Pat Upton (August 5, 1940 – July 27, 2016) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist with the band

Spiral Starecase The Spiral Starecase was an American pop band, best known for its 1969 single " More Today Than Yesterday". The band, from Sacramento, California, United States, was recognizable for its horns and lead singer/guitarist Pat Upton's voice. The ...

. He was the songwriter of, and lead vocalist on, their 1969 gold-selling single " More Today Than Yesterday", which peaked at #12 on the ''

Billboard Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

''. The song has been covered by

Sonny & Cher Sonny & Cher were an American pop and entertainment duo in the 1960s and 1970s, made up of husband and wife Sonny Bono and Cher. The couple started their career in the mid-1960s as R&B backing singers for record producer Phil Spector. The pair f ...

Diana Ross Diana Ross (born March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame as the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown's most successful act during the 1960s and one of the world's best-selling girl groups o ...

Andy Williams Howard Andrew Williams (December 3, 1927 – September 25, 2012) was an American singer. He recorded 43 albums in his career, of which 15 have been gold certified and three platinum certified. He was also nominated for six Grammy Awards. He hos ...

Lena Horne Lena Mary Calhoun Horne (June 30, 1917 – May 9, 2010) was an American dancer, actress, singer, and civil rights activist. Horne's career spanned more than seventy years, appearing in film, television, and theatre. Horne joined the chorus of th ...

Patti Austin Patti Austin (born August 10, 1950) is an American R&B, pop, and jazz singer and songwriter. Music career Austin was born in Harlem, New York, to Gordon Austin, a jazz trombonist. She was raised in Bay Shore, New York on Long Island. Quincy ...

, and Goldfinger. After Spiral Starecase disbanded in 1971, Upton relocated to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, where he worked as a

session musician Session musicians, studio musicians, or backing musicians are musicians hired to perform in recording sessions or live performances. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a recording artist on a ...

and then a band member for

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 ...

. Upton was noted as having an exceptionally high voice for a man. On December 30, 1985, after a performance at Upton's

Guntersville, Alabama Guntersville (previously known as Gunter's Ferry and later Gunter's Landing) is a city and the county seat of Marshall County, Alabama, United States. At the 2020 census, the population of the city was 8,553. Guntersville is located in a HUBZon ...

club PJ's Alley, Nelson asked Upton to accompany him on a flight to

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...

, but Upton declined due to business obligations. The flight crashed, killing Nelson, Nelson's fiancée Helen, and five members of Nelson's band. Upton lived with his wife, former model Lynn Upton, in Guntersville, and they had three daughters and a son, while he was a grandfather of six. He died in his hometown of

Geraldine, Alabama Geraldine is a town in DeKalb County, Alabama, United States. It was incorporated in February 1957.James P. Kaetz,Geraldine" ''Encyclopedia of Alabama'', 2013. At the 2020 census, the population was 910. Mayors Raymond Upton served from 1956-1960 ...

on July 27, 2016, at age 75.

Discography

;Solo *''Then and Now'' - 1995 ;With

Rick Nelson Rick may refer to: People *Rick (given name), a list of people with the given name *Alan Rick (born 1976), Brazilian politician, journalist, pastor and television personality *Johannes Rick (1869–1946), Austrian-born Brazilian priest and mycol ...

*''Playing to Win'' - backing vocals - 1981 ;With

Juice Newton Judith Kay "Juice" Newton (born February 18, 1952) is an American pop and country singer, songwriter, and musician. Newton has received five Grammy Award nominations in the Pop and Country Best Female Vocalist categorieswinning once in 1983as well ...

*'' Well Kept Secret'' - backing vocals - 1978 *'' Take Heart'' - backing vocals - 1979

References

External links

*
Youtube Video of Pat Upton with Spiral Starecase
{{DEFAULTSORT:Upton, Pat 1940 births 2016 deaths Guitarists from Alabama American male singer-songwriters American male guitarists 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American male musicians Singer-songwriters from Alabama American tenors