Editing Cliff Richard (section)

===1995–2007: Knighthood===
On 17 June 1995, Richard was appointed a [[Knight Bachelor]] (invested on 25 October 1995),<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=54287 |date=12 January 1996 |page=571 }}</ref> becoming the first rock star to be so honoured.<ref>[[Bob Geldof]] had been knighted nine years earlier, but his knighthood was only honorary because he was not a citizen of a [[Commonwealth realm]].</ref> In 1996, he led the Wimbledon [[Centre Court]] crowd in singing during a rain delay when asked by Wimbledon officials to entertain the crowd.<ref>{{cite web|title=Cliff Richard, Centre Court, Wimbledon |url=http://www.virginmedia.com/music/pictures/toptens/gigs-in-strange-places.php|work=Gigs in strange places |publisher=Virginmedia |access-date=2 July 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Wimbledon 2011: entertainment values |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis/wimbledon/8582639/Wimbledon-2011-entertainment-values.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis/wimbledon/8582639/Wimbledon-2011-entertainment-values.html |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |access-date=2 July 2011 |newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |location=London |date=18 June 2011 |first=Mark |last=Hodgkinson}}{{cbignore}}</ref> In the late 1990s, Richard and former EMI UK managing director Clive Black established the record label Blacknight. In 1998, Richard demonstrated that radio stations were refusing to play his music when he released a dance [[remix]] of his forthcoming single "Can't Keep This Feeling In" on a [[white label record]] using the alias Blacknight. The single was featured on playlists until the artist's identity was revealed.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/191194.stm | work=BBC News | title=Sir Cliff foils radio ban | date=11 October 1998 | access-date=30 April 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.discogs.com/label/592175-Blacknight-2|title=Blacknight (2)|work=Discogs|access-date=11 May 2016}}</ref> Richard then released the single under his own name as the lead single for his album ''[[Real as I Wanna Be]]'', with each reaching No. 10 in the UK on their respective charts.

In 1999, controversy again arose regarding radio stations refusing to play his releases when EMI, Richard's label since 1958, refused to release his song, "[[The Millennium Prayer]]", having judged that the song did not have commercial potential.<ref>{{cite web |last=Thompson |first=Dave |url=https://www.allmusic.com/song/the-millennium-prayer-mt0018634908 |title=The Millennium Prayer – Cliff Richard : Listen, Appearances, Song Review |work=AllMusic |access-date=16 September 2012}}</ref> Richard took it to an independent label, Papillon, which released the charity recording (in aid of Children's Promise). The single went on to top the UK chart for three weeks, becoming his fourteenth and, as of December 2022, most recent No.1 single.<ref>{{cite news |title=Westlife top millennium chart |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/588393.stm |access-date=15 July 2018 |work=BBC News |date=4 January 2000}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Carter |first=Helen |title=Last laugh for Sir Cliff as prayer tops the charts |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/1999/nov/29/helencarter |access-date=15 July 2018 |work=The Guardian |location=London |date=29 November 1999}}</ref>

Richard's next album, in 2001, was a covers project, ''[[Wanted (Cliff Richard album)|Wanted]],'' followed by another top ten album, ''[[Cliff at Christmas]]''. The holiday album contained both new and older recordings, including the single "Santa's List", which reached No. 5 in 2003.<ref>{{cite news |title=Christmas number one contenders |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/3281245.stm |access-date=15 July 2018 |work=BBC News |date=24 November 2003}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Cliff tops all-time singles chart |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/3512695.stm |access-date=15 July 2018 |work=BBC News |date=23 February 2004}}</ref> Richard went to [[Nashville]], [[Tennessee]] for his next album project in 2004, employing a writers' conclave to give him the pick of all new songs for the album ''[[Something's Goin' On]]''. It was another top 10 album, and produced three UK top 20 singles: "Something's Goin' On", "I Cannot Give You My Love", with [[Barry Gibb]] of the [[Bee Gees]], and "What Car".

[[File:Cliffrichard2.jpg|right|thumb|Richard performing in London during the 50th anniversary tour in 2008]]
On 14 June 2004, Richard joined the Shadows on-stage at the [[London Palladium]]. The Shadows had decided to re-form for another tour of the UK. It was not to be their last tour together, however, as they would re-form once again for a final tour five years later, in 2009.

''[[Two's Company (Cliff Richard album)|Two's Company]]'', an album of duets released in 2006, was another top 10 success for Richard and included newly recorded material with [[Brian May]], [[Dionne Warwick]], [[Anne Murray]], [[Barry Gibb]] and [[Daniel O'Donnell (Irish singer)|Daniel O'Donnell]], plus some previously recorded duets with artists such as [[Phil Everly]], Elton John and Olivia Newton-John. ''Two's Company'' was released to coincide with the UK leg of his latest world tour, Here and Now, which included lesser known songs such as "My Kinda Life", "How Did She Get Here", "Hey Mr. Dream Maker", "For Life", "A Matter of Moments", "When The Girl in Your Arms" and the Christmas single "21st Century Christmas", which debuted at No. 2 on the UK singles chart.

Another compilation album, ''[[Love... The Album]]'' was released on 12 November 2007. Like ''Two's Company'' before it, this album includes both previously released material and newly recorded songs, namely "Waiting for a Girl Like You", "When You Say Nothing at All", "All Out of Love", "If You're Not the One" and "When I Need You" (the last was released as a single, reaching No. 38; the album peaked at No. 13).<ref>{{cite web |title=Cliff Richard – Love...The Album. Review |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/love-the-album-mw0001583716 |work=AllMusic |access-date=18 November 2013}}</ref>