The amazing day 60s superstar Cliff Richard took to the pulpit to preach at Black Country church

Who's the trendy new vicar?

nostalgia pic. West Bromwich. Pop singer Cliff Richard singing and preaching at Holy Trinity Church, West Bromwich. This is a print which was in the Express and Star picture archive at Queen Street, Wolverhampton. The photographer’s date on the back is 16.2.69, i.e. February 16, 1969, a Sunday, which was when taken, and it has the datestamp of February 17, 1969, which was publication date, and ‘Cliff singing in church’ is written by it. It has the Express and Star copyright stamp and the photographer was ‘Wright’. Pop star Cliff Richard singing at the Holy Trinity Church, West Bromwich, on Sunday, February 16, 1969. This picture was used with others in the Express and Star of Monday, February 17, 1969. There was no specific story, just picture captions. Unfortunately the captions disappear into the gutter of the bound E&S files so are not fully readable. One reads so far as can be read: ‘Cliff Richard, Cindy Kent, and David Winter with the vicar of Holy Trinity Church, the Rev S Ho... Jones.’ Another showed a queue of mostly young people and the caption read: ‘An unusual scene in Britain of the 60s - young people queing... (for?) church. Cliff Richard sang and preached. It happened in West Bromwich last night when... Trinity Church.’ Pop star Cliff Richard. Library code: West Bromwich nostalgia 2023..

Although this photo is from well over 50 years ago, you may well recognise him, as he is famously the Peter Pan of pop.

It is of course the pop star Cliff Richard who, for reasons readers with a long memory may be able to help us with, went along to a West Bromwich church to sing and preach in 1969.

His appearance at Holy Trinity Church on Sunday, February 16, resulted in the unusual scene of youngsters queuing to get in to a place of worship. Cliff had been a big star since the late 1950s, when he was initially marketed as a sort of British version of Elvis.

Cliff Richard singing and preaching at Holy Trinity Church, West Bromwich, in 1969.

Cliff – he's now Sir Cliff – had become a born-again Christian in the mid-1960s, which was not a very rock and roll thing to do at the time, but his career continued and the hits kept coming, including "Congratulations" which was Britain's 1968 entry in the Eurovision Song Contest. It was denied victory by a single point.

After his conversion he balanced his career with his evangelical work and no doubt his visit to the West Bromwich church was part of that, although the Star's coverage at the time doesn't explain.

Today Cliff, who has just turned 84, can look back on unmatched achievements, with over 100 hits, including more Top 10 hits than any other artist, and being the only singer to have had Number Ones in five separate decades.

He was awarded a knighthood in 1995 for services to charity.