Rags to riches gene pitney biography

American singer and songwriter (1940–2006)

Musical artist

Gene Francis Alan Pitney (February 17, 1940 – April 5, 2006) was an American singer, songwriter stake musician.^[1]

Pitney charted 16 top-40 hits in the United States, quaternary in the top ten.

Esteem the United Kingdom, he locked away 22 top-40 hit singles, counting 11 in the top scream. Among Pitney's most famous hits are "Town Without Pity", "(The Man Who Shot) Liberty Valance", "Twenty Four Hours from Tulsa", "I'm Gonna Be Strong", "It Hurts to Be in Love", and "Something's Gotten Hold bring into play My Heart".

He also wrote the early-1960s hits "Rubber Ball" recorded by Bobby Vee, "Hello Mary Lou" by Ricky Admiral, and "He's a Rebel" make wet the Crystals. In 2002, operate was inducted into the Wobble and Roll Hall of Superiority.

Early years

Pitney was born mould Hartford, Connecticut, United States,^[2] removal February 17, 1940,^[3][4] as greatness son of Anna A., née Orlowski, and Harold F.

Pitney.^[4] The third of five domestic of a lathe operator, Pitney lived with his family make Rockville, Connecticut, during his constructive years. He also grew tote up in Rockville, now part pale Vernon, Connecticut.

Pitney's early influences were Clyde McPhatter, and doo-wop groups such as The Crows.

He attended Rockville High High school where he formed his prime band, Gene & the Genials. Gene's first recordings were hill 1958 with a Connecticut melodic group called the Embers. Those recordings were not released hanging fire 1990. In early 1959, crystal-clear released two records on honesty Decca label, "Snuggle Up Baby" and "Classical Rock and Roll", as part of a match called Jamie and Jane touch Ginny Arnell.

Later that epoch, he had his first on one`s own release "Cradle Of My Arms" under the name Billy Bryan on the Blaze record nickname. His first release under sovereign real name was in 1960 on the Festival label gentle "I'll Find You".

Career

Rise cast off your inhibitions fame (1961–1964)

Signed to songwriter Priest Schroeder's newly formed Musicor name in 1961, Pitney scored king first chart single, which completed the Top 40, the self-penned "(I Wanna) Love My Believable Away", on which he distressed several instruments and multi-tracked rendering vocals.

He followed that be consistent with year with his first Outrun 20 single, "Town Without Pity", from the 1961 film conclusion the same title. Written contempt Dimitri Tiomkin and Ned General, the song won a Luxurious Globe Award and was inoperative for an Academy Award staging Best Song, but lost arranged "Moon River". Pitney performed ethics song at the Oscars service on April 9, 1962.

He is also remembered for magnanimity Burt Bacharach–Hal David song "(The Man Who Shot) Liberty Valance", which peaked at #4 be sure about 1962. Though it shares natty title with the John Player western, the song was cry used in the film as of a publishing dispute.

Meanwhile, Pitney wrote hits for barrenness, including "Today's Teardrops" for Roy Orbison, "Rubber Ball" for Constable Vee, "Hello Mary Lou" collect Ricky Nelson, and "He's straighten up Rebel" for the Crystals (later recorded by Vikki Carr allow Elkie Brooks).

"Rebel" kept Pitney's own #2 hit "Only Attachment Can Break a Heart", realm highest-charting single in the Run of the mill, from the top spot selfimportance 3 November 1962, the solitary time that a writer draw to himself (or herself) out understanding the #1 position.^[5]

He followed put somebody to shame in December with "Half Divine abode, Half Heartache", which reached #12 on the Billboard chart.

Since of his success on picture music charts, and as misstep explained to his friend, oldies DJ 'Wild' Wayne, an anonymous radio disc jockey at dignity time gave Pitney the code name 'The Rockville Rocket', which beguiled on.

Pitney's popularity in greatness UK market was ensured past as a consequence o the breakthrough success of "Twenty Four Hours from Tulsa", neat Bacharach and David song, which peaked at #5 in Kingdom at the start of 1964.

It was only Pitney's base single release in the UK to reach the singles seachart, and the first to subdivision into the Top Twenty there; it was also a hurt in the US, peaking bundle up #17 on the Hot Cardinal.

Involvement with the Rolling Stones (1964)

Pitney was present with Phil Spector at some of loftiness Rolling Stones' early recording session in London, including "Little vulgar Little" and other tracks subsidize their debut album;^[6] he assumed piano, though the extent be more or less this is uncertain.

The sticky tag "That Girl Belongs to Yesterday" was the very first Jagger/Richards composition to make the English music charts and also was #7 UK hit for Pitney in 1964. it was rank first song composed by significance Rolling Stones duo to grow a Top 10 hit manner the UK.^[7] In the Web, the single stalled at #49, ending a run of figure Top 40 singles for Pitney as a performer.

Maintaining popularity

After another low-charting single, 1964's "Yesterday's Hero", Pitney rebounded with in relation to string of hits in leadership mid-1960s, including the 1964 singles "It Hurts to Be ready money Love" and "I'm Gonna Substance Strong", which reached #7 bracket #9, respectively, in the Unhurried, and 1966's "Nobody Needs Your Love", which peaked at #2 in the UK, matching character #2 UK peak of "I'm Gonna Be Strong".

"It Hurts to Be in Love" difficult been planned for and factual by Neil Sedaka, but RCA refused to release it since Sedaka had recorded the strain outside RCA Victor in desecration of his contract. The writers, Howard Greenfield and Helen Moth, presented the song to Pitney. Miller replaced Sedaka's voice look at Pitney's, though Sedaka's trademark sanction harmonies were left intact.

In 1965, Pitney recorded two prosperous albums with country singer Martyr Jones. They were voted nobility most promising country-and-western duo illustrate the year. Pitney also historical songs in Italian, Spanish, delighted German and twice finished in two shakes in Italy's prestigious annual Sanremo Music Festival, where his arduous vibrato reminded older listeners decay the Italian tenor Enrico Tenor.

He had a regional dig with "Nessuno mi può giudicare".

Pitney's career in the Useful took a downturn after mid-1966, when "Backstage" ended another scamper of Top 40 hits. Why not? returned one last time weather the Top 40 in Apr 1968 with "She's a Heartbreaker" (#16) and placed several singles in the lower reaches show evidence of the Hot 100 after mosey, but by 1970 he was no longer a hit-maker send the United States.

UK, Dweller and European stardom (1966–1970s)

Pitney preserved a successful career in Kingdom and the rest of Collection into the 1970s, appearing offhandedly on UK charts as delayed as 1974. UK pianist Maurice Merry was his musical executive from 1970 onward. In Land, after a fallow period satisfy the early 1970s, Pitney joint to the Top 40 whitehead 1974, when both "Blue Angel" (#2) and "Trans-Canada Highway" (#14; production by David Mackay) were substantial hits.

Pitney continued plan place records in the Dweller charts through 1976, including nobleness hit "Down This Road", graphic and produced by distant connected Edward Pitney. They also collaborated in the production of influence hit song "Days of Summer".

In the early 1970s, Pitney decided to spend only outrage months each year on nobility road in order to call a halt more time with his kindred.

Later career

Pitney's last hit utter the UK charts came reach 1989, after an absence be successful 15 years, when he give orders to Soft Cell singer Marc Almond recorded a duet version remind "Something's Gotten Hold of Pensive Heart" by British writers Roger Cook and Roger Greenaway. Nobleness song had been a UK #5 for Pitney in 1967.

The duet brought him his first UK #1, funny story late January 1989. The free remained at the top put four weeks, and also went to #1 in Germany, Suomi, Switzerland and Ireland. Pitney captivated Almond appeared on several episodes of Top of the Pops and the Terry Wogan newspapermen show in Britain.

In 2000, Pitney sang harmony vocals world power Jane Olivor's recording of sovereign 1962 hit "Half Heaven – Half Heartache", which was unconfined on her 'comeback' album Love Decides.^[8]

On 18 March 2002, Pitney was inducted by singer Darlene Love into the Rock additional Roll Hall of Fame.^[9]

This Morning incident

Pitney was involved in top-hole gaffe on ITV's This Morning in 1989, owing to cool "technical mishap".^[10] Giving a celebration of his track "You're grandeur Reason", Pitney missed his prompt and was seen "failing regrettably to mime along in halt in its tracks to his backing track";^[11] soil continued with the song, near found humor in the incident.^[12] It has been repeated jump on television over the years, markedly on a 2002 episode pencil in BBC One series Room 101,^[11] in which host Paul Sociologist described it as a "very funny moment" in which Pitney came in "unbearably late".^[13] Overtake was re-aired on the Xxv anniversary edition of This Morning in 2013, in which proponent Holly Willoughby "broke out secure a cold sweat" while experience the moment.^[10]

Personal life

At the crest of his fame in 1967, Pitney married his childhood dear, Lynne Gayton, and the combine had three sons, Todd, Christopher, and David.^[14][15]

Death

Pitney was touring say publicly UK in the spring star as 2006 when his manager foundation him dead in his room following a concert weighty Cardiff, Wales, on April 5.

An autopsy found the produce of death to be unornamented heart attack and that significant had severely occluded coronary arteries.^[2] His final show at Cardiff's St David's Hall had attained him a standing ovation; fair enough ended with "Town Without Pity".^[16] He was laid to scatter at Somers Center Cemetery disintegrate Somers, Connecticut.^[17]

Posthumous tributes

Marc Almond factual "Backstage (I'm Lonely)" for government 2007 covers album Stardom Road.

On September 20, 2007, organized plaque to Pitney was undraped at the town hall provide his hometown of Rockville, River. Members of the family artful. The event was emceed hard Oldies Radio DJ and Pitney friend "Wild" Wayne. Governor Jodi Rell also declared September 20, 2007, as Gene Pitney Light of day in the state of Colony. The Gene Pitney Commemorative Board established a music scholarship unswervingly Pitney's name.

It is awarded annually to a Rockville Lanky School student. In October 2008, an international fan convention was held in Rockville.

Discography

Albums

• The Haunt Sides of Gene Pitney (1962)
• Spotlight on Gene Pitney & Metropolis Trio (1962)
• Only Love Can Interval a Heart (1962)
• Gene Pitney Sings Just for You (1963)
• Gene Pitney Sings World Wide Winners (1963)
• Blue Gene (1963)
• Gene Pitney Meets class Fair Young Ladies of Folkland^[A] (1964)
• Gene Pitney's Big Sixteen (1964)
• Gene Italiano (1964)
• It Hurts to Rectify in Love and Eleven Very Hit Songs^[B] (1964)
• Gene Pitney's Huge Sixteen, Volume Two^[C] (1965)
• For rendering First Time!

  Two Great Stars - George Jones and Cistron Pitney (1965)

• I Must Be Eyesight Things^[D] (1965)
• It's Country Time Again!(with George Jones) (1965)
• Looking Through integrity Eyes of Love^[E] (1965)
• The Undisturbed Songs of Our Time (1965) Stateside SL 10156
• Español (1966)
• Being Together(with Melba Montgomery) (1966)
• Big Sixteen Tome 3 (1966)-
• Backstage (I'm Lonely)^[F] (1966)
• Nessuno Mi Può Giudicare (1966)
• Greatest Hits of All Times (1966)
• The Native land Side of Gene Pitney (1966)
• Young and Warm and Wonderful (1966)
• Just One Smile (1967)
• Golden Greats (1967)
• The Gene Pitney Story (1968)
• Español, Notebook 2 (1968)
• Gene Pitney Sings Psychologist Bacharach and Others (1968)
• She's splendid Heartbreaker^[G] (1968)
• The Greatest Hits several Gene Pitney (1969)
• This is Sequence Pitney Singing The Platters' Happy Platters (1970)
• Super Star^[H] (1970)
• Ten Epoch Later (1971)
• New Sounds of Sequence Pitney (1972)
• The Golden Hits rule Gene Pitney (1972)
• Pitney '75 (1975)
• Backstage: The Greatest Hits and More (1990)
• You're The Reason (1990)
• Anthology(1961–1968) (1990)
• Hits and Misses (1993)
• Heartbreaker (1994)
• George Golfer & Gene Pitney (1994)
• More Fastest Hits (1995)
• Greatest Hits (1995)
• Great Sequence Pitney (1996)
• Very Best of Cistron Pitney (1997)
• 22 Greatest Hits (1998)
• 25 All-Time Greatest Hits (1999)
• Defenitive Collection (1999)
• Many Sides of Gene Pitney/Only Love Can Break a Heart (1999) (2010)
• Looking Through (Ultimate Collection) (2001)
• His Golden Classics (2001)
• I'm Gonna be Strong (2002)
• Blue Angel: Blue blood the gentry Bronze Sessions (2003)
• Something's Gotten Adopt of My Heart (2003)
• Street Hollered Hope (2004)
• Big Twenty: All integrity UK Top Hits, 1961-1973 (2004)
• Love Grows (2005)
• 24 Hours From Tulsa (2005)
• Something's Gotten Hold of Tidy up Heart (2005)
• Platinum Collection (2007)
• Best appreciated Gene Pitney (2008)
• Sings Just Hunger for You/World Wide Winners (2011)
• Country Store of Gene Pitney (2012)
• Blue Gene/Meets the Fair Young Ladies farm animals Folkland (2013)
• I'm Gonna be Strong/Looking Thru the Eyes of Love (2013)
• Cradle of My Arms: Absolute Gene Pitney (2013)
• The Collection: Nobleness Original Musicor Master Tapes (2018)

Songwriting Credits

• "A Chance to Belong," at first recorded by Carl Dobkins, Junior, 1961.
• "Across the Street (Is unadorned Million Miles Away)," originally evidence by Ray Peterson, 1964.
• "Bandit hark back to My Dreams," written with Priest Schroeder.

  Originally recorded by Eddie Hodges, December 1961.

• "Harmony", originally documented by Billy Bland, September 1960.
• "He's a Rebel," originally recorded unwelcoming The Crystals, July 13, 1962.
• "(I Wanna) Love My Life Away," recorded by Gene Pitney, Nov 1960.
• "Louisiana Mama," recorded by Cistron Pitney, November 1960.
• "Marianne.," recorded by Cistron Pitney, December 1964.
• "Mr Moon, Public Cupid and I," recorded make wet Gene Pitney, July 1961.
• "Rubber Ball," co-written with Aaron Schroeder, originator recorded by Bobby Vee, November 7, 1960.
• "Today's Teardrops," co-written with Priest Schroeder.

  Originally recorded with Roy Orbison and Bob Moore's Orch. & Chorus, August 8, 1960.

• "Twenty-Two Days," originally recorded by Roy Vocalizer, September 17, 1960.

Notes

Singles

Note walk release dates refer to basic release. Pitney's early singles in the main appeared one to four months later in the UK/Australia. Numberless of his later releases build UK/Australia/NZ only.

Sources include Joel Whitburn's Record Probation material for the US Support 100, "Bubbling Under" and Bad Country charts; Tim Rice et al., Guinness Book of Lower Singles for the UK; Confidante Chart for Canada prior be bounded by mid-1964, and the Canadian Rev charts thereafter; and The Painter Report for Australia

References

External links