MusicBox - Chris De Burgh - The Man in Maroon
Oct, 7 2026
Born in Venado Tuerto, Argentina, to Colonel Charles John Davison a British diplomat, and Maeve Emily (née de Burgh). His maternal grandfather was General Eric de Burgh, a British Army officer who had been Chief of the General Staff in India during the Second World War. He took his mother's maiden name, "de Burgh", as a stage name when he began performing. His legal surname remained "Davison".
Chris De Burgh signed his first contract with A&M Records in 1974. His debut album. ‘Far Beyond These Castle Walls’ was a folk –tinged stab at fantasy in the tradition of The Moody Blues. It failed to reach commercial success.
It wasn’t till the 1980’s that De Burgh really touched gold. 40 years ago he released a song that became an absolute classic and remains so till the present day. ‘The Lady in Red’ was a worldwide hit single, reaching number one in the UK and number three in the US. The question is though, who was the ‘Lady in Red? This film will explain everything when Chris opened up in 2006 –
You can have great company in the May 1986 album ‘Into the Light’. It reached number two on the UK Albums Chart, becoming De Burgh’s first studio album to enter the top ten. It had contained some personal references for example the song ‘For Rosanna’ dedicated to his then two year old daughter Rosanna. Track 4 solidifies the album with the all – time classic 4 minutes 5 seconds of absolute bliss – ‘The Lady in Red’ –
Chris continued to write and record music following ‘The Lady in Red’. In 1997 following the sad and untimely death of Diana, Princess of Wales, he wrote, ‘There’s a New Star up in Heaven’. De Burgh was one of Diana’s favourite music acts so it was apt that Chris penned a song for her.
In the new century, Chris released ‘Footsteps’ (2008) his seventeenth album, which included cover versions of thirteen songs that had inspired him throughout his career by artists such as Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Toto and Pete Seeger.
In October 2024, de Burgh released a new compilation album, 50, which chronicled his 50 years in the music business. He made a guest appearance on LOL: Last One Laughing Ireland, during which he sang "The Lady in Red" for the contestants.
His official website contains tour dates, music, videos, merchandise and so much more –
With a career spanning five decades and so many successful albums and hit singles there will always be the one song he will get asked to perform and will no doubt leave as an encore fan favourite at the end of his gigs – ‘The Lady in Red’. Chris De Burgh’s legacy is set in that song but it’s important to remember the other songs that define his career. ‘The Lady in Red’ will go on forever – it represents the 1980s, smooth pop ballad with simple yet effective lyrics. It may have haunted Chris over the past 40 years but long after he’s gone it will be the song he will be most remembered by.
^Alex Ashworth Director of Creativity
