A Real Deal Performer
It’s April 2006 and Gene Pitney played to 1100 fans at the St. David’s Hall in Cardiff, Wales. He runs through pop songs, some his, some cover songs for 90 minutes. The crowd love him. He has more dates to go on the tour and he just did 15 straight nights.
He went to his hotel room and had a heart attack. Gene Pitney was found the next morning fully dressed in his bed.
What is sad is not his death in a hotel, what is sad is that Gene Pitney was still enjoying life and music and he wouldn’t be able to continue.
I went to the Big E festival in Massachusetts last year and found a brochure for the Gene Pitney Commemorative Committee. Pitney was born and kept a house in Connecticut.
For many music critics, snobs, or fans, it’s believed that between the time Elvis Presley went into the Army in 1958 and the arrival of the Beatles in 1964, Rock N Roll was in a stale phase. This is the time that Bobby Rydell, Fabian, Frankie Avalon, Brenda Lee or the Tokens had big records. The music taste-deciders forget The Beach Boys, the Four Seasons, Smoky Robinson, Del Shannon, Roy Orbison all had big songs in that period. To be honest I figured Gene Pitney was part of the bland rock. Turns out Gene Pitney was a real deal.
He won a Golden Globe for the song “Town without Pity.” He had 16 Top 40 songs. One of those songs was “It Hurts to be In Love.” He was and stayed huge in Britain where he had 22 Top 40 songs. He wrote “Rubber Ball” for Bobby Lee. “He’s a Rebel” for the Crystals, “Hello Mary Lou” for Rick Nelson.
He got married in 1966 and stayed married to the day he died.
He was the first Rock N Roll singer to perform at the Academy Awards.
Interesting story about the song, “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.” The song isn’t in the movie. The movie starring John Wayne (one of his best roles. He’s strong and brave but weak when he fails and has to find himself again. It was a subtle and effective role.) Jimmy Stewart’s character was the opposite. He had inner strength but everyone saw a wimp. John Ford directed masterful work from both his leads. Burt Bacharach and Hal David saw the movie and were so blown away that they went home and wrote the song that should’ve been the theme song. Gene Pitney sang the song and it’s a part of the lore of that movie. Brilliant singing and arrangement.
Gene Pitney was inducted into the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.
Gene Pitney was the real deal for songwriting, singing and not being bland. He deserves more credit than I thought to give him. The Gene Pitney Commemorative Committee is also the real deal. They created a scholarship, a golf tournament, and they offer financial support to school music programs.
If you get the chance, take a look into both.
This information came from telegraph.co.uk, wikipedia and the Gene Pitney Commemorative Committee.