As you might recall, longtime British pop star Sir Cliff Richard has been in town to record a new album of Memphis-inspired soul called "Soulicious," executive produced by his friend and sometime-Memphian David Gest. The BBC's Anglophenia blog had some fun today with an item about Richard's stay in Memphis that made the Internet rounds on Tuesday: Namely, that Sir Cliff had whipped up a batch of convincing Southern cooking during a visit to an iconic Memphis dining spot:(D)uring a break in recording, he stopped by a local restaurant, Gus's Fried Chicken, with his album-buddies David Gest, Freda Payne and Candi Staton, to get a bite to eat.David Gest, who is executive producer on the album (no, no idea what that means either), then laid down a mischievous bet. He challenged Sir Cliff to cook for everyone, and put down $500, just to make it interesting.
Sir Cliff, being something of a gourmet, rolled his sleeves up and got stuck in, whipping up chicken and potato salad and serving over 20 customers in half an hour. Wendy McCrory, the restaurant owner, was so impressed she offered him a job then and there.
Candi told Music News: "I have never seen a white man cook Cajun fried rice and southern potato salad like Cliff, he's obviously got a lot of soul in that rather lean body of his."
PICTURED: David Gest (left) is shown with Sir Cliff Richard during "An Evening of Classic Soul," a benefit for The Med Foundation, on April 15. Gest hosted the event.
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