Born:
Gene Francis Alan Pitney, February 17, 1941, Hartford, CT; d. April 5, 2006, Cardiff, South Wales
Genres:
Pop, Rock and Roll, Orchestral Pop, Country-Pop, Country, Teen Idol
Instruments:
Vocals, guitar
Contributions to music:
- A master of teenage romantic angst
- Along with Roy Orbison, brought orchestral pop into rock and roll in the early Sixties
- One of the era's greatest songwriters
- An early proponent of "countrypolitan" or pop-country music
- Among the first to introduce Middle Eastern elements into pop
- One of the first performers to score with compositions by Jagger-Richards and Randy Newman
- An early protege of Phil Spector's
Early years:
As a youth, Gene was an amateur musician studying electrical engineering. By the time he'd graduated, however, Pitney had forgotten all about his original plan, heading straight to New York and its famous Brill Building. His first real notice did indeed come as a songwriter, scoring the b-side to Roy Orbison's "Blue Angel" with a composition called "Today's Teardrops." He was soon noticed by legendary songwriters Burt Bacharach and Hal David, which led to Pitney recording "Town Without Pity."
Success:
That recording, done with a young Phil Spector, was an instant hit -- Pitney even sang it in the movie of the same name. Until 1966 or so, Pitney was a constant presence on pop radio, whether through his own recordings or his compositions for other artists. His pained delivery, sense of teen drama, and operatic sense led at least one critic to name him "Rock's Caruso." In the mid-Sixties Pitney also became one of the first pop artists to embrace country, recording with George Jones and others.
Later years:
Although Pitney kept recording well into the Seventies, his style of music had long since gone out of style, but a successful 1983 tour of North America reminded oldies fans he was still around. In 1989 the vocalist scored a #1 hit in the UK with a remake of his own earlier "Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart," revamped through the production of Soft Cell's Marc Almond. Since then, Pitney proved a consistent live draw in Europe; he died, apparently of natural causes, while on tour in 2006.
Other facts:
- Produced and played all the instruments on his debut solo single, "I Wanna Love My Life Away"
- Plays maracas on the Rolling Stones' version of "Not Fade Away"
- "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" was inspired by the film of the same name, but does not appear in it
- Has recorded in Spanish, German, and Italian
- First teen idol of pop to perform at the Oscars
- Actually reached the R&B Top 20 with "Only Love Can Break A Heart"
- Final song sung by Pitney at his final show: "Town Without Pity"
Awards/Honors:
- Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (2002)
- Oscar (Best Song, 1961, "Town Without Pity")
Songs, Albums, and Charts:
Top 10 hits:
Pop:
- "(The Man Who Shot) Liberty Valance" (1962)
- "Only Love Can Break A Heart" (1962)
- "I'm Gonna Be Strong" (1964)
- "It Hurts To Be In Love" (1964)
Wrote or co-wrote: "Hello Mary Lou," Ricky Nelson; "He's A Rebel," The Crystals; "Rubber Ball," Bobby Vee; "Today's Teardrops," "Twenty-Two Days," Roy Orbison
Covered by: Dusty Springfield, Cilla Black, Herb Alpert and The Tijuana Brass, Juice Newton, The Dickies, Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet, The Brian Setzer Orchestra, Marc Almond, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Appears in the movies: "Town Without Pity" (1961)
