From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia This article or section has multiple issues. Please help improve the article or discuss these issues on the talk page. It does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve it by citing reliable sources. Tagged since September 2007. It may need copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone or spelling. Tagged since June 2008. Gene Pitney Born Gene Francis Alan Pitney February 17, 1940 Hartford, Connecticut, USA Died April 5, 2006 (aged 66) Cardiff, Wales, UK Other name(s) Gene Pitney Years active 1960s – 2006
Gene Francis Alan Pitney (February 17, 1940 – April 5, 2006) was an American singer-songwriter. He was also a guitarist, pianist, drummer, and sound engineer. In 2002, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Through the mid-1960s, he enjoyed success as a recording artist on both sides of the Atlantic. As a performer, his singles charted 16 Top 40 times in the U.S., four in the Top Ten. In the UK he had 22 Top 40 hits and 11 Top Tens. He wrote the early 1960s hits "He's a Rebel", by The Crystals, and "Hello Mary Lou", by Rick Nelson.
Pitney was among a small group of early 1960s American such as Roy Orbison, Bobby Vinton, The Four Seasons, Jan and Dean, Jay and the Americans, The Beach Boys, and The Supremes who continued to enjoy hits after the British Invasion in the U.S. in 1964.Contents [hide] 1 Biography 1.1 Early years 1.2 Rise to fame (1961-1964) 1.3 Involvement with The Rolling Stones (1964) 1.4 Maintaining popularity at the height of The British Invasion (1964-1966) 1.5 UK, Australian and European stardom (1966-1970s) 1.6 Later career 1.7 Death 1.8 Posthumous tributes 2 Discography 2.1 Singles 3 References 4 External links
[edit] Biography [edit] Early years
Pitney was born in Hartford, Connecticut. He grew up in Rockville, now part of Vernon. His early influences were Clyde McPhatter and doo-wop groups like The Crows. He attended Rockville High School, at which he was named "the Rockville Rocket," and where he formed his first band, Gene & the Genials. He made records as part of a duo called Jamie and Jane with Ginny Arnell (who later had a solo hit , DumbHead), and in 1959 made a single as Billy Bryan. The first of the two Decca 45s as Jamie and Jane was Snuggle Up, Baby, a cover of a song Charlie Gracie recorded at Cameo 1957 or early 1958 which remained unreleased until London Records released Gracie's original version in Europe in 1978. [edit] Rise to fame (1961-1964)
Pitney has his first chart single, (I Want to) Love My Life Away, in 1961. He played several instruments and multi-tracked the vocals. This was followed that same year by his first hit, Town Without Pity. This song, from the film of the same name starring Kirk Douglas, won a Golden Globe Award for best movie song and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Song. Pitney was the first pop singer to perform at the Oscars ceremony, singing Town Without Pity on 9 April 1962. The song lost the Academy Award to Moon River, although Town Without Pity was awarded The Golden Globe Award.
Pitney wrote songs for others. Notable examples are He's a Rebel for The Crystals, Vikki Carr, and Elkie Brooks, Today's Teardrops for Roy Orbison, Rubber Ball for Bobby Vee, and Hello Mary Lou for Ricky Nelson. The Crystals' He's A Rebel kept Pitney's highest peaking Hot 100 record, Only Love Can Break a Heart, from top of that chart on 3November 1962.
Pitney is remembered for The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, which was associated with the 1962 John Ford film of the same name starring James Stewart, John Wayne, Vera Miles and Lee Marvin. Pitney gave a strong performance of the song, which was written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. Although it was peaked at 4 on the Billboard pop charts, it was never used in the movie because of a publishing dispute between Famous Music and Paramount Pictures.
His 1963 hit Mecca is a precursor to psychedelia in its use of Indian music three years before The Beatles. Exotic instruments became a Pitney trademark, such as the mariachi trumpets in Lonely Drifter, the ukuleles in Hawaii, and the gypsy fiddle in Golden Earrings.
His popularity in the UK market was ensured by the success of Twenty Four Hours From Tulsa, by Bacharach-David, at the end of 1963. It reached number 4 at the start of 1964. It was also a hit in the U.S. [edit] Involvement with The Rolling Stones (1964)
Pitney was present with Phil Spector at some of the Rolling Stones' early recording sessions in London, including Little by Little and other tracks for their debut album;[1] he played piano, though the extent is uncertain.
The Jagger/Richards song That Girl Belongs to Yesterday was a UK hit for Pitney in 1964; it was the first tune composed by the Rolling Stones' to become a top-10 hit in the UK.[2] In the U.S. the single stalled at #49, and ending a run of seven Top 40 for Pitney as a performer. [edit] Maintaining popularity at the height of The British Invasion (1964-1966)
After another low-charting single (1964's Yesterday's Hero), Pitney had another string of hit singles in the mid-1960s, with the song of unrequited love, It Hurts To Be in Love (U.S. 7) and I'm Gonna Be Strong (U.S. 9) in 1964, and Nobody Needs Your Love in 1966 (the first two were top 10 in the U.S.; the last two at number two in the UK). It Hurts To Be in Love was planned for Neil Sedaka but RCA refused to sell it because he had recorded it outside RCA Victor in violation of his contract. The writers, Howard Greenfield and Helen Miller, presented the song to Pitney. Miller replaced Sedaka's voice with Pitney's.
In 1965, Pitney recorded two successful albums with George Jones They were voted the most promising country-and-western duo of the year. Pitney also recorded songs in Italian, Spanish and German, and twice finished second in the Sanremo Music Festival, where his strong vibrato reminded older listeners of the Italian tenor Caruso. He had a regional hit with Nessuno Mi Puo' Giudicare. [edit] UK, Australian and European stardom (1966-1970s)
Pitney's career in the U.S. took a downturn after mid-1966, when Backstage ended another run of top 40 hits. He returned one last time to the top 40 with She's a Heartbreaker in mid-1968 and had a few hits in the lower reaches of the Hot 100 after that, but by 1970 he was no longer a hit-maker in the U.S.
Pitney maintained a successful career in Britain and the rest of Europe into the 1970s, appearing regularly on UK charts as late as 1974. In Australia, after a fallow period in the early 1970s, Pitney returned to the top 40 charts in 1974, as both Blue Angel (#2) and Trans-Canada Highway (#14 - production by David Mackay) were substantial hits. Pitney continued to place records in the Australian charts through 1976.
In the early 70s, Pitney decided to spend only six months each year on the road. [edit] Later career
Pitney's last hit the UK charts in 1989, after an absence of 15 years, was a duet with Marc Almond. It was a version of Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart by British writers Roger Cook and Roger Greenaway. It had been a number five for Pitney in 1967. This brought him his first UK number 1 in late January 1989, staying four weeks. It went to No. 1 elsewhere in Europe. The two appeared on the Terry Wogan television show in Britain, Almond dressed in leather, Pitney in a white tuxedo.
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds had recorded Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart on their cover album, Kicking Against the Pricks, in 1986. But it never had the success of Pitney-Almond.
On 26 February 1993, Pitney performed at Carnegie Hall in New York on the day of the first World Trade Center18 bombing. On 18 March 2002 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. [edit] Death
Pitney died on 5 April 2006, aged 66. His tour manager found him dead in the Hilton Hotel, in Cardiff, Wales, in the middle of a UK tour.[3] His final show at Cardiff's St. David's Hall was a success, with a standing ovation, ending the show with Town Without Pity. An autopsy confirmed heart disease, brought on by hardening of the arteries. He was survived by his wife, Lynn, and three sons.[4] [edit] Posthumous tributes
In tribute, Marc Almond recorded "Backstage (I'm Lonely)" for his 2007 covers album Stardom Road.
On 20 September 2007, a plaque to Pitney was unveiled at the town hall in his hometown of Rockville, Connecticut. Members of the family attended. The Gene Pitney Commemorative Committee established a music scholarship in Pitney's name. It is awarded annually to Rockville High School. In October 2008, an international fan convention was held in Rockville. [edit] Discography [edit] Singles
Note that release dates refer to initial release. Pitney's early singles generally appeared one to four months later in the UK/Australia. Many of his later releases are UK/Australia/NZ only.
Sources include Joel Whitburn's Record Research material for the U.S. Top 100, "Bubbling Under" and U.S. Country charts; Tim Rice et al., Guinness Book of Hit Singles for the UK; CHUM Chart for Canada prior to mid-1964, and the Canadian RPM charts thereafter; and The Kent Report for AustraliaRelease date Title Chart positions Australia Canada UK U.S Hot 100 U.S. C&W 1959? Jamie & Jane (Gene Pitney and Ginny Arnell): Snuggle Up Baby 1959? Jamie & Jane (Gene Pitney and Ginny Arnell): Classical Rock And Roll 1960 as Billy Bryan: Cradle Of My Arms 1960 Please Come Back January 1961 (I Want to) Love My Life Away 29 23 26 39 April 1961 Louisiana Mama July 1961 Every Breath I Take 42 October 1961 Town Without Pity 31 10 32 13 April 1962 (The Man Who Shot) Liberty Valance 3 2 4 August 1962 Only Love Can Break a Heart (A-Side) 4 11 2 " If I Didn't Have A Dime (To Play The Jukebox) (B-Side) 4 42 58 December 1962 Half Heaven - Half Heartache 11 4 12 March 1963 Mecca (A-Side) 7 2 12 " Teardrop by Teardrop (B-Side) 130 June 1963 True Love Never Runs Smooth 18 17 21 October 1963 Twenty Four Hours From Tulsa 3 6 5 17 January 1964 That Girl Belongs To Yesterday (A-Side) 9 41 7 49 " Who Needs It (B-Side) 9 41 131 April 1964 Yesterday's Hero (A-Side) 18 36 64 April 1964 Cornflower Blue (B-Side) 18 July 1964 It Hurts To Be In Love 6 2 36 7 July 1964 Lips Are Redder On You Australian release only 83 October 1964 I'm Gonna Be Strong 5 3 2 9 February 1965 I Must Be Seeing Things (A-Side) 12 6 6 31 February 1965 Marianne (B-Side) 12 April 1965 George & Gene (George Jones & Gene Pitney): I've Got Five Dollars And It's Saturday Night 65 99 16 May 1965 Last Chance To Turn Around 13 4 13 June 1965 George & Gene (George Jones & Gene Pitney): Louisiana Man (A-Side) 25 June 1965 George & Gene (George Jones & Gene Pitney): I'm A Fool To Care (B-Side) 115 July 1965 Looking Through The Eyes Of Love 34 3 3 28 November 1965 Princess In Rags 13 2 9 37 November 1965 George & Gene (George Jones & Gene Pitney): Big Job 50 January 1966 Gene Pitney and Melba Montgomery: Baby Ain't That Fine 15 March 1966 Nessuno Mi Puo' Guidcare 30 115 April 1966 Backstage 29 2 4 25 May 1966 George & Gene (George Jones & Gene Pitney): That's All It Took 47 June 1966 Nobody Needs Your Love European release only 2 July? 1966 Gene Pitney and Melba Montgomery: Being Together September 1966 (In The) Cold Light Of Day (A-Side) 19 38 115 September 1966 The Boss's Daughter (B-Side) 19 December 1966 Just One Smile (A-Side) 55 8 64 December 1966 Innamorata (B-Side) 55 March 1967 I'm Gonna Listen To Me March 1967 Animal Crackers (In Cellophane Boxes) 87 106 April 1967 Tremblin' September 1967 Something's Gotten Hold Of My Heart 69 5 130 March 1968 The More I Saw Of Her March 1968 Somewhere In The Country European release only 19 April 1968 She's A Heartbreaker 39 13 16 October 1968 Billy, You're My Friend 31 92 92 November 1968 Yours Until Tomorrow European release only 34 March 1969 Maria Elena European release only 25 August 1969 Playing Games of Love Australian release only 85 December 1969 She Lets Her Hair Down (Early In The Morning) 88 89 March 1970 A Street Called Hope 37 October 1970 Shady Lady 29 1971 Higher And Higher 1971 Gene Are You There? 1972 I Just Can't Help Myself 1972 Summertime Dreamin' April 1973 24 Sycamore European release only 34 October 1974 Blue Angel European/Australian release only 2 39 March 1975 Trans-Canada Highway European/Australian release only 14 1977 It's Over, It's Over 1977 Dedication January 1989 Marc Almond & Gene Pitney: Something's Gotten Hold Of My Heart European release only 24 1
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