Gene Pitney

Gene Francis Alan Pitney (February 17, 1940 – April 5, 2006) was an American singer, songwriter and musician known predominantly for emotive, dramatic ballads heightened by an expansive range and sorrowful vocals. He also recorded country music. Between 1961 and 1968 Pitney charted with 16 Top 40 hits on Billboard's Hot 100, including four Top Tens. Between 1961 and 1974 in the United Kingdom he charted with 21 Top 40 solo hits, ten of them Top Ten. In 1989, in a collaboration with Marc Almond, he reached number one in the UK singles chart with an updated duet version of his 1967 UK hit "Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart". Pitney's most famous recordings include "Town Without Pity", "It Hurts to Be in Love", "I'm Gonna Be Strong" (his one transatlantic Top Ten), "Half Heaven – Half Heartache", "Mecca" and three Bacharach/David songs: "(The Man Who Shot) Liberty Valance", "Only Love Can Break a Heart" and "Twenty Four Hours from Tulsa" (US no. 17/UK no. 5), the latter of which has emerged as his signature song. Eight of his solo UK Top Tens — including "Looking Through the Eyes of Love" (US no. 28/UK no. 3) and "Nobody Needs Your Love" (UK no. 2) — either were minor hits or failed to chart in the States. His songwriting credits include "(I Wanna) Love My Life Away" — his own 1961 chart debut (US no. 39) — and the Crystals' 1962 US number-one hit "He's a Rebel". He co-wrote two international hits that reached the US Top Ten: Bobby Vee's "Rubber Ball" (1960) and Ricky Nelson's "Hello Mary Lou" (1961). In 2002 Pitney was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame.

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