Signed by Brian Epstein after a recommendation by John Lennon, Cilla Black was much more than Blind Date and Surprise Surprise.
Indeed, during the 1960s, Cilla was a hugely famous recording artist that belonged to a generation of British female singers that included Dusty Springfield, Helen Shapiro, Petula Clark, Sandie Shaw and Lulu. She responsible for a couple of number one hits -'You're My World' and 'Anyone Who Had A Heart' - as well as putting her own spin on some Beatles classics ('Yesterday', 'For No One' and 'The Long And Winding Road').
Cilla also managed to break America, albeit in an understated way, including an appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, a cabaret season in New York and her single 'You're My World' made it to number 26 on the Billboard Hot 100. In fact, Elvis Presley had a copy the song on his personal jukebox at Graceland.
So we at Now Playing wish to pay tribute to Cilla Black with a playlist of music inspired by her. Cilla's collaborators, songwriters, strong female peers and the men who believed in her music. You could choose songs that Cilla recorded, or some of the originals. Finally, you could pick a playlist full of artists Cilla went on to inspire.
You pick the music, so get your Cilla-inspired suggestions to Tom via the hashtag #Cilla6Music to help create a playlist. Comment on the Now Playing Facebook page, here on the blog, email nowplaying@bbc.co.uk or drag tracks onto our Spotify playlist.
