Gene Pitney: this blog wouldn't be complete without including him.
On one website we noticed that someone had confused me and Gene, probably because he recorded under the name Billy Bryan prior to 1960.
Gene was a songwriter who went into performance. As you may realize from reading this blog, in the Cover Tune Era the singer-songwriter was the exception. A good number of us went from performance into songwriting but Gene did both. It's difficult to do both with success and hold onto that success. A good songwriter can last past a good performer if, for instance, his looks aren't with him. And in the case of the Big Bopper - J.P Richardson and Gene Pitney, some say sadly, that it wasn't their sound or their talent but their looks that failed them on the music scene - they just weren't the idol type. Just like today Abe Lincoln probably wouldn't have had the looks and personality to make it through a Presidential campaign and to the White House.
But Gene was so talented! He co-wrote a number of hit songs for my peers including "Hello Mary Lou" for Ricky Nelson.
Here's the 1961 hit Gene is known for "Only Love Can Break A Heart."
This web site has a comprehensive biography of Gene and mentions a number of his songwriting successes.
And here's a BBC report of Gene's last concert before he passed into Eternal Life.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/4879846.stm
Search our blog for The Crystals! Earlier we posted them singing "Little Boy" that was written by Gene!
UPDATED AUGUST 2012
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