Lou Christie

Lou Christie

Lugee Alfredo Giovanni Sacco (born February 19, 1943), known professionally as Lou Christie, is an American singer-songwriter best known for three separate strings of pop hits in the 1960s, including his 1966 smash, "Lightnin' Strikes" and his incredible 3 octave vocal range.

Biography

Sacco was born in Glenwillard, Pennsylvania and raised in suburban Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Sacco traveled to New York after graduating from Moon Area High School and found work as a session vocalist. He also recorded a few unsuccessful discs of his own for various record labels in both New York and Pittsburgh, most notably "The Jury" (as by "Lugee & The Lions") on the Pittsburgh-based Robbee label, which achieved local success.

"The Gypsy Cried" was released in 1962 on the tiny C&C label and unexpectedly credited to 'Lou Christie' without Sacco's permission. Sacco had been working on a list of potential stage names, and he has stated that he hated the name for decades afterwards: "I was pissed off about it for 20 years. I wanted to keep my name and be a one-named performer, just 'Lugee'." "The Gypsy Cried" features the vocal style that would characterize all of Christie's biggest hits: verses sung in his normal register, and then a dramatic shift to his falsetto on the choruses. After the C&C release became a hit in his home town of Pittsburgh, the song was picked up by Roulette Records and charted nationwide, peaking at #24. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. "The Gypsy Cried" was the first of numerous songs Christie co-wrote 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. The two struck up a working relationship after Christie auditioned for her at the age of 15, and began a lifelong friendship which ended only with her death in 2009.

His follow-up single, "Two Faces Have I" in March 1963, was an even bigger hit, peaking at #6, as Christie joined Dick Clark's Caravan of Stars Tour. It also sold over a million copies. A third Roulette release, "How Many Teardrops" (written by Milan) stalled at #46, as Christie's career was temporarily derailed by his induction into the U.S. Army. He would not have another charting single for two and a half years. (A copy of "How Many Teardrops" is included on the Milan compilation album Hell Bent for Leather).

Christie was frequently written off by critics as an imitator of Frankie Valli, as both men possessed similar falsetto vocals, and the ability to change almost effortlessly between it and their normal registers. Later reviewers have been less harsh, noting that Christie was one of the first singer-songwriters of the era, a status later noted by John Lennon, who referred to Christie as "A truly creative person". While a stint in the military might have ended the careers of many musicians, Christie's career was quickly re-established after his discharge from the military, when he signed on with the MGM label.

MGM Records reportedly disliked Christie's first single for the label, with MGM's president reportedly throwing the tape into a wastepaper basket. But Christie's new management promoted the record in California, and when it gained some traction, MGM released it. "Lightnin' Strikes" would reach #1 in the U.S. on Christie's 23rd birthday on February 19, 1966, and also enter the UK Top 20, becoming his first hit in that country. It also reached number one in Canada. The song's lyrics featured his signature falsetto and included a female chorus (Bernadette Carroll, Denise Ferri, and Peggy Santiglia) shouting "Stop!" in counterpoint to the lead vocal:

When I see lips begging to be kissed (Stop!)

I can't stop, (Stop!) no I can't stop myself! (Stop! Stop!)

But Christie's next release would ignite a firestorm of controversy and censorship. Released in the spring of 1966, "Rhapsody In The Rain" featured a haunting melody inspired by Tchaikovsky's "Romeo and Juliet", and told of a teenager's regret over his sexual experience in the back seat of a car during a rainstorm as the windshield wipers made a rhythmic sound of "together, together". Later after the romance ends, the wipers seem to say "never, never". Many radio stations banned the song, and MGM insisted on a re-recorded version that toned down the lyrical content. Despite the edited version, many stations instead played two older songs re-released by other labels Christie had once recorded for: "Outside the Gates of Heaven" (on Co & Ce Records, a successor to C&C) peaked at #45, while "Big Time" (on Colpix Records) managed to hit #95. All three singles hit nationally within three weeks of one another, in March 1966, while "Lightnin' Strikes" was falling off.

Whether it was the controversial lyrics or competition from the other singles released simultaneously, "Rhapsody" only managed to hit #16 in the U.S. and #37 in the UK. Christie's career seemed to be derailed once again as his followup for MGM, "Painter", which also borrowed a melody from classical music - this time from Puccini's opera Madame Butterfly - stalled at #81. Two further MGM releases (produced by Jack Nitzsche) from 1966 missed the Billboard Hot 100 entirely, even though "If My Car Could Only Talk" (peaking at #118) seemingly revisits the ill-fated lovers from Rhapsody.

After being dropped by MGM and an unfruitful stint with Columbia Records in the late 1960s, Christie teamed up with Buddah Records (a move prompted by his business manager Stan Polley) and bubblegum music record producer Tony Romeo and had a surprise Wall of Sound constant uptempo hit "I'm Gonna Make You Mine" (which Romeo wrote) in the early autumn of 1969. Helped by two promotional videos distinctly different from each other, the song peaked at #10 in the U.S. but across the Atlantic climbed to #2 on the UK Singles Chart and thus became his biggest hit there. A follow up, "She Sold Me Magic" charted only in the UK, peaking at #25, and was later covered by Elton John. Conversely, "Are You Getting Any Sunshine?" only charted in America, where it reached #73.

Christie spent the early 1970s in London, largely outside of the music industry and battling drug addiction. In 1971 he released a concept album called Paint America Love and was married in London to former UK beauty queen, Francesca Winfield. In 1974, Christie would try another new musical style, going country on his Beyond The Blue Horizon album. The title track, a remake of a hit song from 1930, written for the film Monte Carlo, features one of Christie's strongest non-falsetto vocal performances. The song missed the Country charts entirely, and only made #80 on the pop chart, but managed a respectable showing at #12 on the Adult Contemporary chart. The song has been used in several film soundtracks, most notably in the 1988 film, Rain Man.

After getting clean at a London drug rehabilitation clinic, he dropped out of the music industry, working variously as a ranch hand, offshore oil driller and carnival barker.

Christie became active on the oldies circuit starting in the early 1980s, and even scored a final U.S. chart hit, credited as "Summer '81 Medley" by The Cantina Band featuring Lou Christie, in 1981 - and, coincidentally, peaking at #81. On it, Christie performs a medley of Beach Boys classics. In 1999, Christie recorded his first all-new album since the 1970s entitled Pledging My Love. In 2004, Christie released his first concert album, Greatest Hits Live From The Bottom Line, which featured studio recording "Christmas In New York" as a bonus track. In addition to the occasional new release, Christie remains a popular concert act on the oldies circuit in the U.S. and UK.

Discography

Hit singles

Chart debut	Title	Chart Positions
		U.S. Billboard Hot 100	UK Singles Chart
January 1963	"The Gypsy Cried"	24	-
March 1963	"Two Faces Have I"	6	-
July 1963	"How Many Teardrops"	46	-
December 1965	"Lightnin' Strikes"	1	11
March 1966	"Outside the Gates of Heaven"	45	-
March 1966	"Big Time"	95	-
March 1966	"Rhapsody in the Rain"	16	37
June 1966	"Painter"	81	-
April 1967	"Shake Hands and Walk Away Cryin'"	95	-
August 1969	"I'm Gonna Make You Mine"	10	2
December 1969	"Are You Getting Any Sunshine?"	73	-
December 1969	"She Sold Me Magic"	-	25
February 1974	"Beyond the Blue Horizon"	80	-

See also

• List of artists who reached number one in the United States
• List of people from Pennsylvania
• List of people from the Pittsburgh metropolitan area
• List of acts who appeared on American Bandstand
• List of performers on Top of the Pops
• The Tammys

External links

• Official website
• Lou Christie & The Tammys Egyptian Shumba Home Page
• Bio at Yahoo! Music
• Lou Christie Music Videos
• Bio at ClassicBands.com
• Lou Christie: Lightening is Still Striking, author - Linda Alexander