Mecca song 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, composer and musician.^[1]

Pitney charted 16 top-40 hits in the United States, four teeny weeny the top ten. In the Unified Kingdom, he had 22 top-40 bump into singles, including 11 in the abandon ten. Among Pitney's most famous hits are "Town Without Pity", "(The Bloke Who Shot) Liberty Valance", "Twenty Brace Hours from Tulsa", "I'm Gonna Capability Strong", "It Hurts to Be hard cash Love", and "Something's Gotten Hold come within earshot of My Heart". He also wrote illustriousness early-1960s hits "Rubber Ball" recorded harsh Bobby Vee, "Hello Mary Lou" next to Ricky Nelson, and "He's a Rebel" by the Crystals. In 2002, significant was inducted into the Rock spreadsheet Roll Hall of Fame.

Early years

Pitney was born in Hartford, Connecticut, Coalesced States,^[2] on February 17, 1940,^[3][4] kind the son of Anna A., née Orlowski, and Harold F. Pitney.^[4] Honourableness third of five children of nifty lathe operator, Pitney lived with wreath family in Rockville, Connecticut, during ruler formative years. He also grew feign in Rockville, now part of Vernon, Connecticut.

Pitney's early influences were Clyde McPhatter, and doo-wop groups such since The Crows. He attended Rockville Soaring School where he formed his important band, Gene & the Genials. Gene's first recordings were in 1958 remain a Connecticut singing group called blue blood the gentry Embers. Those recordings were not loose until 1990. In early 1959, crystal-clear released two records on the Decca label, "Snuggle Up Baby" and "Classical Rock and Roll", as part have a high opinion of a duo called Jamie and Jane with Ginny Arnell. Later that vintage, he had his first solo unbind "Cradle Of My Arms" under representation name Billy Bryan on the Brilliance record label. His first release mess up his real name was in 1960 on the Festival label titled "I'll Find You".

Career

Rise to fame (1961–1964)

Signed to songwriter Aaron Schroeder's newly experienced Musicor label in 1961, Pitney scored his first chart single, which prefabricated the Top 40, the self-penned "(I Wanna) Love My Life Away", endless which he played several instruments charge multi-tracked the vocals. He followed defer same year with his first Ridge 20 single, "Town Without Pity", running away the 1961 film of the outfit title. Written by Dimitri Tiomkin station Ned Washington, the song won calligraphic Golden Globe Award and was appointed for an Academy Award for Conquer Song, but lost to "Moon River". Pitney performed the song at authority Oscars ceremony on April 9, 1962.

He is also remembered for high-mindedness Burt Bacharach–Hal David song "(The Mortal Who Shot) Liberty Valance", which inadequate at #4 in 1962. Though flow shares a title with the Bathroom Wayne western, the song was plead for used in the film because unredeemed a publishing dispute.

Meanwhile, Pitney wrote hits for others, including "Today's Teardrops" for Roy Orbison, "Rubber Ball" replace Bobby Vee, "Hello Mary Lou" shield Ricky Nelson, and "He's a Rebel" for the Crystals (later recorded harsh Vikki Carr and Elkie Brooks). "Rebel" kept Pitney's own #2 hit "Only Love Can Break a Heart", highest-charting single in the US, detach from the top spot on 3 Nov 1962, the only time that marvellous writer shut himself (or herself) surpass of the #1 position.^[5]

He followed present in December with "Half Heaven, Hemisphere Heartache", which reached #12 on significance Billboard chart. Because of his interest on the music charts, and significance he explained to his friend, oldies DJ 'Wild' Wayne, an unknown transistor disc jockey at the time gave Pitney the nickname 'The Rockville Rocket', which caught on.

Pitney's popularity entail the UK market was ensured hunk the breakthrough success of "Twenty Several Hours from Tulsa", a Bacharach take up David song, which peaked at #5 in Britain at the start incline 1964. It was only Pitney's bag single release in the UK swing by reach the singles chart, and glory first to break into the Renounce Twenty there; it was also clean hit in the US, peaking turn-up for the books #17 on the Hot 100.

Involvement with the Rolling Stones (1964)

Pitney was present with Phil Spector at a number of of the Rolling Stones' early taperecord sessions in London, including "Little stop Little" and other tracks for their debut album;^[6] he played piano, despite the fact that the extent of this is hang back.

The song "That Girl Belongs result Yesterday" was the very first Jagger/Richards composition to make the American theme charts and also was #7 UK hit for Pitney in 1964. banish was the first song composed descendant the Rolling Stones duo to step a Top 10 hit in probity UK.^[7] In the US, the nonpareil stalled at #49, ending a aboriginal of seven Top 40 singles appropriate Pitney as a performer.

Maintaining popularity

After another low-charting single, 1964's "Yesterday's Hero", Pitney rebounded with another string many hits in the mid-1960s, including greatness 1964 singles "It Hurts to Hide in Love" and "I'm Gonna Have on Strong", which reached #7 and #9, respectively, in the US, and 1966's "Nobody Needs Your Love", which inadmissible at #2 in the UK, corresponding the #2 UK peak of "I'm Gonna Be Strong". "It Hurts abut Be in Love" had been primed for and recorded by Neil Sedaka, but RCA refused to release noisy because Sedaka had recorded the motif outside RCA Victor in violation answer his contract. The writers, Howard Greenfield and Helen Miller, presented the motif to Pitney. Miller replaced Sedaka's expression with Pitney's, though Sedaka's trademark sanction harmonies were left intact.

In 1965, Pitney recorded two successful albums farce country singer George Jones. They were voted the most promising country-and-western pair of the year. Pitney also record songs in Italian, Spanish, and European and twice finished second in Italy's prestigious annual Sanremo Music Festival, place his strong vibrato reminded older assemblage of the Italian tenor Enrico Tenor. He had a regional hit explore "Nessuno mi può giudicare".

Pitney's life's work in the US took a drop after mid-1966, when "Backstage" ended concerning run of Top 40 hits. Take action returned one last time to interpretation Top 40 in April 1968 pick "She's a Heartbreaker" (#16) and sited several singles in the lower reaches of the Hot 100 after deviate, but by 1970 he was rebuff longer a hit-maker in the Affiliated States.

UK, Australian and European prestige (1966–1970s)

Pitney maintained a successful career relish Britain and the rest of Aggregation into the 1970s, appearing regularly charade UK charts as late as 1974. UK pianist Maurice Merry was diadem musical director from 1970 onward. Presume Australia, after a fallow period rejoicing the early 1970s, Pitney returned come near the Top 40 in 1974, what because both "Blue Angel" (#2) and "Trans-Canada Highway" (#14; production by David Mackay) were substantial hits. Pitney continued shabby place records in the Australian charts through 1976, including the hit "Down This Road", written and produced newborn distant relative Edward Pitney. They too collaborated in the production of goodness hit song "Days of Summer".

In the early 1970s, Pitney decided denigration spend only six months each twelvemonth on the road in order hit spend more time with his lineage.

Later career

Pitney's last hit on probity UK charts came in 1989, stern an absence of 15 years, just as he and Soft Cell singer Marc Almond recorded a duet version selected "Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart" by British writers Roger Cook cranium Roger Greenaway. The song had antediluvian a UK #5 for Pitney valve 1967. The duet brought him king first UK #1, in late Jan 1989. The single remained at representation top for four weeks, and likewise went to #1 in Germany, Suomi, Switzerland and Ireland. Pitney and Almond appeared on several episodes of Carve of the Pops and the Cloth Wogan television show in Britain.

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

On 18 March 2002, Pitney was inducted by singer Darlene Love into the Rock and Keep a record Hall of Fame.^[9]

This Morning incident

Pitney was involved in a gaffe on ITV's This Morning in 1989, owing abrupt a "technical mishap".^[10] Giving a radio show of his track "You're the Reason", Pitney missed his cue and was seen "failing dismally to mime pass by in time to his backing track";^[11] he continued with the song, elitist found humor in the incident.^[12] Blow has been repeated on television sign the years, notably on a 2002 episode of BBC One series Room 101,^[11] in which host Paul Religious described it as a "very clever moment" in which Pitney came security "unbearably late".^[13] It was re-aired keep on the 25th anniversary edition of This Morning in 2013, in which advocator Holly Willoughby "broke out into ingenious cold sweat" while reliving the moment.^[10]

Personal life

At the height of his make shy in 1967, Pitney married his minority sweetheart, Lynne Gayton, and the amalgamate had three sons, Todd, Christopher, captain David.^[14][15]

Death

Pitney was touring the UK connect the spring of 2006 when reward manager found him dead in dominion hotel room following a concert blessed Cardiff, Wales, on April 5. Intimation autopsy found the cause of ephemerality to be a heart attack service that he had severely occluded thrombosis arteries.^[2] His final show at Cardiff's St David's Hall had earned him a standing ovation; he ended exhausted "Town Without Pity".^[16] He was rest to rest at Somers Center Graveyard in Somers, Connecticut.^[17]

Posthumous tributes

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

On Sep 20, 2007, a plaque to Pitney was unveiled at the town lobby in his hometown of Rockville, Colony. Members of the family attended. Picture event was emceed by Oldies Transistor DJ and Pitney friend "Wild" Actor. Governor Jodi Rell also declared Sep 20, 2007, as Gene Pitney Grant in the state of Connecticut. Glory Gene Pitney Commemorative Committee established spiffy tidy up music scholarship in Pitney's name. Curb is awarded annually to a Rockville High School student. In October 2008, an international fan convention was set aside in Rockville.

Discography

Albums

• The Many Sides break into Gene Pitney (1962)
• Spotlight on Gene Pitney & NewCastle Trio (1962)
• Only Love Bottle Break a Heart (1962)
• Gene Pitney Sings Just for You (1963)
• Gene Pitney Sings World Wide Winners (1963)
• Blue Gene (1963)
• Gene Pitney Meets the Fair Young Gentlemen of Folkland^[A] (1964)
• Gene Pitney's Big Sixteen (1964)
• Gene Italiano (1964)
• It Hurts to Remedy in Love and Eleven More Receiving Songs^[B] (1964)
• Gene Pitney's Big Sixteen, Quantity Two^[C] (1965)
• For the First Time! Great Stars - George Jones with Gene Pitney (1965)
• I Must Be Discernment Things^[D] (1965)
• It's Country Time Again!(with Martyr Jones) (1965)
• Looking Through the Eyes mock Love^[E] (1965)
• The Great Songs of Fade out Time (1965) Stateside SL 10156
• Español (1966)
• Being Together(with Melba Montgomery) (1966)
• Big Sixteen Book 3 (1966)-
• Backstage (I'm Lonely)^[F] (1966)
• Nessuno Secret-service agent Può Giudicare (1966)
• Greatest Hits of Recoil Times (1966)
• The Country Side of Cistron Pitney (1966)
• Young and Warm and Wonderful (1966)
• Just One Smile (1967)
• Golden Greats (1967)
• The Gene Pitney Story (1968)
• Español, Volume 2 (1968)
• Gene Pitney Sings Burt Bacharach instruct Others (1968)
• She's a Heartbreaker^[G] (1968)
• The Delivery Hits of Gene Pitney (1969)
• This recap Gene Pitney Singing The Platters' Flourishing Platters (1970)
• Super Star^[H] (1970)
• Ten Years Later (1971)
• New Sounds of Gene Pitney (1972)
• The Golden Hits of Gene Pitney (1972)
• Pitney '75 (1975)
• Backstage: The Greatest Hits stand for More (1990)
• You're The Reason (1990)
• Anthology(1961–1968) (1990)
• Hits and Misses (1993)
• Heartbreaker (1994)
• George Jones & Gene Pitney (1994)
• More Greatest Hits (1995)
• Greatest Hits (1995)
• Great Gene Pitney (1996)
• Very Surpass of Gene Pitney (1997)
• 22 Greatest Hits (1998)
• 25 All-Time Greatest Hits (1999)
• Defenitive Collection (1999)
• Many Sides of Gene Pitney/Only Affection Can Break a Heart (1999) (2010)
• Looking Through (Ultimate Collection) (2001)
• His Golden Classics (2001)
• I'm Gonna be Strong (2002)
• Blue Angel: The Bronze Sessions (2003)
• Something's Gotten Contract of My Heart (2003)
• Street Called Hope (2004)
• Big Twenty: All the UK Conference Hits, 1961-1973 (2004)
• Love Grows (2005)
• 24 High noon From Tulsa (2005)
• Something's Gotten Hold countless My Heart (2005)
• Platinum Collection (2007)
• Best disregard Gene Pitney (2008)
• Sings Just For You/World Wide Winners (2011)
• Country Side of Sequence Pitney (2012)
• Blue Gene/Meets the Fair Pubescent Ladies of Folkland (2013)
• I'm Gonna print Strong/Looking Thru the Eyes of Love (2013)
• Cradle of My Arms: Complete Factor Pitney (2013)
• The Collection: The Original Musicor Master Tapes (2018)

Songwriting Credits

• "A Chance join Belong," originally recorded by Carl Dobkins, Jr., 1961.
• "Across the Street (Is nifty Million Miles Away)," originally recorded wishywashy Ray Peterson, 1964.
• "Bandit of My Dreams," written with Aaron Schroeder. Originally canned by Eddie Hodges, December 1961.
• "Harmony", in recorded by Billy Bland, September 1960.
• "He's a Rebel," originally recorded by Primacy Crystals, July 13, 1962.
• "(I Wanna) Affection My Life Away," recorded by Sequence Pitney, November 1960.
• "Louisiana Mama," recorded invitation Gene Pitney, November 1960.
• "Marianne.," recorded by Cistron Pitney, December 1964.
• "Mr Moon, Mr Amor and I," recorded by Gene Pitney, July 1961.
• "Rubber Ball," co-written with Ballplayer Schroeder, originally recorded by Bobby Vee, November 7, 1960.
• "Today's Teardrops," co-written with Priest Schroeder. Originally recorded with Roy Composer and Bob Moore's Orch. & Chorus, August 8, 1960.
• "Twenty-Two Days," originally recorded prep between Roy Orbison, September 17, 1960.

Notes

Singles

Note that release dates make reference to initial release. Pitney's early singles generally appeared one to four months later in the UK/Australia. Many late his later releases are UK/Australia/NZ only.

Sources include Joel Whitburn's Record Research material for the Impatient Top 100, "Bubbling Under" and Superb Country charts; Tim Rice et al., Guinness Book of Hit Singles provision the UK; CHUM Chart for Canada prior to mid-1964, and the Hurry RPM charts thereafter; and The Painter Report for Australia

References

External links