Gene Francis Alan Pitney (February 17, 1940 – April 5, 2006) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. Pitney charted 16 top-40 hits in the United States, four in the top ten. In the United Kingdom, he had 22 top-40 hit singles, including 11 in the top ten. Among his most famous hits are "

Town Without Pity ''Town Without Pity'' (German: ''Stadt ohne Mitleid'') is a 1961 American/Swiss/West German international co-production drama film directed by Gottfried Reinhardt. Produced by The Mirisch Corporation, the film stars Kirk Douglas, Barbara Rü ...

", "

(The Man Who Shot) Liberty Valance "(The Man Who Shot) Liberty Valance" is a song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, which was released by Gene Pitney in 1962. It spent 13 weeks on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, peaking at No. 4, while reaching No. 2 on Canada's CHUM Hi ...

", "

Twenty Four Hours from Tulsa "Twenty Four Hours from Tulsa" is a song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, and was originally a hit in 1963 for Gene Pitney. Production The song's lyrics tell of a traveling man who detours to a romance in a motel and ends up never retur ...

", " I'm Gonna Be Strong", " It Hurts to Be in Love", and "

Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart "Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart" is a song written by Roger Greenaway and Roger Cook. Originally recorded by David and Jonathan, and then Gene Pitney in 1967, the latter's version of the song reached No. 5 on the UK Singles Chart in Dece ...

". He also wrote the early-1960s hits "

Rubber Ball A bouncy ball or rubber ball is a spherical toy ball, usually fairly small, made of elastic material which allows it to bounce against hard surfaces. When thrown against a hard surface, bouncy balls retain their momentum and much of their kin ...

" recorded by

Bobby Vee Robert Thomas Velline (April 30, 1943 – October 24, 2016), known professionally as Bobby Vee, was an American singer who was a teen idol in the early 1960s and also appeared in films. According to '' Billboard'' magazine, he had thirty-e ...

, "

Hello Mary Lou "Hello Mary Lou" is a song written by American singer Gene Pitney first recorded by Johnny Duncan in 1960 and in the following year by Ricky Nelson. The song was recorded by Ricky Nelson at the famous United Western Recorders Studios on 22nd Ma ...

" by

Ricky Nelson Eric Hilliard Nelson (May 8, 1940 – December 31, 1985) was an American musician, songwriter and actor. From age eight he starred alongside his family in the radio and television series ''The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet''. In 1957, he bega ...

, and " He's a Rebel" by

the Crystals The Crystals are an American vocal group that originated in New York City. Considered one of the defining acts of the girl group era in the first half of the 1960s, their 1961–1964 chart hits – including "There's No Other (Like My Baby)", " ...

. In 2002, he was inducted into the

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and othe ...

Early years

Pitney was born in

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...

, United States, the son of Anna A. (Orlowski) and Harold F. Pitney. The third of five children of a lathe operator, Pitney lived with his family in Rockville, Connecticut, during his formative years. He grew up in Rockville, now part of

Vernon, Connecticut Vernon is the most populous town in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 30,215 at the 2020 census. Vernon contains the smaller villages of Talcottville and Dobsonville. Vernon contains the former City of Rockville. ...

. Pitney's early influences were Clyde McPhatter and

doo-wop Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a genre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Chica ...

groups such as

The Crows The Crows were an American R&B singing group formed in 1951 who achieved commercial success in the 1950s. The group's first single and only hit, " Gee", released in June 1953, has been credited with being the first rock n’ roll hit by a rock ...

. He attended Rockville High School where he formed his first band, Gene & the Genials. Gene's first recordings were in 1958 with a Connecticut singing group called the Embers. Those recordings were not released until 1990. In early 1959 he released two records on the Decca label, "Snuggle Up Baby" and "Classical Rock and Roll", as part of a duo called Jamie and Jane with Ginny Arnell. Later that year, he had his first solo release "Cradle Of My Arms" under the name Billy Bryan on the Blaze record label. His first release under his real name was in 1960 on the Festival label titled "I'll Find You".

Career

Rise to fame (1961–1964)

Signed to songwriter Aaron Schroeder's newly formed Musicor label in 1961, Pitney scored his first chart single, which made the Top 40, the self-penned " (I Wanna) Love My Life Away", on which he played several instruments and multi-tracked the vocals. He followed that same year with his first Top 20 single, "

", from the 1961 film of the same title. Written by

Dimitri Tiomkin Dimitri Zinovievich Tiomkin (, ; May 10, 1894 – November 11, 1979) was a Russian-born American film composer and conductor. Classically trained in St. Petersburg, Russia before the Bolshevik Revolution, he moved to Berlin and then New York City ...

and

Ned Washington Ned Washington (born Edward Michael Washington, August 15, 1901 – December 20, 1976) was an American lyricist born in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Life and career Washington was nominated for eleven Academy Awards from 1940 to 1962. He won the Bes ...

, the song won a

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

and was nominated for an

Academy Award for Best Song An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, ...

, but lost to "

Moon River "Moon River" is a song composed by Henry Mancini with lyrics by Johnny Mercer. It was originally performed by Audrey Hepburn in the 1961 movie ''Breakfast at Tiffany's (film), Breakfast at Tiffany's'', winning an Academy Award for Best Original ...

". Pitney performed the song at the Oscars ceremony on April 9, 1962. He is also remembered for the

Burt Bacharach Burt Freeman Bacharach ( ; born May 12, 1928) is an American composer, songwriter, record producer and pianist who composed hundreds of pop songs from the late 1950s through the 1980s, many in collaboration with lyricist Hal David. A six-time Gra ...

–

Hal David Harold Lane David (May 25, 1921 – September 1, 2012) was an American lyricist. He grew up in New York City. He was best known for his collaborations with composer Burt Bacharach and his association with Dionne Warwick. Early life David ...

song "

", which peaked at No. 4 in 1962. Though it shares a title with the John Wayne western, the song was not used in the film because of a publishing dispute. Meanwhile, Pitney wrote hits for others, including "Today's Teardrops" for

Roy Orbison Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician known for his impassioned singing style, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. His music was described by critics as ...

, "Rubber Ball" for

, "

" for

, and " He's a Rebel" for

(later recorded by

Vikki Carr Florencia Vicenta de Casillas-Martínez Cardona (born July 19, 1940), known by her stage name Vikki Carr, is an American vocalist. She has a singing career that spans more than four decades. Born in El Paso, Texas, to Mexican parents, she has p ...

and

Elkie Brooks Elkie Brooks (born Elaine Bookbinder; 25 February 1946) is an English rock, blues and jazz singer. She was a vocalist with the bands Dada and Vinegar Joe, and later became a solo artist. She gained her biggest success in the late 1970s and 1980 ...

). "Rebel" kept Pitney's own No. 2 hit " Only Love Can Break a Heart", his highest-charting single in the US, from the top spot on 3 November 1962, the only time that a writer shut himself (or herself) out of the No. 1 position. He followed up in December with " Half Heaven, Half Heartache", which reached No. 12 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' chart. Because of his success on the music charts, and as he explained to his friend, oldies DJ 'Wild' Wayne, an unknown radio disc jockey at the time gave Pitney the nickname 'The Rockville Rocket', which caught on. Pitney's popularity in the UK market was ensured by the breakthrough success of "

", a Bacharach and David song, which peaked at No. 5 in Britain at the start of 1964. It was only Pitney's third single release in the UK to reach the singles chart, and the first to break into the Top Twenty there; it was also a hit in the US, peaking at No. 17 on the Hot 100.

Involvement with the Rolling Stones (1964)

Pitney was present with

Phil Spector Harvey Phillip Spector (born Harvey Philip Spector; December 26, 1939January 16, 2021) was an American record producer and songwriter, best known for his innovative recording practices and entrepreneurship in the 1960s, followed decades later by ...

at some of

the Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...

' early recording sessions in London, including " Little by Little" and other tracks for their debut album; he played piano, though the extent of this is uncertain. The Jagger/Richards song "That Girl Belongs to Yesterday" was a No. 7 UK hit for Pitney in 1964; it was the first tune composed by the duo to become a Top 10 hit in the UK. In the US, the single stalled at No. 49, ending a run of seven Top 40 singles for Pitney as a performer.

Maintaining popularity

After another low-charting single, 1964's "Yesterday's Hero", Pitney rebounded with another string of hits in the mid-1960s, including the 1964 singles " It Hurts to Be in Love" and " I'm Gonna Be Strong", which reached No. 7 and No. 9, respectively, in the US, and 1966's "Nobody Needs Your Love", which peaked at No. 2 in the UK, matching the No. 2 UK peak of "I'm Gonna Be Strong". "It Hurts to Be in Love" had been planned for and recorded by

Neil Sedaka Neil Sedaka (; born March 13, 1939) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. Since his music career began in 1957, he has sold millions of records worldwide and has written or co-written over 500 songs for himself and other artists, collabo ...

, but RCA refused to release it because Sedaka had recorded the song outside

RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also Aris ...

in violation of his contract. The writers,

Howard Greenfield Howard Greenfield (March 15, 1936 – March 4, 1986) was an American lyricist and songwriter, who for several years in the 1960s worked out of the famous Brill Building. He is best known for his successful songwriting collaborations, including o ...

and

Helen Miller Helen Miller may refer to: * Helen Miller (cricketer) (1915–1972), New Zealand cricketer * Helen Miller (politician) (born 1945), American politician * Helen Miller (songwriter) (1925–2006), American songwriter * Helen Hill Miller (1899–1995), ...

, presented the song to Pitney. Miller replaced Sedaka's voice with Pitney's, though Sedaka's trademark backing harmonies were left intact. In 1965, Pitney recorded two successful albums with country singer

George Jones George Glenn Jones (September 12, 1931 – April 26, 2013) was an American country musician, singer, and songwriter. He achieved international fame for his long list of hit records, including his best-known song "He Stopped Loving Her Today", ...

. They were voted the most promising country-and-western duo of the year. Pitney also recorded songs in Italian, Spanish, and German and twice finished second in Italy's annual

Sanremo Music Festival The Sanremo Music Festival, officially the Italian Song Festival () and commonly known as just (), is the most popular Italian song contest and awards ceremony, held annually in the city of Sanremo, Liguria. It is the longest-running annual ...

, where his strong vibrato reminded older listeners of the Italian tenor

Enrico Caruso Enrico Caruso (, , ; 25 February 1873 – 2 August 1921) was an Italian operatic first lyrical tenor then dramatic tenor. He sang to great acclaim at the major opera houses of Europe and the Americas, appearing in a wide variety of roles (74) ...

. He had a regional hit with " Nessuno mi può giudicare".

UK, Australian and European stardom (1966–1970s)

Pitney's career in the US took a downturn after mid-1966, when "Backstage" ended another run of Top 40 hits. He returned one last time to the Top 40 with "She's a Heartbreaker" in mid-1968 and placed several singles in the lower reaches of the Hot 100 after that, but by 1970 he was no longer a hit-maker in the US. Pitney maintained a successful career in Britain and the rest of Europe into the 1970s, appearing regularly on UK charts as late as 1974. UK pianist Maurice Merry was his musical director from 1970 onwards. In Australia, after a fallow period in the early 1970s, Pitney returned to the Top 40 in 1974, when both "Blue Angel" (No. 2) and "Trans-Canada Highway" (No. 14; production by David Mackay) were substantial hits. Pitney continued to place records in the Australian charts through 1976, including the hit "Down This Road", written and produced by distant relative Edward Pitney. They also collaborated in the production of the hit song "Days of Summer". In the early 1970s, Pitney decided to spend only six months each year on the road in order to spend more time with his family.

Later career

Pitney's last hit on the UK charts came in 1989, after an absence of 15 years, when he and

Soft Cell Soft Cell are an English synthpop duo who came to prominence in the early 1980s. The duo consists of vocalist Marc Almond and instrumentalist David Ball. The band are primarily known for their 1981 hit version of "Tainted Love" and their plat ...

singer

Marc Almond Peter Mark Sinclair "Marc" Almond, (born 9 July 1957) is an English singer. Almond first began performing and recording in the synthpop/ new wave duo Soft Cell where he became known for his distinctive soulful voice and androgynous image. ...

recorded a duet version of "

" by British writers Roger Cook and

Roger Greenaway Roger John Reginald Greenaway, (born 23 August 1938) is an English singer, songwriter and record producer, best known for his collaborations with Roger Cook. His compositions have included "You've Got Your Troubles" and the transatlantic mill ...

. The song had been a UK No. 5 for Pitney in 1967. The duet brought him his first UK No. 1, in late January 1989. The single remained at the top for four weeks, and also went to No. 1 in Germany, Finland, Switzerland and Ireland. Pitney and Almond appeared on the

Terry Wogan Sir Michael Terence Wogan (; 3 August 1938 – 31 January 2016) was an Irish radio and television broadcaster who worked for the BBC in the UK for most of his career. Between 1993 and his semi-retirement in December 2009, his BBC Radio 2 weekd ...

television show in Britain. In 2000, Pitney sang harmony vocals on

Jane Olivor Jane Olivor (born May 18, 1947) is an American singer. After releasing five albums from the late 1970s through the early 1980s, her stage fright, anxiety over her rapid success, and her husband's illness and death caused her to take a 10-year hia ...

's recording of his 1962 hit " Half Heaven – Half Heartache", which was released on her 'comeback' album ''Love Decides''. On 18 March 2002, Pitney was inducted by singer Darlene Love into the

''This Morning'' incident

Pitney was involved in a gaffe on

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...

's '' This Morning'' in 1989, owing to a "technical mishap".

Phillip Schofield Phillip Bryan Schofield (born 1 April 1962) is an English television presenter who works for ITV. He is currently the co-presenter of ITV's '' This Morning'' (2002–present) and ''Dancing on Ice'' (2006–2014, 2018–present) alongside Holl ...

: "Well, today we're live from the

Albert Dock Albert Dock may refer to: *Albert Dock, Hull, in Kingston upon Hull, England *Royal Albert Dock, Liverpool, a dock and warehouse system in Liverpool, England *Royal Albert Dock, London The Royal Albert Dock is one of three docks in the Royal ...

where 24 years ago, this happened."
''

lip rolls The lips are the visible body part at the mouth of many animals, including humans. Lips are soft, movable, and serve as the opening for food intake and in the articulation of sound and speech. Human lips are a tactile sensory organ, and can be ...

Holly Willoughby Holly Marie Willoughby ( ; born 10 February 1981) is an English television presenter, author and model. She is currently the co-presenter of ITV's '' This Morning'' (2009–present) and '' Dancing on Ice'' (2006–2011, 2018–present) alongsi ...

: "Oh my goodness. I just broke out into a cold sweat, watching that...Gene Pitney's technical mishap." Giving a performance of his track "You're the Reason", Pitney missed his cue and was seen "failing dismally to

mime Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME) is an Internet standard that extends the format of email messages to support text in character sets other than ASCII, as well as attachments of audio, video, images, and application programs. Message ...

along in time to his backing track"; he continued with the song, and found humor in the incident. It has been repeated on television over the years, notably on a 2002 episode of

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, p ...

series ''

Room 101 The Ministry of Truth, the Ministry of Peace, the Ministry of Love, and the Ministry of Plenty are the four ministries of the government of Oceania in the 1949 dystopian novel ''Nineteen Eighty-Four'', by George Orwell. The use of contradictory ...

'', in which host

Paul Merton Paul James Martin (born 9 July 1957), known under the stage name Paul Merton, is an English writer, actor, comedian and radio and television presenter. Known for his improvisation skill, Merton's humour is rooted in deadpan, surreal and somet ...

described it as a "very funny moment" in which Pitney came in "unbearably late". It was re-aired on the 25th anniversary edition of ''This Morning'' in 2013, in which presenter

"broke out into a cold sweat" while reliving the moment.

Personal life

At the height of his fame in 1967, Pitney married his childhood sweetheart, Lynne Gayton, and the couple had three sons, Todd, Chris, and David.

Death

Pitney was touring the UK in the spring of 2006 when his manager found him dead in his hotel room following a concert in

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

, Wales, on April 5. An autopsy found the cause of death to be a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

and that he had severely occluded

coronary arteries The coronary arteries are the arterial blood vessels of coronary circulation, which transport oxygenated blood to the heart muscle. The heart requires a continuous supply of oxygen to function and survive, much like any other tissue or organ of ...

. His final show at Cardiff's St David's Hall had earned him a standing ovation; he ended with "Town Without Pity". He was laid to rest at Somers Center Cemetery in

Somers, Connecticut Somers is a town in Tolland County, Connecticut. The population was 10,255 at the 2020 census. The town center is listed by the U.S. Census Bureau as a census-designated place (CDP). In 2007, ''Money Magazine'' listed Somers 53rd on its "100 Be ...

Posthumous tributes

recorded "Backstage (I'm Lonely)" for his 2007 covers album ''

Stardom Road ''Stardom Road'' is the thirteenth solo studio album by the British singer/songwriter Marc Almond. It was released by Sanctuary Records on 4 June 2007. Background ''Stardom Road'' was Almond's first new album after his involvement in a near-fat ...

''. On September 20, 2007, a plaque to Pitney was unveiled at the town hall in his hometown of

Rockville, Connecticut Rockville is a census-designated place and a village of the town of Vernon in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 7,474 at the 2010 census. Incorporated as a city in 1889, it has been consolidated with the town of Vernon ...

. Members of the family attended. The event was emceed by oldies radio DJ and Pitney friend "Wild" Wayne. Governor

Jodi Rell Mary Carolyn "Jodi" Rell (née Reavis; born June 16, 1946) is an American former Republican politician and the 87th governor of Connecticut from 2004 until 2011. Rell also served as the state's 105th lieutenant governor of Connecticut. Rell was C ...

also declared September 20, 2007, as Gene Pitney Day in the state of Connecticut. The Gene Pitney Commemorative Committee established a music scholarship in Pitney's name. It is awarded annually to Rockville High School. In October 2008, an international fan convention was held in Rockville.

Discography

Albums

* ''

The Many Sides of Gene Pitney ''The Many Sides of Gene Pitney'' is the debut album of Gene Pitney, released on the Musicor label in 1962. It was mostly a collection of previously released singles. Among them was " (I Wanna) Love My Life Away" which charted at #39 on the '' ...

'' (1962) * ''Spotlight on Gene Pitney & NewCastle Trio'' (1962) * '' Only Love Can Break a Heart'' (1962) * '' Gene Pitney Sings Just for You'' (1963) * '' Gene Pitney Sings World Wide Winners'' (1963) * ''

Blue Gene Blue Gene is an IBM project aimed at designing supercomputers that can reach operating speeds in the petaFLOPS (PFLOPS) range, with low power consumption. The project created three generations of supercomputers, Blue Gene/L, Blue Gene/P, ...

'' (1963) * '' Gene Pitney Meets the Fair Young Ladies of Folkland''^{/sup> (1964)
* '' Gene Pitney's Big Sixteen'' (1964)
* '' Gene Italiano'' (1964)
* ''It Hurts to Be in Love and Eleven More Hit Songs

''It Hurts to Be in Love and Eleven More Hit Songs'' is American singer Gene Pitney's ninth album, released on the Musicor Records, Musicor label in the United States in 1964. The album was released as ''I'm Gonna Be Strong'' on the Stateside Re ...
''^{/sup> (1964)
* '' Gene Pitney's Big Sixteen, Volume Two''^{/sup> (1965)
* ''For the First Time! Two Great Stars - George Jones and Gene Pitney

For or FOR may refer to:

English language
*For, a preposition#Definition, preposition
*For, a complementizer
*For, a grammatical conjunction#Types of conjunction, grammatical conjunction
Science and technology
* Fornax, a constellation
* for lo ...
'' (1965)
* ''I Must Be Seeing Things

''I Must Be Seeing Things'' the 12th album released by American singer Gene Pitney, released on the Musicor label in the United States in 1965. The album was released as ''Looking Thru the Eyes of Love'' on the Stateside label in the United Kin ...
''^{/sup> (1965)
* '' It's Country Time Again!'' (with George Jones

George Glenn Jones (September 12, 1931 – April 26, 2013) was an American country musician, singer, and songwriter. He achieved international fame for his long list of hit records, including his best-known song "He Stopped Loving Her Today", ...
) (1965)
* ''Looking Through the Eyes of Love''^{/sup> (1965)
* ''The Great Songs of Our Time'' (1965) Stateside SL 10156
* ''Español'' (1966)
* ''Being Together'' (with Melba Montgomery) (1966)
* ''Big Sixteen Volume 3'' (1966)-
* ''Backstage (I'm Lonely)''^{/sup> (1966)
* ''Nessuno Mi Può Giudicare'' (1966)
* ''Greatest Hits of All Times'' (1966)
* ''The Country Side of Gene Pitney'' (1966)
* ''Young and Warm and Wonderful'' (1966)
* ''Just One Smile'' (1967)
* ''Golden Greats'' (1967)
* ''The Gene Pitney Story'' (1968)
* ''Español, Volume 2'' (1968)
* ''Gene Pitney Sings Burt Bacharach and Others'' (1968)
* ''She's a Heartbreaker''^{/sup> (1968)
* ''The Greatest Hits of Gene Pitney'' (1969)
* ''This is Gene Pitney Singing The Platters' Golden Platters'' (1970)
* ''Super Star''^{/sup> (1970)
* ''Ten Years Later'' (1971)
* ''New Sounds of Gene Pitney'' (1972)
* ''The Golden Hits of Gene Pitney'' (1972)
* ''Pitney '75'' (1975)
* ''Backstage: The Greatest Hits and More'' (1990)
* ''You're The Reason'' (1990)
* ''Anthology(1961-1968)'' (1990)
* ''Hits and Misses'' (1993)
* ''Heartbreaker'' (1994)
* ''George Jones & Gene Pitney'' (1994)
* ''More Greatest Hits'' (1995)
* ''Greatest Hits'' (1995)
* ''Great Gene Pitney'' (1996)
* ''Very Best of Gene Pitney'' (1997)
* ''22 Greatest Hits'' (1998)
* ''25 All-Time Greatest Hits'' (1999)
* ''Defenitive Collection'' (1999)
* ''Many Sides of Gene Pitney/Only Love Can Break a Heart'' (1999) (2010)
* ''Looking Through (Ultimate Collection)'' (2001)
* ''His Golden Classics'' (2001)
* ''I'm Gonna be Strong'' (2002)
* ''Blue Angel: The Bronze Sessions'' (2003)
* ''Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart'' (2003)
* ''Street Called Hope'' (2004)
* ''Big Twenty: All the UK Top Hits, 1961-1973'' (2004)
* ''Love Grows'' (2005)
* ''24 Hours From Tulsa'' (2005)
* ''Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart'' (2005)
* ''Platinum Collection'' (2007)
* ''Best of Gene Pitney'' (2008)
* ''Sings Just For You/World Wide Winners'' (2011)
* ''Country Side of Gene Pitney'' (2012)
* ''Blue Gene/Meets the Fair Young Ladies of Folkland'' (2013)
* ''I'm Gonna be Strong/Looking Thru the Eyes of Love'' (2013)
* ''Cradle of My Arms: Complete Gene Pitney'' (2013)
* ''The Collection: The Original Musicor Master Tapes'' (2018)
Notes

: ^A ^ Originally released as ''Dedicated to My Teen Queens''
: ^B–H Released in the UK as: B. ^ ''I'm Gonna Be Strong'', C. ^ ''Gene Pitney More Big Sixteen'', D. ^ ''Looking Through the Eyes of Love'', E. ^ ''Sings the Great Songs of Our Time'', F. ^ ''Nobody Needs Your Love'', G. ^ ''Pitney Today'', H. ^ ''Ten Years Later''

Singles

:''Note that release dates refer to initial release. Pitney's early singles generally appeared one to four months later in the UK/Australia. Many of his later releases are UK/Australia/NZ only.''

''Sources include Joel Whitburn

Joel Carver Whitburn (November 29, 1939 – June 14, 2022) was an American author and music historian, responsible for setting up the Record Research, Inc. series of books on record chart placings.
Early life
Joel Carver Whitburn was born in Wau ...
's Record Research material for the US Top 100, "Bubbling Under" and US Country charts; Tim Rice ''et al.'', ''Guinness Book of Hit Singles'' for the UK; CHUM Chart
The CHUM Chart was a ranking of top 30 (and, until August 1968, the top 50) songs on Toronto, Ontario radio station CHUM AM, from 1957 to 1986, and was the longest-running Top 40 chart in the world produced by an individual radio station. On Janua ...
for Canada prior to mid-1964, and the Canadian RPM

Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or with the notation min−1) is a unit of rotational speed or rotational frequency for rotating machines.
Standards
ISO 80000-3:2019 defines a unit of rotation as the dimensionl ...
charts thereafter; and The Kent Report

The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to January 1999. The chart was re-branded the Australian Music Report (AMR) in July 1 ...
for Australia ''

References

External links

Gene Pitney bioTHE OFFICIAL "WILD" WAYNE WEBSITE – Connecticut based nationally known Oldies Radio DJ & friend of Gene PitneyRock and Roll Hall of FameReport of Pitney's death
from BBC News

BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadca ...

BBC Obituary
from ''The Guardian

''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
''
Fan's Final Chat with Gene Pitney
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pitney, Gene
1941 births
2006 deaths
20th-century American singers
21st-century American singers
American country singer-songwriters
American male pop singers
American male singer-songwriters
Epic Records artists
Musicians from Hartford, Connecticut
People from Rockville, Connecticut
American pop pianists
American male pianists
Singer-songwriters from New York (state)
20th-century American pianists
Country musicians from Connecticut
20th-century American male singers
21st-century American male singers
Singer-songwriters from Connecticut
Bronze Records artists}}}}}}}}