|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A life among stars Cilla Black: What’s
it All About?
It entertainingly graphs her journey from her humble origin to a position of immense wealth. "Artists are born, not made" is a description that fits her nicely. She realised that singing was her forte when she was just a toddler and conveyed to her mother that she wished to be a star. She pursued her goal with a single mind. "Having known from the age of three that I wanted to be a singer, I was wary of doing anything that might jeopardise my dreams," she recalls. It was not until she ingratiated herself upon Brian Epstein, a brilliant businessman who picked her up from the Liverpool Club, that she became a star. He moulded her personality with his "fabulous charisma". She recollects: "I had such faith in him—and he gave me so much confidence. If he had said, ‘Cilla, you can climb Mount Everest’, I’d have replied, ‘where’s my haversack? I am off! And done it.’ He had that much influence over me." Every successful person needs a true companion to counteract negative influences. Cilla found that companion in Bobby, whom she describes as one of the "cornerstones" of her life. "Giving up his own singing career to enable me to pursue mine was the most romantic thing he could have done." He always stood by her and provided the much-needed love, warmth, protection and guidance. With two successive hits—Anyone Who Had a Heart and You Are My World— she learnt the new ways of life fitting to a star. The story of Cilla’s life acquaints us with the inside stuff of the show business. She makes us friendly with her contemporaries in the music world. We learn a lot about the Beatles and others. Cilla has performed all roles with an equal zeal and juggled career and family nicely. She did not choke her feminine emotions for her career. She married Bobby at the right age and bore three sons. She frankly shares her experience of pregnancy, childbirth and motherhood that gave her immense pleasure. Miscarriage hurt her deeply and she also suffered the trauma of bearing a dead child. "The little girl I had carried for seven months had died, and I felt as if my life had drained away with her. The moment I’d been full of anew life, the next I was empty." This autobiography is a blend of emotions. Her childhood pranks create a huge amount of fun. Her adolescent crushes, her involvement and her subsequent marriage with Bobby give a romantic flavour to the story. Her tragedies make equally thoughtful reading. Tragedies failed to dampen her spirits. Age is no barrier to total living, and she celebrated her 60th birthday with great fervour. "Some people might say ‘enough’ and settle down to a quiet retirement. Good luck to them, I say—but I can’t help feeling that, strange as it may sound with 60 years behind me, my life is beginning again." Cilla Black enjoyed both
in poverty and in plenty, a zeal she got from her parents and soul mate
Bobby, who often said: "If something makes you unhappy, move on,
turn the page." |
Life’s mysteries and
uncertainties form the real subject of any autobiography. The
autobiography of Cilla Black, Britain’s pop star and TV icon, plays up
these factors to draw attention to her unique personality.