Rick Astley

Early life

Rick Astley was born on 6 February 1966 in Newton-le-Willows, Lancashire, the fourth child of Horace and Cynthia Astley. His parents divorced when he was five, and he was brought up by his father, who was often angry but also loving; Rick remained in close contact with his mother, who lived a few streets away. Astley described his childhood as having an element of something very wrong in the family, and recalled his worst memory as walking into the kitchen and seeing his father with his hands around his mother's neck.

He said that event broke something in his emotional and mental make-up and formed him as a person, influencing his choice to go into music and seek attention because he felt he did not get enough from his parents. At age ten, he began singing in a local church choir, which started his love of music. During his schooldays, he played drums in local bands, meeting guitarist David Morris. After leaving school at 16, he worked as a driver in his father's market-gardening business by day and played drums on the Northern club circuit at night in bands such as Give Way and FBI.

Career

In 1985, Astley was performing as a drummer for the soul band FBI with guitarist David Morris. When the lead singer left and Morris left to pursue hairdressing, Astley became the lead vocalist. Producer Pete Waterman noticed him at a Warrington nightclub and offered him a chance to work at PWL recording studio with RCA Records. Astley initially turned down the offer but accepted months later, moving into Waterman's London flat.

Stock Aitken Waterman hired most of FBI, including Morris as a guitarist/songwriter. Astley was taught the recording process and groomed for his career, starting as a tape op to overcome his shyness. In March 1987, he contributed vocals to "Let It Be" by charity supergroup Ferry Aid, which topped the UK Singles Chart for three weeks. His first single was "When You Gonna", a duet with Lisa Fabien released in May 1987, which charted at No. 17 in the Netherlands and No. 20 in Belgium, and reached No. 11 on the US Billboard Dance Club Songs chart.

Legacy

In 2007, Astley became the subject of the viral internet meme known as rickrolling, a bait-and-switch using a disguised hyperlink that leads to the "Never Gonna Give You Up" music video. A 4K remaster of the music video went viral in early 2021. His performance career was revitalised by the meme's popularity. Astley himself has been rickrolled a few times, including through an email from a friend in the early 2000s and via a Reddit post in June 2020 that became the most-upvoted post of that year on Reddit.

Personal life

Their daughter holds a master's degree in fine art and works as a garden designer. Astley and his wife live in Molesey, Surrey, while their daughter lives in Denmark.

He maintains a home recording studio and collects guitars. In 2017, he partnered with Danish brewery Mikkeller to open two pubs in London. Astley has stated he experiences hearing loss and now wears hearing aids.

Did You Know?

• Astley's debut single "Never Gonna Give You Up" was recorded on New Year's Day 1987 and released nearly seven months later, on 27 July 1987.
• Astley was voted 'Best Act Ever' at the MTV Europe Music Awards 2008, a year after the Rickrolling meme began.
• On 28 July 2021, 'Never Gonna Give You Up' became the fourth 1980s song to reach one billion views on YouTube.
• During the period between his debut release and his fifth single, Astley outsold every other artist in the world.