The Telegraph & Argus celebrates its 150th anniversary this year and in honour of the occasion we are printing a story from our archives every day for 150 days.

Today we look at the Telegraph & Argus Thursday, July 4, 1968: Three thousand people had packed the Queen’s Hall, Leeds, to hear a young Cliff Richard play his “pleasant” pop music. The tuneful music of “Congratulations” had also included some new appropriate words. However, in the vast bleakness of the Queens Hall, which was built as a tram shed, some words were lost despite amplification.

Leaving the evangelistic rally more impressed than first expected was T&A reporter Dudley Akeroyd. Who had managed to ask Cliff, if a rally such as this played any part in his conversion. “I can’t honestly say it did,” he replied. “The biggest influence on me were Christians who were my friends."

At the start of his pop music career Cliff had joined the Drifters at St Georges Hall, Bradford, in March 1959 before going onto release more than 103 albums, 123 single hits and the equivalent of 20 years spent in the UK charts.