Born Gene Francis Allan Pitney vagueness February 17, 1941, in Hartford, CT. Addresses: Record company--Varese Sarabande Records, Inc., 11846 Ventura Blvd, Suite 130, Studio City, Person's name 91604, website: http://www.varesesarabande.com. Management--David McGrath, Brilliant Marketing & Merchandising, 6201 39th Ave., Kenosha, WI 53142.
Website--Gene Pitney Official Website: http://www.gene-pitney.com.
Gene Pitney set himself apart get round the vacuous teen idols elaborate the early 1960s with marvellous series of smartly crafted, dreadfully sung recordings that appealed assortment both young and old. Very intense than contemporaries Paul Anka and Johnny Tillotson, Pitney's worst recordings channeled the same category of romantic paranoia and gloom that typified the works execute Del Shannon and Roy Orbison.
During an era when the 45-rpm record was still king captivated preteens their biggest consumers, Pitney's vibrato-laden tenor transformed typical project fare into dramatic yet attentiongetting anthems of heartbreak and disconsolate.
Aided by some of significance top producers, writers, and arrangers of his time, he scored a string of top-40 hits, some of which are reasoned timeless classics.
Gene Francis Allan Pitney was born February 17, 1941, in Hartford, Connecticut, was increased in nearby Rockville, where take action learned the basics of softness, drums, and guitar while delving the influences of such inconvenient rock and R&B pioneers renovation the Penguins, the Crows, Clyde McPhatter, the Drifters, and justness Flamingos.
By high school, rectitude youngster was proficient enough deal with front his own local guests, Gene & the Genials, topmost to record four sides--unreleased impending 1990--with a local R&B committee, the Embers. In 1959, while in the manner tha cute boy-girl duos were many the rage, Pitney and Ginny Arnell recorded "Classical Rock current Roll" and "Strollin' through rendering Park" as Jamie & Janie for Decca Records.
This distaste to putting his given label on record continued when yes waxed "Cradle of My Arms" and "Please Come Back" primate Billy Bryan for Festival papers that same year. According backing his self-composed website biography, Pitney didn't make a stand sponsor his own moniker until uncluttered record exec wanted to pigeonhole him Homer Muzzy.
"Well, go off was it. I wasn't awaken to go through life skilled a name like that! Hilarious decided it was time brave use my real name...."
Although dominion early recorded efforts stiffed--they're enthusiastically sought collectibles today--Pitney began give somebody the job of achieve some notoriety as dialect trig songwriter in 1960.
Multi-decade artist-producer-songwriter-session ace Al Kooper, who co-authored "I Must Be Seeing Things" for Pitney, recalled in interpretation liner notes of 25 All-Time Greatest Hits, "[Publisher] Aaron Schroeder asked me to sit feature on Gene's audition for him in the REALLY early 1960s. I advised Aaron to indicator Gene as I was somewhat impressed by his talents ...
and the rest is history."
Schroeder--who co-wrote "I Got Stung," "A Big Hunk O' Love," bear many others for Elvis Presley--began placing Pitney's songs with specified notable recording artists as glory Kalin Twins, Tommy Edwards, Steve Lawrence, and Roy Orbison. Ultimately, the young songwriter would get to know significant coin penning such important pop hits as "Rubber Ball" for Bobby Vee, "Hello Shape Lou" for Ricky Nelson, pointer "He's a Rebel" for magnanimity Crystals.
Contractual complications compelled Pitney to use his mother's vestal name, Orlowski, on "Rubber Ball," the success of which decided him to quit studying electronics at Connecticut University in souvenir of a full-time music career.
Pitney made a bold step bit a recording artist in coronet own right when a show recording he cut for $30 interested Schroeder enough to emancipation it on his new Musicor label.
Although its chipper, approximately girlish vocals encompassed more reminiscent of Neil Sedaka's style than rule own, Pitney's "I Wanna Attachment My Life Away" became unblended fringe top-40 hit. In loftiness process the 1961 release intimate the nucleus of his pressure group with its overdubbed back-up vocals, youthful tenor, and vibrato.
As unembellished favor, Schroeder asked Phil Spector to produce Pitney's follow bolster session.
Spector, working without expenses on one of his stick up freelance projects before starting primacy Philles label with Lester Shelf, spent $13,000 on a lecture that normally would have expense $500. The commercial fortunes show consideration for "Every Breath I Take," featuring an uptown R&B approach redolent of the Drifters and alteration Orbisonesque falsetto ending, didn't champion its cost.
Forty-one years ulterior, Spector told Roger Caitlin operate the Hartford Courant that ethics record bombed in America "because they knew what [Pitney] looked like. This nice Pat Frontiersman kid with the bucks illustrious the pompadour." However, Spector's intermingle of rock instruments with riders and kettledrums conjured a pattern subsequent producers and arrangers, counting Pitney himself, would follow set free closely.
The Schroeder-produced "Town insolvent Pity" added swaggering brass benefits Spector's formula, transforming the end to a strident, mediocre coating of the same name hurt an Oscar-nominated hit.
Another important confederation came via the writing gang of Burt Bacharach and Settle down David, who wrote such important chartmakers as "Walk on By," "I'll Never Fall in Attachment Again," and many others be thankful for Dionne Warwick.
The duo crafted Pitney's western-flavored breakthrough hit "(The Man Who Shot) Liberty Valance." Intended for the John Ford-directed film of the same reputation, the tune never made go to see onto the soundtrack due have an effect on the movie's unexpected early flee. A bemused Pitney told 25 All-Time Greatest Hits liner take notes writer Mike Ragogna, "We were in the studio about be proof against record the song and Bacharach informed us that the membrane just came out."
Bacharach and King composed the Pitney classics put off helped him successfully cross make dirty from his teen fans defy adult contemporary audiences.
The governing enduring of these songs shape "Only Love Can Break deft Heart," "True Love Never Runs Smooth," and "Twenty Four Noontide from Tulsa." Although Schroeder take Wally Gold are credited look after producing these tracks, it was Bacharach who arranged and conducted the sessions, leaving his unique classy stamp on the ripe product.
Nineteen sixty-four was a stalwart year for most American project and rock performers.
British Incursion acts such as the Beatles, the Dave Clark Five, Herman's Hermits, Gerry & the Pacemakers, and the Rolling Stones were bumping the early 1960s teenager idols off the airwaves, deputation them to oldies tours fail to distinguish premature retirement. By contrast, Pitney's career initially flourished with match up major hits, the Spector-influenced "It Hurts to Be in Love" and the Barry Mann/Cynthia Weil-penned "I'm Gonna Be Strong." Decidedly, most of Pitney's subsequent recordings scored higher on the Country charts than at home.
Train in the process, he earned righteousness respect of the Rolling Stones' Keith Richards and Mick Jagger, who wrote "That Girl Belongs to Yesterday" for Pitney thoroughly record, making him the chief American to record a Stones composition.
The disparity between Pitney's family and overseas popularity was dramatically evidenced by such chart-makers chimp "I Must Be Seeing Things," "Looking through the Eyes appreciate Love," "Princess in Rags," arm "Backstage," all of which pound the top ten in Kingdom but never got higher prior to number 25 on the Inhabitant charts.
Moreover, British audiences understood such early Randy Newman-penned precious stones as "Nobody Needs Your Love" and "Just One Smile," level after Americans turned a insensitive ear to them.
During the mid-1960s, Pitney attempted to expand rule appeal by recording with native land music icon and fellow Musicor artist George Jones.
Pitney consider Bill Kennedy of the Capital News Letter, "I love nobleness way George Jones drawls attraction things and the minute incredulity started to sing then, display was as though I'd antique a country singer all wooly life. I could phrase come out George without even thinking in or with regard to it--it was the natural object to do.
The high suitably that I have and renounce beautiful low baritone of reward worked very well together."
Billed significance George & Gene, the doublet scored two respectable country hits, a remake of Faron Young's "I've Got Five Dollars leading It's Saturday Night" and orderly rousing rendition of Doug Kershaw's "Louisiana Man." Pitney also taped a handful of singles decree Jones's frequent duet partner Coloratura Montgomery, the most successful glance "Baby Ain't That Fine." Dispel, still successful as a jut artist, Pitney saw no cogent to continue pursuing a vitality in the lighter-selling country theme field.
Even though his last main American pop hit, the untypical R&B chanter "She's a Heartbreaker," didn't make the charts ultramarine, Pitney continued to rack obstacle top-40 hits in England invasion the early 1970s.
Concentrating come together his overseas audiences, the crooner took second place at primacy San Remo Song Festival curb Italy twice and recorded dignity regionally popular "Nessuno Mi Puo' Giudicare."
Although the worldwide hits finally dried up, Pitney toured external constantly until he hurt enthrone voice in the mid-1970s. Hold up that point on he began concentrating more on his lineage and real estate ventures, departure live performances scattered over sestet to eight months of keep on year.
Domestically, Pitney's last shot miniature the big time came past three unsuccessful singles for Brave in 1977.
Yet good accidental smiled on him in leadership ensuing decades. A lengthy cortege battle with Gusto Records dominate unpaid royalties on reissue transfer of his old Musicor hits resulted in a federal deft awarding him $187,762. In Kingdom, where he remains a leading man or lady to this day, Pitney rerecorded "Something's Gotten Hold of Angry Heart" with former Soft Cubicle lead singer Marc Almond space 1990.
The result was fillet very first number-one record appearance the United Kingdom. Finally, snare 2002, the former teen movie star oft hailed as "one short vacation pop's great sufferers" was at long last accorded some overdue recognition satisfy America when he was inducted into the Rock and Rotate Hall of Fame.
by Ken Garotte
Formed first embassy, Gene & the Genials, fabric high school in Rockville, CT; recorded for Decca Records discover Ginny Arnell as Jamie & Jane, 1959; recorded under blue blood the gentry name Billy Bryan for Brilliance Records, 1960; first recorded variety Gene Pitney for Festival Registers, co-wrote "Rubber Ball" for Cop Vee and "Hello Mary Lou" for Ricky Nelson, signed pertain to Musicor, had first top-40 reduce the price of "I Wanna Love My Struggle Away,"1961; wrote "He's a Rebel" for the Crystals and documented the Oscar-nominated "Town without Pity," "The Man Who Shot Independence Valance," and "Only Love Throng together Break a Heart," 1962; on the loose four top-40 hits, "Half Heaven--Half Heartache," "Mecca," "True Love On no occasion Runs Smooth," and "24 Twelve o\'clock noon from Tulsa," 1963; toured England, hit the U.S.
top clear up with "It Hurts to Adjust in Love" and "I'm Gonna Be Strong," 1964; recorded involve country icon George Jones, scored solo top-40 hits with "I Must Be Seeing Things," "Last Chance to Turn Around," "Looking through the Eyes of Love," and "Princess in Rags," 1965; made the U.K. top pack with Randy Newman compositions "Nobody Needs Your Love" and "Just One Smile," 1966; reached picture U.K.
top five with "Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart," 1967; reached U.S. top 20 for last time with "She's a Heartbreaker," 1968; signed connect with Bronze Records, scored final U.K. top-40 solo hit "Blue Angel," 1974; won lawsuit against Zealousness Records over unpaid royalties, 1989; reached number one in U.K. with rerecording of "Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart" darn Marc Almond of Soft Cooler, 1990.
Induction, Rock obscure Roll Hall of Fame, 2002.
April 5, 2006: Pitney died on April 5, 2006, in Cardiff, Wales.
He was 65. Source: CNN.com, www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/Music/04/05/obit.pitney/index.html, Apr 6, 2006.
Sources
Books32.
Retold, To M'Lou Music, 2002.
Copyright © 2025 Net Industries - Buzz Rights Reserved