• November 18, 1946 – February 11, 2015
• Chris Rainbow was born Christopher James Harley in Glasgow. He changed his surname after spotting the name "Christopher Rainbow" in a TV news reporter's on-screen credit one evening - he and his friends agreed it was the perfect stage name. The switch was also practical: Steve Harley of Cockney Rebel was at the peak of his fame, and Rainbow didn't want any confusion between the two.
• Before he became a musician, Rainbow trained and worked as a graphic artist from 1964 to 1972. He didn't form his first band, Hopestreet, until he was 25, releasing two singles on Regal Zonophone and Parlophone between 1972 and 1973.
• Rainbow's early solo singles, "Give Me What I Cry For" and "Solid State Brain," became unlikely radio (but not chart) hits in the mid-1970s thanks to heavy rotation by DJs Kenny Everett and Tony Blackburn. Everett, then at Capital Radio in London, was a particular champion of Rainbow's music and helped build his cult following.
• Rainbow built his own recording studio on the Isle of Skye, where he lived from the 1970s onwards. His only solo studio albums were Home of the Brave (1975), Looking Over My Shoulder (1977), and White Trails (1979) - all released before he turned 33.
• Rainbow sang on Alan Parsons Project albums from Eve (1979) right through to Parsons' 1999 solo album The Time Machine. Alan Parsons nicknamed Rainbow "the one-man Beach Boys" for his extraordinary ability to layer vocal harmonies entirely by himself in the studio.
• In the early 1980s he joined the progressive rock band Camel as a touring and recording member, appearing on the albums The Single Factor (1982) and Stationary Traveller (1984) and touring with them in 1982 and 1984. He also provided vocal work for Jon Anderson of Yes on the albums Song of Seven (1980) and Animation (1983).
• Rainbow provided backing vocals on Culture Club's 1984 album Waking Up with the House on Fire, including on the lead single "The War Song," which reached #2 in the UK. He shared vocal duties on the track with backing singers Helen Terry, Phil Pickett, and Clare Torry.
• Rainbow became a respected record producer in Scotland (working under his birth name Chris Harley) producing multiple albums for Scottish Celtic rock band Runrig throughout the 1980s and 1990s, including Heartland (1985), The Cutter and the Clan (1987), and Amazing Things (1993).
• More than a decade after his death aged 68 from Parkinson's disease in February 2015, Rainbow made his Billboard Hot 100 debut. The nearly 50-year-old deep cut "Be Like A Woman" from White Trails entered the chart in April 2026 after gaining traction on TikTok, where its hazy retro sound attracted millions of users.

Comments

More Songfacts:

Everyday I Write The BookElvis Costello

Elvis Costello says "Everyday I Write The Book" is a knockoff of Nick Lowe's "When I Write the Book."

Me And Bobby McGeeJanis Joplin

"Me And Bobby McGee" was written by Kris Kristofferson and first recorded by Roger Miller. Janis Joplin's famous version turned Bobby into a boy.

Hound DogElvis Presley

The songwriting team Leiber and Stoller wrote "Hound Dog" for a blues singer named Big Mama Thronton, who first recorded the song in 1953. Elvis covered it in 1956, and it became his biggest hit.

(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and UnderstandingElvis Costello

"(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding" was written by Nick Lowe in 1974. The original version with his group Brinsley Schwarz was kind of somber, but Elvis Costello made it a classic with his 1978 uptempo take.

I Forgot To Remember To ForgetElvis Presley

Elvis Presley' first #1 on any chart was "I Forgot To Remember To Forget." It arrived at the top of the Country tally on February 25, 1956 and stayed there for two weeks.

Kiss From A RoseSeal

In "Kiss From A Rose," seal sings "kiss from a rose on a gray," not "grave," but he won't explain the lyric, feeling listeners should adapt the song to their own experience.

Editor's Picks

Desmond ChildSongwriter Interviews

One of the most successful songwriters in the business, Desmond co-wrote "Livin' La Vida Loca," "Dude (Looks Like A Lady)" and "Livin' On A Prayer."

"Stairway To Heaven" Lawsuit: A TimelineSong Writing

Untangling the events that led to the "Stairway To Heaven" lawsuit.

The End Of The Rock EraSong Writing

There are no more rock stars - the last one died in 1994.

Tom Waits Lyrics QuizMusic Quiz

Pool balls, magpies and thorns without roses - how well do you know your Tom Waits lyrics?

Real or Spinal TapMusic Quiz

They sang about pink torpedoes and rocking you tonight tonight, but some real lyrics are just as ridiculous. See if you can tell which lyrics are real and which are Spinal Tap in this lyrics quiz.

Does Jimmy Page Worship The Devil? A Look at Satanism in RockSong Writing

We ring the Hell's Bells to see what songs and rockers are sincere in their Satanism, and how much of it is an act.