar in school in the early 1960s. “Most articles over the years mention his first guitar, commonly the Hofner he bought aged around 21,” he said.
“I have a vivid memory of him coming into school on the first day after the Christmas holiday of 1961 bringing with him an acoustic guitar in a large clear polythene bag. I’ve read and seen many interviews over the years but never heard it mentioned.
“He says his first guitar he bought was the Hofner whereas this acoustic guitar was a Christmas gift. Maybe he didn’t start to play seriously until he was 21.”
Geoff said well-known Teesside figures John and Eugene McCoy also attended the same school. Restaurateur Eugene was in the same year group, he said, while John was around three years older.
As reported, Chris’ career received a crucial early boost from John who brought world-class acts to Teesside, including Eric Clapton, Stevie Wonder, Rod Stewart, Jimmy Hendrix and Elton John. He later became Chris’ first manager.
Chris and Geoff were among the 25 children from a class of 40 who were successful in the 11+ exam and went on to grammar school – the girls attending Newlands Convent and the boys off to St Mary’s College.
“We were now in different classes and Chris was no longer the gang leader,” said Geoff. “The following five years were quite low key so my memories of him are more about what he wasn’t.
“He wasn’t a trouble maker or a bully, and he wasn’t a braggard despite having had a more affluent upbringing than most. School ended and we all went our separate ways.
“The next time I saw him was on the stage at York University promoting his first album, Whatever Happened To Benny Santini? His second Album, Deltics I see as heavily influenced by his youth.
“He lived above Rea’s Cafe at one point which overlooked the Cenotaph. There is a track on his second album, an instrumental track simply called Cenotaph so I’d imagine that relates to that.
“I often thought I would try to get in touch but with the passage of time I thought, would he really remember me?”
Chris Rea in concert at the Birmingham NEC. 21st January 1993.(Image: Mirrorpix)
After school, Chris joined local band Magdalene, replacing previous singer David Coverdale. In 1975 they changed their name to The Beautiful Losers and won Melody Maker’s Best Newcomers Award. The band split in 1977 and Chris decided to give it a go on his own.
By the time his eighth album On The Beach, spawning a hit single of the same name, was released, he was a star in the UK and around Europe. When Road To Hell was released in 1989, he became one of the biggest solo stars in the UK.
His hit song, ‘Driving Home for Christmas’, was written during a challenging time when he had been dropped from his record company. His death occurred just days before Christmas, as his much-loved 1986 hit continued to be heard across the airwaves.
Tributes flooded in following his death, including from fellow celebrities Jeff Stelling, Chris Kamara and Bob Mortimer. A lifelong Middlesbrough FC supporter, the club also took to social media to pay their own tribute to Chris.
“We’re deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Chris Rea,” said the post. “A Teesside icon. Rest in peace, Chris.”
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