Sir Cliff Richard tells Music News: I started rock 'n' roll five years before The Beatles

While Sir Cliff Richard was in London yesterday to promote his new Soulicious DVD Music-News.com managed to grab some time with the living legend to point some questions.

We asked for his thoughts on Absolute radio banning Cliff Richard songs from their new Absolute Radio 60s playlist to which he replied:

“They are lying to themselves and more importantly they are lying to the public because whether they like it or not I started the rock 'n' roll scene here along with Marty Wilde five years before The Beatles. You can’t stop The Beatles they were a continuation of what me and my band did.”

“They left the country because of me. If you read what John Lennon said ”Cliff and The Shadows had it sown up so they went away to Hamburg. So in a way we played a major role in their existence. We drove them out.”

“The public have a right to know what is historically correct, The Beatles did not start it.”

On Amy Winehouse he warned “Don’t make her cool as she was an addict to alcohol, make her cool because she was a great singer.”

Catch the whole uncut interview with Sir Cliff Richard below including what he would have aske the late great Jimmy Saville to fix for him.