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• Deep-voiced singer-songwriter Rick Astley became an overnight sensation in 1987 with the smash hit single "Never Gonna Give You Up," off of his debut album Whenever You Need Somebody. Though the album included one other hit single - "Together Forever" - and Astley continued making albums throughout the 1980s and 1990s, he essentially disappeared from the spotlight until 2007, when he became the focus of the Internet prank phenomenon known as Rick Rolling. In 2008, Sony BMG released a greatest hits collection, The Ultimate Collection: Rick Astley.

• Fast Facts

  1. Born February 6, 1966 in Newton-le-Willows, Lancashire, England
  2. Origin: Lancashire, England
  3. Record Label: Sony Records
  4. Albums: 6
  5. Singles: 15
  6. Whenever You Need Somebody sold over 2 million copies
  7. "Never Gonna Give You Up" produced by European team Stock, Aitken and Waterman

• Albums

  1. 1987: Whenever You Need Somebody
  2. 1988: Hold Me In Your Arms
  3. 1991: Free
  4. 1993: Body and Soul
  5. 2001: Keep It Turned On
  6. 2004: Portrait

• Rickroll

  In Internet-speak, to Rick Roll someone is to trick them into watching the music video for Astley's song "Never Gonna Give You Up," usually by disguising the link as something genuinely interesting. It is estimated that over 25 million people have been "rick rolled." As an April Fool's prank in 2008, YouTube replaced all of the featured videos on its front page with the Astley video.

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