Our Cilla

So this is not a typical post that clients, colleagues, legal professionals and other readers of this blog would expect to find on our law firm site. It is not an update about legal news, advice or a piece of news about our firm. It is, perhaps, a little more human than that.  It is a short piece reflecting on the passing of Cilla Black earlier this week.

As everyone knows, Cilla was a local girl, born in 1943 and growing up just outside Liverpool City Centre, on Scotland “Scottie” Road in the Vauxhall area of post-war Liverpool.

She did not come from money, but by all accounts, her family were close-knit, religious, with strong family values. They did not have much (the story goes that Cilla’s mum longed for a front door!), but I imagine that what they had, they treasured.

I was genuinely saddened when I heard the news on Sunday. It was as though a distant relative – someone who’s voice I instantly knew and who’s face (and hair) was so familar – had gone. Of course, in reality she was not my family and I had never even met her, but that is both the power of TV and moreover, a testament to her tremendous success and 50+ year career in the public eye.

I suppose I have felt slightly guilty feeling since Sunday; the same feeling that you get when you realise that you did not appreciate something or someone when they were here. This might sound extreme, but hear me out. Seeing so many heartfelt tributes, watching the national news coverage, archive footage and seeing the repeat of the “Cilla” Special last night on ITV, made me reflect on who she was, what she achieved and her pride at where she came from.

As a child of the 80’s, to me, Cilla was “Mrs Saturday Night”. Her shows were a fixture of UK Prime Time entertainment. That was the Cilla that I grew up with.

Until very recently, I hadn’t really given much thought to how she got there – if you like her “Journey” – and what she stood for.

Here is a quick re-cap:

She started off as an outsider with no classical musical training, or industry connections to rely on, before managing to get a cloakroom job at The Cavern, right here on Mathew Street in the heart of the City (a 60-second walk from our City Centre office).

Now I must pause here and add that this is definitely a “right place at the right time” moment, given that she managed to position herself right in the beating heart of the Mersey Beat era, a magical and historic time and a place that put Liverpool on the global stage and, it is fair to say, changed it for the better.

Back onto Cilla…

Before long she had become a fixture on the scene, performing with the big name groups of the day, including the Beatles. Just to repeat that: Cilla performed with the Beatles! In fact, barring their wives, she was probably the closest thing to a female member of the group. (P.S. John and Paul wrote Cilla’s first single.)

Her raw talent and personality soon caught the attention of none other than the legendary Beatles manager and music mogul Mr Brian Epstein, who propelled her career out of Liverpool, down to London and beyond.

Cilla had 2 number one hits, classic tracks (that I have found myself subconsciously humming this week!) and a string of top ten hits, charting up until the 90s (and posthumously, as a tribute).

So, Cilla was a famous musician, part of the Mersey Beat generation, she hung out with and was close to The Beatles, she had a legendary manager, a legendary producer in George Martin (Beatles producer), collaborated with (amongst others) legendary songwriter Burt Bacharach, and grew up in “Mersey Beat” Liverpool before moving to “Swinging” London.

That could have been where her story ended. Most people would have been happy with their lot at that stage. Just to experience a few minutes of that period and those people would have created a lifetime of memories and name-dropping. Cilla was blessed to have lived it. Right there, on centre stage.

Not content with being a multi-hit wonder, Cilla moved on to TV in the late 60’s. A bold move for a woman (at that time), fronting her own TV series and breaking new ground in what was then a male dominated industry.

Once again, Cilla won over audiences and “smashed it” with a string of staple prime time TV shows.

As we all know, UK TV’s love affair with Cilla continued until recently, making guest appearances up until 2013.

To put her 50-year career in showbusiness into today’s terms is, I believe, impossible. Everything now is quicker, instant and fragmented – thousands of musical genres and multi-channel TV, one-hit, 5-minute wonders. So much is so temporary. By contrast, Cilla was at the top of her game for years. And years.

Her music is timeless. Her on-screen character (and by all accounts, her real life personality), warm and most importantly, real. Cilla was the genuine article.

As if that wasn’t enough, Cilla was also a devoted family lady, happily married for over 30 years to her manager and the love of her life, Bobby Willis – which is an achievement in itself – and managing to juggle motherhood with her career at the top of her game, bringing up three sons in the process.

Though I never met her, she gave the impression that “What You See Is What You Get”. She was still the girl from Liverpool, proud of her roots and her achievements.

It was fitting that her sons’ statement to the media included special thanks to the people of Liverpool; a touching tribute to the family, friends, neighbours and fans in the City who helped her on her way up all those years ago, followed her career along the way and who no doubt recently shed a tear or two on hearing of her passing. Cilla would likely have wanted to have had the opportunity to thank her City and her people; never losing touch or forgetting who she was and keeping that accent, after 50 years of being away from home.

We send our condolences to her boys, her family and friends and we salute and remember a remarkable entertainer with natural charm, talent and bags of personality, a proud wife, sister and mother and an authentic local Liverpool legend. RIP Cilla.

Jonathan Abrams is a Partner in Gregory Abrams Davidson’s Media and Entertainment Team.