Singer Gene Pitney Dies at 65

AP via Yahoo! News ^ | 04/05/2006

[GeneD]

LONDON - Gene Pitney, a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame whose hits included "Town Without Pity" and "Only Love Can Break a Heart," died Wednesday at a hotel in Wales after playing a show, his agent said. He was 65.

Pitney was found dead in his hotel room in Cardiff, Wales. Police said the death did not appear suspicious.

"We don't have a cause of death at the moment but looks like it was a very peaceful passing," said Pitney's tour manager, James Kelly.

"He was found fully clothed, on his back, as if he had gone for a lie down. It looks as if there was no pain whatsoever."

He added: "Last night was generally one of the happiest and most exuberant performances we've seen out of him. He was absolutely on top of his game and was really happy with the show."

Born in Hartford, Conn., on Feb. 17, 1941, Pitney had his first success as a songwriter with "Rubber Ball," a Top 10 hit for Bobby Vee in 1961. Later that year, Ricky Nelson had a hit with Pitney's "Hello Mary Lou."

As a performer, Pitney had his first success that same year with "Love My Life Away."

But Burt Bacharach and Hal David provided the songs that put Pitney in the Top 10: "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" and "Only Love Can Break a Heart."

"Only Love Can Break a Heart" was Pitney's biggest U.S. hit, peaking at No. 2 on the charts in 1962. The No. 1 song at the time was The Crystals' "He's a Rebel," written by Pitney.

He had more than a dozen Top 40 hits and even contributed to an early Rolling Stones recording session.

Pitney waited until 1990 for his first British No. 1 — he rerecorded "Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart" with Marc Almond.

Pitney also had some success as a country singer, pairing with George Jones to record "I've Got Five Dollars and It's Saturday Night" and "Louisiana Man."

He recorded in Italian and Spanish, and twice took second place at the San Remo Song Festival in Italy. He also had a regional hit with "Nessuno Mi Puo' Giudicare."

Pitney was elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.

___

On the Net:

http://www.allmusic.com

[Riverman94610]

A quick Bobby Vee story-When Vee had Please Don't Ask About Barbara out in early 1962,he was invited onto American Bandstand.However,Dick Clark would not let him do his current hit.Why?
Seems that at this time Clark was in the midst of divorcing his wife.Her name?
Barbara!

[Fiji Hill]

,i>A tragic sidenote to The Olympics.One of the group was killed by police for looting a store during the 1965 Watts riot!

I don't believe Charles Fizer, the member in question, belonged to the group at the time of the riot. I read that he was shot when he drove his mother's 1956 Buick through a police barricade.

[Fiji Hill]

Bet you know all about Vernon Green and the Medallions and Don Julian and the Meadowlarks. When I lived in LA, among other musical pilgrimages I went to the house where "Earth Angel" was written in South Central and the site of DooTone Records.

I have seen Vernon Green and Don Julian perform many times. Vernon Green was never in good health. The last time I saw him perform, around 2000, he was in a wheel chair.

I've never seen the home where Earth Angel was written, but I have seen Cleveland Duncan and the Penguins perform. They ushered in 1984 at the Olympic Auditorium by singing "Auld Sang Syne."

[Fiji Hill]

"Philly Dog" by the Olympics was a hit in LA around the beginning of October, 1966. The Olympics' original version of "Good Loving" was a local hit in 1965, but but the Young Rascals' later version was a national bestseller.

Speaking of musical pilgrimages, not long ago, I drove past the building that once housed Utopia Cleaners in Watts. An employee there apparently served as the inspiration for "The Man From Utopia" by Donald Woods & The Vel-Aires, the B side--and, in my view, the better side--of their 1955 hit "Death of an Angel," which was probably inspired by the Penguins' "Earth Angel." Utopia Cleaners is no longer in business.

[speedy]

Another great 1963 tune-Where Did You Go? by The Sapphires.

I loved the Sapphires. "Who Do You Love" and "I've Got To Have Your Love" were their two biggest in Philly. Also, the pre-MFSB Three Degrees, when they were on Swan -- "Gee Baby I'm Sorry" was a good one you probably know. Do you remember The Ebonaires "Love Call"? And I don't even want to get started on The Dubs --they were so good -- "Chapel Of Love" and "Could This Be Magic" and "Don't Ask Me To Be Lonely." They're starting to come back to me now!

[speedy]

Wow, lucky you, Fiji Hill, to have seen those great ones. Weren't the Blue Jays ("A Lover's Island") from LA too? I have some vague recollection of the lead singer working as a dishwasher at a Sheraton in someplace like Marina del Rey. Another South Central landmark I paid homage too was the Richard Berry home. And, of course, the former Satellite Hotel (think that's what it was called) where Sam Cooke was shot.

[Fiji Hill]

I have met Richard Berry on a couple of occasions. One was a class in rock and roll music at Long Beach State, in which he performed "Louie, Louie," arguably his best-known opus.

I've also seen Leon Peels, lead singer of the Blue Jays, perform on a number of occasions. He has been active in the Doo Wop Society, a group that promotes group harmony music.

From the mid-1980's through the early 2000's, the society put on a number of concerts. Performers included the Calvanes, Shirley Gunter and the Queens, the Bobbettes, and so on. When the Harptones performed, I thought they sounded beetter than they do on the records they made five decades earlier.

Sadly, the society seems to be in decline as "doo wop" music fades into history. Nonetheless, its website makes for interesting reading.

[speedy]

Beautiful website, FH. I went to one of the Petroleum Club concerts in the late 90s. One of the hosts was Paul Peterson, formerly of "The Donna Reed Show." I got to know Paul a little bit when I lived out there; a good, if somewhat frantic, guy. But he sure knows and loves his doo wop. Lucky you to have met Richard Berry and Leon Peels. I wish I had had the foresight to connect with those guys. LA has a great doo wop tradition, like New York and Philly. One group I did see in LA, and I think the best white doo wop group ever, was Pittsburgh's Skyliners. Jimmy Beaumont was still lead singer, and I think they had one or two other originals. They sounded great.

[Fiji Hill]

I've been to most of the Petroleum Club concerts, but I think I may have missed that one. I saw The Skyliners perform in Washington, DC, in 1979, only a few months before Janet Vogel, their female singer, took her own life. They shared the stage with Bullmoose Jackson, the 1940's-early '50's R & B star, Ben E. King, and the Drifters.

By the way, DC also has a good doo-wop tradition, including the Five Blue Notes ("Ooh, Baby" and "Something Awful") the Starlighters ("Whomp! Whomp!"), a group that, I believe, featured future disco star Van McCoy, and, of course, the Clovers.

[speedy]

You're right about DC, Fiji Hill. Weren't The Ravens from DC also? How about The Dominoes? I know they are more proto-doo wop. Billy Stewart was another great DC singer.

Must have been something to see Janet Vogel hitting those high notes. And Bull Moose Jackson must have been a trip. "Big Ten Inch Record" is a riot.

Any chance you ever saw Clyde McPhatter?

I saw Lee Andrews and the Hearts many times. They were great on the ballads.

[M. Espinola]

Thanks for that excellent research. Both Jay's are alive and singing well!

[somerville]

Thanks for the Bobby Vee story. It's amazing what you can learn here !

[Fiji Hill]

In 1979, doo wop's popularity hadn't faded, and that show in DC was before a packed audience. Bull Moose Jackson opened with the Dinah Shore hit, "I Could Have Danced All Night"--which seemed completely out of character, given his reputation, but he quickly swung into "Big 10 Inch Record," "Bad Man Jackson," and the others for which he is beter known. Janet Vogel was wearing long, blond hair. The Skyliners demonstrated their versitility by doing several numbers besides their old hits, and they drew a lot of applause.

"Tear Drops" by Lee Andrew & The Hearts is one of the first records I ever bought. My favorite tune by that group is "The Clock."

I never saw Clyde McPhatter. He died in 1972, while I was studying in Germany. My favorite record of his is "Without Love" (1957), which sounds like a Protestant hymn from the Gilded Age.

[Riverman94610]

I'll have to recheck Conot's book to get the details.
Here is a music+riot trivia question for you
Several members of what famous R and B group from the Seventies were involved in a tragic incident stemming from the huge 1967 Detroit riot?

[Riverman94610]

Yeah,those tunes bring back some memories for sure.Two other great 1963 songs were Mama Didn't Lie by Jan Bradley and the Blendells',Daughter,You Better Leave Those Boys Alone.

[Riverman94610]

I have the original 45 of Lover's Island.
I remember having a terrible first day of high school in Sept,1961 and then coming home and hearing Lovers Island and for two and a half minutes at least all was right with the world!

[Riverman94610]

Paul Peterson was no slouch.His version of Roses and Lollipops was one of my favorites.Oh,and don't forget My Dad from 1963.
And much props to The Skyliners.Check their version of Over the Rainbow sometime.Of couse,This I Swear still thrills me today.Loved how it was used in the movie,La Bamba.

[patriot_wes]

Might have to break out the ole record player one day soon. RIP Gene and thanks for the memories.

[Riverman94610]

Oh,here is a question I have for speedy,Fijihill or anyone else
I work around a lot of Latino kids and they seem to be the only group of young people who care about the doo wop oldies and old soul of the Sixties.The black kids are into rap and the white kids into metal and/or rap as well.Yet the Mexican kids know Jesse Belvin,Brenton Wood,Neil Sedaka,Little Anthony,etc.
Any ideas why this particular group still bumps the sounds of our youth?

[speedy]

Riverman -- I noticed that too. I think it is mainly an LA phenomenon, and I could not tell you why. I remember even in the late 90s, I could drive through East LA and hear kids listening to Huggy Boy on KRLA playing anything from the Bobby Fuller Four to the El Dorados to Johnny Ace. I recall going to an Eric Burdon concert in San Gabriel at The Brave Bull, and my wife and I were about the only non-Hispanics in the place.

Speaking of LA, another group from there was The Six Teens of "A Casual Look" fame. Also Don and Dewey, who I saw a few years ago in Pasadena. Brenton Wood was a great one, vastly underappreciated. "Baby You Got It" and "You Got Your Fools Mixed Up" besides the big one.

More songs from the wonderful year of 1963 -- "Talk To Me" by Sunny and the Sunglows; "Our Day Will Come" by Ruby and the Romantics; "So Much In Love" by The Tymes; "You Can't Sit Down" by The Dovells; "One Fine Day" by the Chiffons; "Hot Pastrami" by The Dartells; "Mickey's Monkey" by The Miracles; "If You Wanna Be Happy" by Jimmy Soul; "Sally Go Round The Roses" by the Jaynettes; "Come and Get These Memories" by Martha and the Vandellas. I could even say a kind word for "Six Days On The Road" and "Detroit City."