Gene Pitney: Consummate Vocalist & Songwriter

Birthday tribute to an under-played musical great

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the consummate vocalist and songwriter Gene Pitney. He brought depth to simple pop songs, crafting choice cuts for Rick Nelson, Roy Orbison, Bobby Vee, and (famously) “He’s a Rebel” for The Crystals. I compare Gene to Bryan Ferry as both have a powerful and unique vocal technique that seizes ownership of any song or style. I also compare Gene to Harry Nilsson because they were branded as songwriters but had hit records covering songs they didn’t write. Gene’s popular arc in the USA ran from 1961-68, but he continued to draw international audiences, particularly for his Italian language records (I’m a big fan of “Lei Mei Espatta”).

His career intersected with Marc Almond, Burt Bacharach, George Jones, The Rolling Stones, Phil Spector, and other notables, and he kept touring literally till the day he died in 2006.

Please enjoy my cover of Gene’s “Every Breath I Take” (written by Goffin/King).

Another GP “deep cut” I recommend is “Somewhere in the Country,” a densely orchestrated goth-folk-pop track akin to early Bee Gees.

Meanwhile, HB to GP—thank you for your amazing music

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