Gene Francis Alan Pitney (February 17, 1940 April 5, 2006) was an American singer and songwriter. He was also an accomplished guitarist, pianist, drummer, and skilled sound engineer. In 2002, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.Through the mid-1960s, he enjoyed considerable success as a recording artist on both sides of the Atlantic. As a performer, he charted 16 Top 40 hit singles in the US, 4 of which reached the top ten. In the UK, the figures were even more impressive: 22 top 40 hits, and 11 top tens. As a songwriter, he also penned the big 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 artists and acts such as Roy Orbison, The Beach Boys, The Four Seasons, Jan and Dean, Jay and the Americans and The Supremes that continued to enjoy big radio hits after the British Invasion arrived in the United States in 1964.In 1961, Gene Pitney released his first chart single, “(I Wanna) Love My Life Away”, on which he played several instruments and multi-tracked the vocals. This was followed by his first big hit, “Town Without Pity”, that same year. This song, from the film of the same name starring Kirk Douglas, won the Golden Globe Award for Best Song in a Motion Picture and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Song. Pitney was the first pop singer to perform at the Oscars, singing “Town Without Pity” at the 34th Annual Academy Awards on April 9, 1962. The song lost the Academy Award to “Moon River” although “Town Without Pity” was awarded The Golden Globe Award.Pitney helped his musical career by writing hit songs for others. Notable songs include “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 being atop that chart on November 3, 1962.Pitney is also well remembered for “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance”, which was associated with the 1962 John Ford film of the same name, starring Jimmy Stewart, John Wayne, Vera Miles and Lee Marvin. Pitney gave a strong and distinctive vocal performance of the song, penned by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. Although it was a certified Top 10 hit for Pitney, peaking at #4 on the Billboard pop charts, it was never used in the movie due to a publishing squabble between Famous Music and Paramount Pictures. A theatrical trailer included with a DVD release mentions a forthcoming title track, but not by name.His 1963 hit “Mecca” is considered by some to be a precursor to psychedelia in its use of Indian musical influences, at least three years before The Beatles began incorporating these influences. The use of exotic musical instruments became something of a Pitney trademark, judging by the Mariachi trumpets employed in “Lonely Drifters”, the ukuleles in “Hawaii”, and the gypsy fiddle in “Golden Earrings”.His ongoing popularity in the UK market was ensured by the chart success of “Twenty Four Hours From Tulsa” at the end of 1963/beginning of 1964, when in January the Burt Bacharach/Hal David song peaked at #4. “Tulsa” was also a big hit in the US and would become the song that opened up Pitney’s career to the international markets.

Author: youralone
Keywords: pitney gene singer and songwriter
Added: September 22, 2008

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