It would seem that singer Rick Astley became an instant success with his first solo outing “Never Gonna Give You Up,” which was released in 1987. Actually the song was an instant success; so successful it was the highest-selling single in the U.K. in that year, it was also at the top of the British charts for five weeks, having reached that mark within only 2 weeks of its release.

Find out more about the 2008 Rick Astley Tour

While many might think that Rick Astley was a “one hit wonder” with “Never Gonna Give You Up,” nothing could be further from the truth. “Never Gonna Give You Up” was the first of many (thirteen to be exact) Top 30 world-wide hit singles for Rick Astley.

The idea that Astley was an overnight success is incorrect. Born in 1966 in Northern England, the youngest of 4 children, Rick had a musical upbringing. He took up the drums as a teenager, and joined various bands including one called “FBI,” with whom he was playing when he was discovered. After the loss of the lead singer of the band, Astley took on the lead singer position. While playing with the band, Astley was discovered by record producer Pete Waterman. Astley went to London’s PWL studios where he was basically an intern; some would even call his job that of a “tea boy.” It was at this internship where Astley learned the business. Soon after, the album Whenever You Need Somebody was released, where along with the solo “Never Gonna Give You Up,” it reached number one in the UK.

In 1988 “Never Gonna Give You Up” topped the U.S. singles chart in March, and in June his single “Together Forever” became Astley’s second number one U.S. single. In 1989 he was nominated for a Grammy for Best New Artist of the Year. “Whenever You Need Somebody,” a follow up single to “Never Gonna Give You Up” was a number one hit in seven countries, and at the 1988 BPI Awards, Rick won the Best Single Award for “Never Gonna Give You Up,” which he performed at the televised award show.

Rick Astley also released a single cover version of “When I Fall In Love,” by Nat King Cole. “My Arms Keep Missing You” and “It Would Take a Strong Strong Man” became additional Top 10 singles for Astley.

Astley’s second album was released in January 1989, having been delayed by a devastating fire at the PWL studios where much of his material was destroyed. The album was titled Hold Me In Your Arms. Songs from this album include “Take Me to Your Heart,” “Hold Me in Your Arms,” and “She Wants to Dance With Me,” the latter two having been written by Astley. In December of 1989, Astley went on a 15 country world tour including venues in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Japan and Australia. The tour was a great success including two sold out concerts at Wembley stadium.

At the end of the ‘80s Rick Astley parted ways with his production company Stock Aitken Waterman, and shortly thereafter he released an album called Free. In 1991, he released the single “Cry for Help” which was a Top 10 hit in the U.S. and in the U.K. That same year his single “Never Knew Love” peaked at number seventy. In 1993 Astley released the album Body & Soul which made the Billboard 200. The album contained singles “Hopelessly” which made the Top 40 Mainstream chart as well as the adult contemporary chart at number 4, and “The Ones You Love,” which peaked at number 19 on the adult contemporary chart.

Buy Rick Astley Concert Tickets from Tickets in Seconds.

After a time spent out of the spotlight, Rick Astley released a new album in 2002 entitled “Keep It Turned On,” soon afterwards; a Greatest Hits album was released. In 2003, Astley released the album Blue Lounge, which contained collaborative efforts with banjo player Holger Hoetzel. Songs from the album included “Prince of Peace” and “This River.” The year 2005 saw the release of yet another album from Astley entitled “Portrait” which contained covers of songs such as “Close to You,” “Vincent” and “Nature Boy.”

Astley had a sell-out tour of the U.K. in 2004, and signed a recording deal with Sony BMG. Currently Rick Astley joins the U.K. “Here and Now” tour which includes not only Astley, but other big acts such as Cutting Crew, Bananarama, ABC, Curiosity Killed The Cat, Paul Young and Johnny Hates Jazz