Lou Christie Biography
Lugee Alfredo Giovanni Sacco, 19 February 1943, Glen Willard, Pennsylvania, USA. A former student of classical music, Christie moved to New York in 1963 where he sang backing vocals on a variety of sessions. Before beginning his string of hits, Christie recorded unsuccessfully with such groups as the Classics, Lugee And The Lions and the Tammys. Although his high falsetto was reminiscent of an earlier era, and similar to that used successfully by Frankie Valli and Del Shannon, "The Gypsy Cried", the artist's debut solo single, achieved sales in excess of one million in 1963. The following year "Two Faces Have I" proved equally successful but, unable to avoid the US military draft, Christie's career was interrupted. He achieved a third golden disc with "Lightnin' Strikes" (1966), arguably his finest record, which pitted the singer's vocal histrionics against a solid, Tamla/Motown Records-styled backbeat. The single also charted in the UK, where its follow-up, "Rhapsody In The Rain" (1966), was another Top 20 entry, despite a ban in deference to its "suggestive lyric". In 1969, this time signed to Buddah Records, Christie had his final Top 10 hit with "I'm Gonna Make You Mine', his style virtually unchanged from the earlier hits. His final album for Buddah, 1971"s Paint America Love, was a bizarre and commercially unsuccessful attempt to accomodate new developments in music. Numerous singles followed on small labels into the 80s, but Christie was unable to regain any commercial ground. A curious, almost anachronistic performer, he has spent most of the past two decades performing on the US rock 'n' roll revival circuit.
Source: The Encyclopedia of Popular Music by Colin Larkin. Licensed from Muze.
|
