Gene Pitney

[RoRo]

A native of Hartford, Connecticut, he is best remembered for his memorable recordings of such songs as, 'A Town Without Pity,' 'Only Love Can Break A Heart,' Twenty Four Hours From Tulsa,' 'It Hurts To Be In Love,' and 'I'm Gonna be Strong.' He also recorded, 'She's A Heartbreaker,' 'Mecca,' '(I Wanna) Love My Love Away,' 'Half Heaven, Half Heartache,' and the gunfighter ballad, 'The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.'...He passed away in his bed in the executive suite at the Hilton Hotel in Cardiff, Wales, where he had just performed a concert hours before. Pitney was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002....1940 - 2006
Lot of great music !!

[mcconk2]

He did Maryanne Faithfull (according to my wife, a mad stones fan)

[nytkrew]

"Town without Pity" is a great song...

RIP Gene

[SueWahoo]

The Rockville Rocket! Many years ago, he did a very long interview on Connecticut's oldies station, WDRC. He chatted with the DJ and played his songs. He was very insightful and witty.

Town Without Pity
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMbOE8fEdeY

Twenty-Four Hours from Tulsa
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLRRdE6jUdY

Sue

[endsleigh03]

Half Heaven Half Heartache is one of my favorite songs ever.

[ichabodius]

Great Duet!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clWNnSS-bcw

[NOVSTORM]

I adored his singing. That was my eraof music and I still have the old45's records LOL

[Spooky_Stone]

When Gene died, my Mum was very upset. She loved his music. Its also sad he died in Cardiff, where I live, away from his family

[heaven can wait]

Something gotta hold of his heart

[death_hag_slag]

Something gotta hold of his heart

bad!!!!!!!!!!!!

[1karenhb]

I liked him and I didn't know he had died.

[Reecy]

I remember this song that Gene Pitney sang in the 60's I believe it was Down in the Boondocks. Man did I dance to that song.

[neilmpenny]

I saw him live at the Auburn RSL in Sydney, not a career highlight for him I am sure. Did he do Trans-Canada Highway?

[Lisamarie]

how did he die in his bed...was he real old???

[NOVSTORM]

A native of Hartford, Connecticut, he is best remembered for his memorable recordings of such songs as, 'A Town Without Pity,' 'Only Love Can Break A Heart,' Twenty Four Hours From Tulsa,' 'It Hurts To Be In Love,' and 'I'm Gonna be Strong.' He also recorded, 'She's A Heartbreaker,' 'Mecca,' '(I Wanna) Love My Love Away,' 'Half Heaven, Half Heartache,' and the gunfighter ballad, 'The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.'...He passed away in his bed in the executive suite at the Hilton Hotel in Cardiff, Wales, where he had just performed a concert hours before. Pitney was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002....1940 - 2006
Lot of great music !!

I also liked "It hurts to be in love" I loved everything he sang.

[NOVSTORM]

how did he die in his bed...was he real old???

Nope only 65

[jimmy's One]

Half Heaven Half Heartache is one of my favorite songs ever.

Same For me..

[pattykad]

I have to say that Half Heaven Half Heartache was probably my favorite
too....man that guy could emote. He also did an album of classics
that was just incredible. Songs like Slow Boat to China and I'll Be Seeing
You......really great stuff! I'd love to try and locate that on cd now.

[Ima Sikfuk]

After Roy Orbison (whom I consider the greatest male pop singer of all-time, just mho) Gene Pitney was a favorite. Several have mentioned their favorite songs of his, my personal favorite was "Every Breath I Take" which has that unmistakable Spector "Wall of Sound".
Did you know:
He was part of a duo that recorded for Decca around 1958-59 known as Jaime & Jane. His partner "Jane" was a woman named Ginny Arnell who would later have a couple of minor hiits with the songs "Dumbhead" and "I Wish I Knew What Dress to Wear"

Town Without Pity (composed by Dmitri Tiomkin & Ned Washington) won a Golden Globe and was nominated for an Academy Award (from the movie by the same name). Mr. Pitney performed the song at the award show that year (1962).

Due to some sort of publishing spat twixt Famous Music and Paramount Pictures, the song "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" was not used in the movie by the same name.

With the exception of (I Wanna) Love my Life Away, all of Mr. Pitney's biggest hits were penned by others, HOWEVER, as a songwriter Mr. Pitney gave us the great Crystal's tune "He's a Rebel", "Rubber Ball" made famous (somewhat) by Bobby Vee, and the Ricky Nelson hit "Hello Mary Lou".

The first Mick Jagger/Keith Richards song to become a Top 10 hit was the song "That Girl Belongs to Yesterday". Mr. Pitney took this song to #49 here in the States but it was a Top 10 song in the UK.

Yeah, I really like Gene Pitney.

[rickenbacker]

I remember this song that Gene Pitney sang in the 60's I believe it was Down in the Boondocks. Man did I dance to that song.

Gene may have cut that on an album, but Billy Joe Royal had the big hit with it. It was written by Joe South (Games People Play, Hush).

Gene Pitney was a hell of a singer, and if I remember right, pretty smart with his money.

["What Tha....?"]

God, I miss Gene Pitney! I'm originally from Connecticut, Gene's home state, so his music has always been a part of my life. I think I have just about every album he's ever made.
I remember when I heard about his death on the morning news. My world stopped for awhile after that, as I tried to comprehend that he was no longer here on Earth. He was only 64, and was still performing quite regularly. He died of Artherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). If only drugs like Plavix or Crestor were more widely prescribed back then.
For those of you who listen to his music, I recommend listening to "House Without Windows" or "Yesterday's Hero". Those songs give me chills every time I listen to them.
For those of you not familiar with his music, if you like listening to Roy Orbison, you might like Gene Pitney. He has the same "haunting" quality of voice, that Roy had. Gene will always be my favorite male singer, with Buddy Holly being a close second.

[halogirl5]

great songs, shame about the voice.sorry, to me he sounded like a little boy

[pattykad]

To each his own....I think Pitney was fantastic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGfvS...eature=related

How old was he there? He had a helluva voice for a kid.

[NOVSTORM]

great songs, shame about the voice.sorry, to me he sounded like a little boy

Needs to get your hearing checked LOL

[Nicki]

He was absolutely the best. I was shocked when I heard he died. It was like loosing alittle bit of your Teen years. Still miss him. Back in the 60's I wrote him a fan letter. Actually I got a very nice letter from his mother who enjoyed answering his fan mail. Obviously she was very proud of her son. Wish I still had the letter, but as a young teen I was very dissapointed that the letter was not from Gene! I still get goosebumps sometimes when I hear his music. Everything he did was A+....TOWN WITHOUT PITY and THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALENCE.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7BRraVMZzc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDN4L7cAQf0

[panda]

I remember this song that Gene Pitney sang in the 60's I believe it was Down in the Boondocks. Man did I dance to that song.

I love that song! I didn't know he died, RIP Gene.

["What Tha....?"]

I love that song! I didn't know he died.

He didn't sing "Down In The Boondocks", that was Billy Joe Royal. He also didn't sing "Black Is Black". That's another song people thought he sang. He did an interview on a Hartford radio station, WDRC, in 1991. He said he always laughed, because people came up to him and told him how much they liked those songs!

[Cherry Malotte]

What a voice! I loved the guy, and was equally shocked when he passed. That's the way to go though, quiet and in your sleep.

One of the first CD's I made for my mom with my burning software was a Gene Pitney greatest hits. She loves it!

[rickenbacker]

He didn't sing "Down In The Boondocks", that was Billy Joe Royal. He also didn't sing "Black Is Black". That's another song people thought he sang. He did an interview on a Hartford radio station, WDRC, in 1991. He said he always laughed, because people came up to him and told him how much they liked those songs!

I used to argue with people all the time about "Black Is Black"!! The guy did sound like Gene Pitney though. Los Bravos was the group's name. For comparison...and to giggle at the "groovy" video...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-7pzkMc0Fg

[Carter Trigg]

I had the priviledge to see him in concert in 2003 in vegas, while he did not look like he did when he was in his twenties (who does) if you closed your eyes you'd swear it was Gene in the 60's "fantastic". I was in the front row and in the middle seat he started out with 24 hours from Tulsa, when I heard the horns it sent chills up my spine. He did everything Iwanted to hear except "Every Breath I Take", but he did do "Donna Means Heartbreak" (one of his personal favorites) I was hoping to get another chance to see him but was saddened when I heard the news, he was one of my all time favorites!

[CORONERGAL]

I heard the news about his passing while I was in Vegas. The singer at the club we were at sang "Only Love Can Break A Heart". For a lounge lizard he sounded pretty darn close. Miss Gene dearly.

[Noelle Page]

as a songwriter Mr. Pitney gave us the great Crystal's tune "He's a Rebel"

Is that right? I adore that song. There's a hag on this board, Unihikid, whose dad sang on the record. (Yes, a man sat in as one of the Crystals.)

[anne]

He did a good duet with Marc Almond, "Somethings got a hold of my heart" which did well in the UK record charts.

[jeca]

I love Half Heaven Half Heartache. I always thought he had a great voice. I grew up listening to music from the 50's and 60's because of my dad. (along with old country, like Haggard, et al. )I was so sad to hear he had died.

["What Tha....?"]

He also wrote the songs "Rubber Ball" that Bobby Vee sang, and "Hello, Mary Lou" for Ricky Nelson. He had to use his mother's maiden name of "Orlowski", because he was already under contract to another record label.

[Shannon]

A lot of good artists died in 2006, I was the most sad about Gene and Arthur Lee from the band Love

[deathaddict]

Yeah i was shocked when Gene died. he was only 65 they said it was just natural causes. He did a remake of something's gotten hold of my heart with Marc Almond. After he died Almond did Backstage (I'm Lonely) as a tribute to Gene.

[heat123]

I can't believe it is 4 years today, Gene Pitney died, what a great singer.

[NOVSTORM]

I bruned cd's of all his songs..i love driving and listening to the oldies..that was my era lol

[Fancynancy]

I always loved "Town Without Pity", and "24 Hours from Tulsa"--the irony of being so close to home and having someone or something throw a wrench into what you thought was your world and your life.

[Billy Weathersby]

God, I miss Gene Pitney! I'm originally from Connecticut, Gene's home state, so his music has always been a part of my life. I think I have just about every album he's ever made.
I remember when I heard about his death on the morning news. My world stopped for awhile after that, as I tried to comprehend that he was no longer here on Earth. He was only 64, and was still performing quite regularly. He died of Artherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). If only drugs like Plavix or Crestor were more widely prescribed back then.
For those of you who listen to his music, I recommend listening to "House Without Windows" or "Yesterday's Hero". Those songs give me chills every time I listen to them.
For those of you not familiar with his music, if you like listening to Roy Orbison, you might like Gene Pitney. He has the same "haunting" quality of voice, that Roy had. Gene will always be my favorite male singer, with Buddy Holly being a close second.

Gene did an excellent rendition of Roy Orbison's "Crying".. My favorite song of his is "Louisiana Mama" made shortly after "I Wanna Love My Life Away?

[Billy Weathersby]

I have read that he recorded a song and played every instrument himself and put it all togethe for the record...The song was "I Wanna Love My Life Away."

[deanfan]

I heard "It Hurt's To Be in Love" on the radio today. What a talented man. RIP gene.

["What Tha....?"]

I always love the story he told about how he recorded "Something's Got A Hold Of My Heart". His original version, not the duet he did with Marc Almond. Gene recorded it in London. On the day he was scheduled to record it, it was a very hot day. He couldn't find a taxi to get him to the recording studio. So, he walked the whole way there. When he finally got to the recording studio he was hot, sweaty and out of breath. But, the studio muscians were on a very strict schedule, so they all had to go ahead with the recording. Gene kept trying to record the song, but his voice didn't have enough strength when it got to the climax near the end, the part where he goes "AND BABY, AND BABY..." He saw this teenage boy in the recording studio, leaning up against a wall. The kid was singing along with the recording and was singing in perfect key to Gene. So, when Gene tried to record the "AND BABY" part again, he got the kid to sing it with him. Their voices blended together well, and that was the take they used for the record.
Gene said years later, he had no idea who this kid was and never saw him again afterwards. If you turn up this song and listen closely, you can still hear this kid's voice singing with Gene.