Paul Casey playing music of friend and collaborator Chris Rea in ‘Rea-magined’ show at City of Derry Jazz Festival

‘Rea-magined’ is an expertly-crafted show, featuring the classic hits of 40-million-album-selling Rea, that will be performed at the Millennium Forum on Monday, May 5.

A year-and-a-half ago Paul’s studio album ‘The Long Road Back’ included the single ‘Peace Bridge’ which was penned by Rea, the man behind seminal records such as ‘Fool (If You Think It's Over)’, ‘Road to Hell’ and ‘Driving Home for Christmas.’

The connection between the two musicians dates back to 1993 when at a Rea show in Belfast a young teenager from Derry wangled his way back stage and introduced himself to his musical hero as a budding slide-guitar player who was using a plumber’s copper pipe as a bottleneck!

The Middlesborough rock and blues legend takes the time to chat and suggests Paul invest in a compressor pedal and tube screamer which he duly buys the next day.

Fast forward five years and after a gig in London Paul hands Chris a demo including the tracks ‘Big World’, ‘Storm in a Teacup’, ‘Out on a Limb’ and ‘Sometime’.

At the time Paul was working in a Derry record store.

Shortly after handing over the EP ​​Chris rang him at home. He loved the demo and wanted Paul to come over to his studio in London.

"His first demos were absolutely amazing,” Rea later confided. “It was an eerie feeling for me because it was as if I’d played it. It was so accurate.”

This began an enduring friendship

They worked in the studio, Paul joined Chris' band, and was special guest in sold-out arenas across Europe. All the time, Paul watched, and learned from the master; the craft of song-writing, the art of vocal delivery, the mastery of slide guitar, the rules of life.

A seminal figure in the history of modern guitar, Rea is no longer touring. But fans can now enjoy a rare opportunity to witness his music live, like never before, as Casey ‘Rea-magines’ the classic hits.

The new show will honour Rea’s legacy in a way that could only happen on the back of Rea and Casey's decades-long relationship.

For tickets visit: https://www.reamagined.com/