Gene Francis Alan Pitney (February 17, 1940 [1] [2] - April 5, 2006) [3] was an American singer-songwriter and musician. (Orlowsky) and Harold F. Pitney, who was a lathe operator. Gene Pitney's net worth Video Captures Gene Video's from Youtube. 5 in UK in 1964, marking his increasing popularity in UK. In addition to this Pitney began to make forays into other areas of music once again demonstrating his vocal range. (Orlowsky) and Harold F. Pitney, a lathe operator. "Only Love Can Break a Heart" was denied number 1 in the US charts by Pitney's own composition "He's a Rebel" sung by The Crystals. The first big breakthrough came when Roy Orbison recorded "Today's Teardrops" as the B-side to "Blue Angel". American singing legend Gene Pitney died of natural causes, a post-mortem examination has confirmed. The Mick Jagger/Keith Richards song "That Girl Belongs to Yesterday" established his worldwide fame and he followed it up with "I'm Gonna be Strong", "Looking Through the Eyes of Love" (a million seller), "I Must be Seeing Things", "Princess in Rags", "Backstage", "Just One Smile", "Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart" and "Nobody Needs Your Love". He grew up in Rockville, now part of Vernon, Connecticut. The cause of death is not yet known but is not suspicious. The cause of Gene Pitney's death has been confirmed. Other massive hits for Pitney included 24 Hours From Tulsa and Im Gonna Be Strong. Pitney has often been categorized (quite unfairly) as a teen-idol singer responsible only for melodramatic, angst-ridden ballads. [16] He was laid to rest at Somers Center Cemetery in Somers, Connecticut.[17]. What was even more amazing is that Gene recorded all 7 vocal tracks as well as playing the piano, guitar and drums on the song. On April 5, 2006, during his UK tour, he was found dead in his hotel room in Cardiff, Wales. Two Great Stars - George Jones and Gene Pitney, "The Complete Works of the Rolling Stones 19622008", "Results RPM Library and Archives Canada", THE OFFICIAL "WILD" WAYNE WEBSITE Connecticut based nationally known Oldies Radio DJ & friend of Gene Pitney, Interview with Gene Pitney in International Songwriters Association's "Songwriter Magazine", concentrating on his songwriting career, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gene_Pitney&oldid=1140261202, "If I Didn't Have a Dime (To Play the Jukebox)", "I've Got Five Dollars and It's Saturday Night", "She Lets Her Hair Down (Early in the Morning)", This page was last edited on 19 February 2023, at 07:18. 2 in US. In Australia, his songs Blue Angel (No. He recorded his self-penned song (I Wanna) Love My Life Away which was released on Schroeders Musicor label in 1961. He eventually gained fame as a singer when he recorded his self-penned song, I Wanna Love My Life Away. [13] It was re-aired on the 25th anniversary edition of This Morning in 2013, in which presenter Holly Willoughby "broke out into a cold sweat" while reliving the moment. He still appeared regularly on UK charts till 1974. 2011-04-11 01:33:42. He is most remembered for Song, "Red Rubber Ball. Gene Pitney was born on February 17, 1940 in Rockville, Connecticut, the son of Anna A. 1, in late January 1989. Pitney maintained a successful career in Britain and the rest of Europe into the 1970s, appearing regularly on UK charts as late as 1974. Meanwhile, Pitney wrote hits for others, including "Today's Teardrops" for Roy Orbison, "Rubber Ball" for Bobby Vee, "Hello Mary Lou" for Ricky Nelson, and "He's a Rebel" for the Crystals (later recorded by Vikki Carr and Elkie Brooks). He is also credited with helping the Rolling Stones break the American market with his endorsement of the band. He also recorded an album of folk songs. However, his music and studies were coming into increasing conflict and Gene began to move more towards his musical ambitions. Pitney was born in Hartford, Connecticut, United States,[3] the son of Anna A. In 1966, his single Nobody Needs Your Love peaked at No. "Rubber Ball", another Pitney song, became a hit for Bobby Vee in the US and Marty Wilde in the UK. Access the best of Getty Images with our simple subscription plan. The event was emceed by oldies radio DJ and Pitney friend "Wild" Wayne. Further success would come with Ricky Nelson recording "Hello Mary Lou" (a Top 5 in the US) and "He's a Rebel" for Phil Spector's group, The Crystals. Gene Pitney was an American singer, songwriter, and sound engineer best known for his song Town Without Pity. In 2002, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Also Known As: Gene Francis Alan Pitney Died At Age: 66 Family: Spouse/Ex-: Lynne Gayton (m. 1967) father: Harold F. Pitney mother: Anna A. He recorded a Bacharach and David song, Twenty Four Hours from Tulsa, which peaked at No. The night before his body was . . (Photo by Mario Ruiz/Getty Images) Save. He is from USA. Pitney's early influences were Clyde McPhatter and doo-wop groups such as The Crows. Pitney also recorded songs in Italian, Spanish, and German and twice finished second in Italy's annual Sanremo Music Festival, where his strong vibrato reminded older listeners of the Italian tenor Enrico Caruso. Written by Dimitri Tiomkin and Ned Washington, the song won a Golden Globe Award and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Song, but lost to "Moon River". On it Pitney not only sang but played all the instruments, in addition to recording the backup vocals (he didn't have the money to hire singers or musicians). A Burt Bacharach/Hal David song it was originally intended to be the title song to the movie of the same name but it never did appeared in the movie. T Alison Ryan Gene Pitney's wife Lynne leads the mourners at his funeral, Gene Pitney had been touring in Wales when he died, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites, The songwriter who became a star in his own right. [10] Giving a performance of his track "You're the Reason", Pitney missed his cue and was seen "failing dismally to mime along in time to his backing track";[11] he continued with the song, and found humor in the incident. In October 2008, an international fan convention was held in Rockville. Gene Pitney has one of the most distinctive voices in music. Gene has never looked back since then and has toured almost continuously throughout the nineties.In 2002 he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, a fitting honour and a long overdue recognition of his talent.In April 2006, he was in the middle of a tour of the UK when he died in his hotel room following a concert in Cardiff. Soon, his focus shifted to only music. Record Covers More Record Covers Magazine or newspaper articles Memories Blog About Contact Gene Video's from Youtube. In early 1959, he released two records on the Decca label, "Snuggle Up Baby" and "Classical Rock and Roll", as part of a duo called Jamie and Jane with Ginny Arnell. "They felt awful that he was so far away when it happened but they are glad that he is home now.". His maternal grandparents were Polish. (Orlowski) and Harold F. His songs were performed by many famous artists. Did Gene Pitney ever get married? In 1961, Gene Pitney recorded his first Top 20 single, Town Without Pity which had been penned by Tiomkin and Ned Washington. His family asked for donations, in lieu of flowers, to be made to Connecticut Public Broadcasting Company and the Humane Society of the US. Gene had a love of music from an early age. "It Hurts to Be in Love" had been planned for and recorded by Neil Sedaka, but RCA refused to release it because Sedaka had recorded the song outside RCA Victor in violation of his contract. Pitney continued to place records in the Australian charts through 1976, including the hit "Down This Road", written and produced by distant relative Edward Pitney. Although disappearing in the late seventies he made a successful touring comeback in 1983 with a sell out North American tour. - Gene Pitney Tribute Site These first three pictures were kindly supplied by Anne Griffiths. In 1962, he recorded what would become his highest-charting song, Only Love Can Break a Heart, that peaked at No. In the United Kingdom, he had 22 top-40 hit singles, including 11 in the top ten. So, how much is Gene Pitney worth at the age of 66 years old? Despite showing no signs of ill health prior to his death, the singer passed away after performing a show in the Welsh capital. Pitney scored 22 UK Top 40 hits during his long career. An autopsy found the cause of death to be a heart attack and that he had severely occluded coronary arteries. In Australia, after a fallow period in the early 1970s, Pitney returned to the Top 40 in 1974, when both "Blue Angel" (No. Jason Derby, Other Works Due to a publishing conflict, he was unable to receive a writing credit for. Lord Mayor of Cardiff Freda Salway noted: "I was extremely saddened to hear about the death of Gene Pitney. Today we welcome famous widow, Lynne Pitney, wife of famous Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, Gene Pitney, to our joy -ous club, the club that nobody wants to joy -n. Ever. The single made the top 40 in the US and Britain. Gene had a love of music from an early age. 1990 Pitney and Almond appeared on the Terry Wogan television show in Britain. Musicor liked he song and didn't think it needed any "tweaking", releasing it exactly the way Pitney sent it to them. Gene enjoyed a short lived revival in 1974 with the hits "Trans-Canada Highway" and "Blue Angel". As well as music, Gene was a keen student and, after high school, he began studying electrical engineering. Collect, curate and comment on your files. Who was the host of Gene Pitneys funeral? 17,029 pages were read in the last minute. He was buried at Somers Center Cemetery in Somers, Connecticut. On 18 March 2002, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And finally in 1989 achieved what had eluded him at the peak of his popularity, a number 1 single in the UK. The cause of Gene Pitney's death at 65 has been confirmed. "I know that he had many Welsh fans and his performances were always enthusiastically received. - IMDb Mini Biography By: ", The Mandalorian's Pedro Pascal on season 3, Neighbours announces seven more returning cast. He also recorded a number of his hits in Italian. After high school, he studied electrical engineering while simultaneously focusing on music. He was a great, unique singer of great, unique songs.. He once recalled how his first solo performance at school degenerated into an embarrassing whimper as Pitney was petrified by the expectant audience. Soundtrack Of My Life: Talking Heads Tina Weymouth, Creed III review: Michael B. Jordan gets another big win under his belt, Panic Shack: the wildest and funniest live band youll see all year, Final Fantasy 16 is a lavish RPG twist on Bayonetta and its all the better for it. Mick Jagger and Keith Richards wrote his hit That Girl Belongs to Yesterday which became the Stones duo's first composition to reach the American charts. Gene Pitney was born on 17 February 1940, in Hartford, Connecticut, to Anna A. Millions of high-quality images, video, and music options are waiting for you. The duet outdid the original which could only make number 5 in 1967. Pitney performed the song at the Oscars ceremony on April 9, 1962. "He was a great, unique singer of great, unique songs. Pitney died on 5 April at the age of 65 of natural causes, hours after coming off stage during his. 5 in UK in 1964, marking his increasing popularity in UK. He was a truly iconic figure in the world of music and we were extremely lucky in Cardiff that he visited this city many times to perform at St David's Hall. 2 UK). Organize, control, distribute and measure all of your digital content. , updated Pitney's career in the US took a downturn after mid-1966, when "Backstage" ended another run of Top 40 hits. Especially in Italy where he came second in the San Remo song contest with the song "Nessuno Mi Puo Giudicare".He also recorded a number of his hits in Italian. Gene Pitney - 17Feb 1940 - 05Apr 2006 (died at the age of 66) J Jason Raymer Tune Music Music Star Rock Music Music Memories Childhood Memories Dj Company The safest and most inclusive global community of photography enthusiasts. A police spokeswoman said there would be no need for an inquest or any further inquiries into the death following the results of the post-mortem. Although disappearing in the late seventies he made a successful touring comeback in 1983 with a sell out North American tour. "Gene moved on quickly though and his first solo song came with "Cradle of My Arms" albeit under the name Billy Bryan. 5 in Britain at the start of 1964. He also recorded songs in Italian, Spanish and German. Almond said of his old singing colleague upon hearing of his death: It was an honour to have worked with him. Wed 5 Apr 2006 12.08 EDT The American singer-songwriter Gene Pitney, whose biggest hit was Twenty Four Hours From Tulsa, has been found dead in a hotel room in Cardiff, it was announced today.. Val Jordan's pictures. Marc Almond recorded "Backstage (I'm Lonely)" for his 2007 covers album Stardom Road. Clipping found in The Bridgeport Post in Bridgeport, Connecticut on Jan 26, 1967. | In 1966, Gene Pitney married his childhood sweetheart, Lynne Gayton, and the couple had three sons together, Todd, Chris, and David. Gene Pitney has one of the most distinctive voices in music. Born In: Hartford, Connecticut, United States. In Italy, his song Nessuno mi pu giudicare became a sensational hit, and he finished second in the countrys annual Sanremo Music Festival twice. Streamline your workflow with our best-in-class digital asset management system. He married his childhood sweetheart, Lynne Gayton, in 1966, and had three children with her. In high school, he was part of the band "Gene Pitney and the Genials". Gene Pitney died at age 65 of natural causes. Gene Pitney, whose keening tenor voice produced a string of hits including "Town Without Pity'' was found dead in his hotel room in Wales Wednesday following a concert that fans acclaimed as. 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