Gene Pitney, who healed more hearts with his own beautiful sad voice and one of the greatest solo artists in Rock and Roll in the 1960s, has passed away at age 65. The world is now a Town Without Pitney.He was on 23-date tour in the UK, where his fame never waned, and was found dead in his hotel room in Cardiff, Wales. His tour manager, James Kelly, said "We don't have a cause of death at the moment but looks like it was a very peaceful passing. 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".
Gene was born in Hartford, Connecticut on February 17, 1941 and raised in Rockville, Connecticut. When not touring, he ran a boat business in Connecticut.
He recorded for Decca Records in 1959 with Ginny Arnell as Jamie & Jane. In 1960 he changed his name to Billy Bryan and recorded for Blaze Records. In the mid-60s' he teamed up for a few country records with George Jones, as George & Gene.
Not only was he a very successful recording artist, he was also a major songwriter penning hits such as Helly Mary Lou, recorded by Ricky Nelson, He's A Rebel for The Crystals, and Rubber Ball a hit for Bobby Vee.
His own recording career took off in 1961 with (I Wanna) Love My Life Away. He charted 24 singles on Billboard, four in the Top Ten. His many hits included Town Without Pity, Mecca, Half Heaven - Half Heartache, I'm Gonna Be Strong, It Hurts To Be In Love and so many more. One particularly interesting song of his was (The Man Who Shot) Liberty Vallance, recorded for but not included in the movie starring John Wayne and Jimmy Stewart, due to a publishing rights mix up. No matter, it still reached #4 on Billboard and earned Gene both a Golden Globe Awards and an Academy Award nomination for Best Song.
Gene was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.
Please join me this Sunday, April 9 on Treasure Island Oldies for a tribute to Gene Pitney. I'll play some of his biggest and also some of his hard-to-find, seldom heard songs. In addition, I'll spotlight some of those huge hits he wrote for other recording stars. You can listen live Sunday, April 9th from 6 to 10 p.m. Pacific or later on the Archive, all at Treasure Island Oldies.
