Lou Christie Biography, Photos and Posters

Lou Christie

Biography

Born: February 19, 1943
City and Country of Origin: Glenwillard, Pennsylvania
Music Training:
Awards:
Top Recordings: "The Gypsy Cried," "Two Faces Have I," "Lightnin' Strikes," "Rhapsody In The Rain," "I'm Gonna Make You Mine"
Lou Christie Biography: Lou Christie is the stage name of American singer/songwriter Luigi Alfredo Giovanni Sacco who had a string of pop hit recordings in the 1960s. He grew up in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania suburbs and after graduating from Moon Area High School he moved to New York where he worked as a session vocalist. He recorded several discs of his own for various New York and Pittsburgh based record labels. One of his singles "The Gypsy Cried" was released on the tiny C&C label and credited to "Lou Christie" without Sacco's permission. It seems that Luigi was not enamored with the name Lou Christie. The record would set the standard for all of his later hit records with Christie singing most of the verses in his normal register and then shifting to falsetto for the chorus. After the recording became a local hit in the Pittsburgh area, the song was picked up by Roulette Tecords and released nationally where it charted at number 24.

Christie co-wrote the song along with his songwriting partner Twyla Herbert, a self-described eccentric and mystic, who was over twenty years older than Christie, but also shared his love of classical music. He followed up with "Two Faces Have I," which proved to be an even bigger hit, peaking at number 6. He then joined the Dick Clark Caravan of Stars Tour where he was linked to an interracial romance with singer Diana Ross. His next release did not do well on the charts and his career was derailed as he entered the US Army.

After he was discharged from the Army Christie signed with MGM Records. His first release on his new label would become his most successful selling record of his career. "Lightnin' Strikes" hit number 1 on th echarts in early 1966 and became his first hit in the UK breaking the top 20. The song featured some sexually charged lyrics of an unwanted sexual advance witht he female backup singers repeatedly singing stop! The lyrics would pale in comparison to his follow up single "Rhapsody In The Rain," a haunting melody inspired by Tchaikovsky's "Romeo and Juliet." The song tells the tale of a teenager's regret over his sexual experience in the backseat of a car. The lyrics got the song banned on several radio stations which MGM to demand that Christie record a toned down version. In spite of all the clamour Rhapsody only made it to number 16 on the charts.

After a fruitless year spent with Columbia Records, Christie teamed up with bubblegum music record producer Tony Romeo, and Buddah Records on the 1969 number 10 hit "I'm Gonna Make You Mine." The song actually fared better in the UK where it peaked at number 2. Christie spent the early 70s outside the US battling drug addiction in London.

In 1974 he tried to change pace with a country album Beyond The Blue Horizon. The album failed to make the country charts, but did reach number 80 on the pop charts and number 12 on th eadult contemporary charts. Christie became active on the oldies circuit during the 80s and even scored a hit with "Summer '81 Medley" by The Cantina Band featuring Lou Christie, in 1981.

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