Christopher James Duffy grew up in Cardiff and cut his teeth in the local band The Official Secrets before teaming up with fellow Cardiff musician Phil Cilia to form the pop duo Waterfront in the 1980s. The pair were signed directly to EMI/SBK by Charles Kopelman and Marty Bandier, and later to Polydor Records, launching a career that would take them onto the American charts.
Waterfront's biggest success came with the 1989 single "Cry", which reached No. 17 in the UK and No. 10 on the US Billboard Hot 100, making Waterfront the first Welsh duo to crack the American top ten. The song went on to be honoured at BMI's 50th Anniversary Celebrations as one of the most-played singles on US radio, eventually approaching a million plays and earning BMI's Million-Air Club status. A follow-up single, "Nature of Love", also charted in the US.
Duffy released a solo album, All the Time in the World, on Polydor in 1992. He and Cilia reunited as Waterfront in 2000 and have continued to record intermittently since, releasing the album Ghosts of the Good in 2011, which included a reworked version of "Cry". The original Waterfront catalogue, including "Cry" and "Nature of Love", was returned to full band ownership in 2018.
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Co-founder of Waterfront, whose 1989 single "Cry" made them the first Welsh duo to reach the US top ten.
Chris Duffy
Singer / Songwriter
Grew up in Cardiff, playing in local band The Official Secrets before co-founding Waterfront there with Phil Cilia.
"Cry" was recognised at BMI's 50th Anniversary Celebrations in Los Angeles as one of the most-played singles on US radio, and Waterfront were named BMI Songwriters of the Year in 1990. Duffy released a solo record on Polydor in 1992 before reuniting with Cilia in 2000, and the pair have continued releasing new material as Waterfront in the decades since, including the 2011 album Ghosts of the Good.
Career Highlights
Waterfront's "Cry" reached No. 10 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1989
Named BMI Songwriter of the Year, 1990
Released solo album All the Time in the World on Polydor, 1992
ℹ️ Born and raised in Cardiff, Wales.
Grew up in Cardiff, playing in local band The Official Secrets before co-founding Waterfront there with Phil Cilia.