Luigi Alfredo Giovanni Sacco (born February 19, 1943), known professionally as Lou Christie, is an American

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' ( ...

and

soft rock Soft rock is a form of rock music that originated in the late 1960s in Southern California and the United Kingdom which smoothed over the edges of singer-songwriter and pop rock, relying on simple, melodic songs with big, lush productions. S ...

singer-songwriter known for several hits in the 1960s, including his 1966 US chart-topper "

Lightnin' Strikes "Lightnin' Strikes" is a song written by Lou Christie and Twyla Herbert, and recorded by Christie on the MGM label. It was a hit in 1966, making it first to No. 1 in Canada in January 1966 on the '' RPM'' Top Singles chart, then to No. 1 in th ...

" and 1969 UK number-two " I'm Gonna Make You Mine".

Biography

Early life and career

Christie was born Luigi Alfredo Giovanni Sacco Bob Stanley, "Prince of Wails", ''Record Collector'', No.534, August 2022, pp.72-77 on February 19, 1943, in Glenwillard,

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, and grew up in suburban

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

. While attending Moon Area High School, he studied music and voice, served as student conductor of the choir and sang solos at holiday concerts. His teacher, Frank Cummings, wanted him to pursue a career in classical music, but Sacco wanted to cut a record to get on ''

American Bandstand ''American Bandstand'', abbreviated ''AB'', is an American music-performance and dance television program that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989, and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as the pr ...

''. At age 15 he met and befriended

Twyla Herbert Twyla Herbert (born Twila Moody; July 27, 1921 – July 11, 2009) was an American songwriter known for her long songwriting partnership with the singer Lou Christie. Beginnings Twila Moody was born in Riverside, California, and as a child mo ...

, a classically trained musician 20 years his senior, who became his regular songwriting partner and wrote hundreds of songs with him over the next 30 years until her death in 2009. Sacco performed with several vocal groups and between 1959 and 1962 released several records on small Pittsburgh labels, achieving a local hit with "The Jury" by Lugee & The Lions (a group consisting of Sacco, Twyla Herbert's daughter Shirley, and two others) released on the Robbee label. After graduating from high school in 1961, Sacco traveled to New York City and worked as a session vocalist. In 1962, Sacco approached Nick Cenci with some demo tapes. One of the first things Cenci did was change the name Lugee Alfredo Giovanni Sacco to Lou Christie. Cenci told Sacco that there was only one great Italian singer and that he had to change his name. Sacco's father liked the name change, because it had "Christ" in it. Cenci liked Sacco's falsetto voice and suggested that he listen to the Four Seasons' recent hit "Sherry". Sacco and Herbert used the song as a model to write an original song called " The Gypsy Cried". Cenci produced a recording of Sacco performing the song at Gateway Studio in Pittsburgh and initially released it on his own C & C label as a single in 1962, credited to "Lou Christie," the name Sacco used thereafter. Bronson, Fred. (2003).
The Billboard Book of Number One Hits
',

Billboard Books ''Billboard'' (stylized as ''billboard'') is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events, and style related to the mus ...

. p. 193. Accessed July 24, 2016. The name "Lou Christie" was chosen by C & C Records, and "The Gypsy Cried" was credited to "Lou Christie" before they had consulted with Sacco about the name. "The Gypsy Cried" became a regional hit, selling 30,000 copies in Pittsburgh. Cenci contacted Morris Levy of

Roulette Records Roulette Records was an American record company and label founded in 1957 by George Goldner, Joe Kolsky, Morris Levy and Phil Kahl, with creative control given to producers and songwriters Hugo Peretti and Luigi Creatore. Levy was appointed ...

, saying that he had a hit that needed national distribution. Levy released the single on Roulette, but initially nothing happened. Airplay slowly spread across the country, and "The Gypsy Cried" reached number 24 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 adverti ...

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 ...

chart, selling over one million copies. Cenci produced additional recording sessions for Christie in 1963 that generated two more hits. " Two Faces Have I", his second million-seller, reached number 6 on the chart in June 1963.Lou Christie – Chart History – The Hot 100
''Billboard.com''. Accessed July 24, 2016. Roulette released an album of 12 Lou Christie / Twyla Herbert songs in 1963 that reached 124 on the

Billboard 200 The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine and is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of ar ...

. With those hits, Christie joined

Dick Clark Richard Wagstaff Clark (November 30, 1929April 18, 2012) was an American radio and television personality, television producer and film actor, as well as a cultural icon who remains best known for hosting '' American Bandstand'' from 1956 to 19 ...

Caravan of Stars In 1959, radio and television personality and television producer Dick Clark organized and produced a concert tour of rock and roll and rhythm and blues artists, many of whom had appeared on his music performance and dance television program, A ...

Tour, alongside

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 ...

Brian Hyland Brian Hyland (born November 12, 1943) is an American pop singer and instrumentalist who was particularly successful during the early 1960s. He continued recording into the 1970s. AllMusic journalist Jason Ankeny says "Hyland's puppy-love pop v ...

, and others. During this pre-Army phase of his career, the female vocalists featured on Christie's records were

The Tammys The Tammys were an American girl group made up of sisters Gretchen and Cathy Owens and their friend Linda Jones. They are best known for their song " Egyptian Shumba." ''Billboard'' named the song #35 on their list of 100 Greatest Girl Group Song ...

, a trio from Pleasantville, Venango County, Pennsylvania. Christie and Herbert wrote the single " Egyptian Shumba" for the group, and although it was not a hit, it became a cult favorite in the Northern Soul scene in the early 1970s. Christie made numerous TV appearances on '' Where the Action Is'' (1965–1967), and also appeared on ''

'' and '' The Buddy Deane Show'' (1962–1964) in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...

. He also sang with

Del Shannon Charles Weedon Westover (December 30, 1934 – February 8, 1990), better known by his stage name Del Shannon, was an American musician, singer and songwriter, best known for his 1961 number-one ''Billboard'' hit "Runaway". In 1999, he was induc ...

. Christie's third Roulette release, "How Many Teardrops" (written by

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city ...

), stalled at No. 46 as Christie's career was temporarily derailed by his induction into the

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

. Christie did not have another charting single for two and a half years. Despite threats from Roulette owner Morris Levy, Christie managed to get out of his contract with the company.

"Lightnin' Strikes" and "Rhapsody In The Rain": 1965–1966

Christie's career was quickly re-established after his discharge from the military when he signed with the MGM label. MGM reportedly disliked Christie's first single for the label, the Christie-Herbert song "

". But Christie's new management promoted the record in California, and when it gained some traction (eventually reaching No. 2 on KHJ the last two weeks of 1965), MGM released it. "Lightnin' Strikes" reached #1 in the US on Christie's 23rd birthday on February 19, 1966, entered the UK Top 20, becoming his first hit in that country, and peaked at #1 in Canada. The song featured his signature falsetto and included a female chorus (Bernadette Carroll, Denise Ferri, and

Peggy Santiglia Margaret "Peggy" Santiglia (born May 4, 1944) is an American singer of the "girl group era". She is perhaps best known for her 1963 pop hit "My Boyfriend's Back (song), My Boyfriend's Back" with The Angels (American group), The Angels, which sh ...

) 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!) Christie's next release in the spring of 1966, "

Rhapsody in the Rain "Rhapsody in the Rain" is a song written by Twyla Herbert and Lou Christie and performed by Christie with backing vocals by The Delicates. It reached No. 10 on Canada's ''RPM'' 100, No. 16 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, No. 37 on the UK's ''Recor ...

", featured a melody inspired by

Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky , group=n ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer of the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music would make a lasting impression internationally. He wrote some of the most popu ...

's "

Romeo and Juliet ''Romeo and Juliet'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetime and, along with ''Ham ...

", telling of a teenager's memory of his sexual experience in the back seat of a car during a rainstorm as the windshield wipers made a

rhythm Rhythm (from Greek , ''rhythmos'', "any regular recurring motion, symmetry") generally means a " movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions". This general meaning of regular re ...

ic sound of "together, together". Later, after the romance ends, the wipers seem to say "never, never". Many radio stations banned the song after hearing the opening lyrics: :Baby, the raindrops play for me :Our lovely rhapsody, 'cause on our first date :We were makin' out in the rain. :And in this car, our love went much too far :It was exciting as thunder :Tonight I wonder, where you are? MGM insisted on a re-recorded version that toned down the lyrical content. The third and fourth lines were changed to: :We fell in love in the rain :And in this car, love came like a falling star Despite the edited version, many radio stations instead played two older songs re-released by other labels for which Christie had once recorded: "Outside the Gates of Heaven" (on Co & Ce Records) peaked at #45, while "Big Time" (on

Colpix Records Colpix Records was the first recording company for Columbia Pictures–Screen Gems. Colpix got its name from combining Columbia (Col) and Pictures (Pix). CBS, which owned Columbia Records, then sued Columbia Pictures for trademark infringement o ...

) hit #95. All three singles hit nationally within three weeks of one another, in March 1966, while "Lightnin' Strikes" was falling down the chart. However, later records for MGM, including "If My Car Could Only Talk" arranged and produced by

Jack Nitzsche Bernard Alfred "Jack" Nitzsche ( '; April 22, 1937 – August 25, 2000) was an American musician, arranger, songwriter, composer, and record producer. He first came to prominence in the early 1960s as the right-hand-man of producer Phil Spe ...

, failed to chart.

Resurgence: 1967–1970

in the late 1960s, after being dropped by MGM, Christie had an unfruitful stint with

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. It was founded on January 15, 1889, evolving from the A ...

. He then joined

Buddah Records Buddah Records (later known as Buddha Records) was an American record label founded in 1967 in New York City. The label was born out of Kama Sutra Records, an MGM Records-distributed label, which remained a key imprint following Buddah's foun ...

in 1968, a move prompted by his business manager

Stan Polley Stanley Herbert Polley (April 7, 1922 – July 20, 2009) was an American entertainment manager and fraudster active in the 1960s and 1970s. His clients included rock band Badfinger, musician Al Kooper, and singer Lou Christie. Throughout his car ...

and

bubblegum music Bubblegum (also called bubblegum pop) is pop music in a catchy and upbeat style that is considered disposable, contrived, or marketed for children and adolescents. The term also refers to a rock and pop subgenre, originating in the United States i ...

record producer

Tony Romeo Tony Romeo (December 25, 1938 – June 23, 1995) was an American songwriter.
(obituary), ''The New York Times'', June 26 ...

. He had a surprise

Wall of Sound The Wall of Sound (also called the Spector Sound) is a music production formula developed by American record producer Phil Spector at Gold Star Studios, in the 1960s, with assistance from engineer Larry Levine and the conglomerate of sessio ...

constant uptempo hit " I'm Gonna Make You Mine", which Romeo wrote, in the early autumn of 1969. Helped by backing vocalists Linda Scott,

Lesley Gore Lesley Sue Goldstein (May 2, 1946 – February 16, 2015), known professionally as Lesley Gore, was an American singer, songwriter, actress, and activist. At the age of 16, she recorded the pop hit " It's My Party", a US number one in 1963. She ...

, and

Valerie Simpson Ashford & Simpson were an American husband-and-wife songwriting-production team and recording duo of Nickolas Ashford (May 4, 1941 – August 22, 2011) and Valerie Simpson (born August 26, 1946). Ashford was born in Fairfield, South Carolina, ...

, and by two promotional videos distinctly different from each other, the song peaked at No. 10 in the US, but climbed to No. 2 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

and thus became his biggest hit there. A follow up, "She Sold Me Magic", never released as a single in the US, charted in the UK where it peaked at No. 25, and in Japan where it reached No.1. It was later

covered Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of copy ...

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...

. Conversely, "Are You Getting Any Sunshine?" only charted in America, where it reached No. 73.

Later career: 1971–present

Christie spent the early 1970s between London and New York City. In 1971 he released a

concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Some ...

called ''Paint America Love'', regarded by some as his best LP, and married former UK beauty queen Francesca Winfield in London. In the US, he recorded "

The Lion Sleeps Tonight "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" is a song originally written and recorded by Solomon Linda under the title "Mbube" for the South African Gallo Record Company in 1939. Linda's original was written in isiZulu, while the English version's lyrics were wri ...

", but after a dispute between his manager Stan Polley and

Neil Bogart Neil E. Bogart (born Neil Scott Bogatz, February 3, 1943 – May 8, 1982) was an American record executive. He was the founder of Casablanca Records, which later became Casablanca Record and Filmworks. Life and career Born Neil Scott Bogatz in t ...

of Buddah, Christie's vocals were removed and replaced by those of the similar-sounding

Robert John The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

, whose version became a major hit. Christie was also peripherally involved in the legal issues around Five Arts Management, a company set up by Polley, which contributed to the suicides of

Badfinger Badfinger were a Welsh rock band formed in Swansea, who were active from the 1960s to the 1980s. Their best-known lineup consisted of Pete Ham (vocals, guitar), Mike Gibbins (drums), Tom Evans (bass), and Joey Molland (guitar). They are rec ...

members

Pete Ham Peter William Ham (27 April 1947 – 24 April 1975) was a Welsh singer, songwriter and guitarist best known as a lead vocalist of and composer for the 1970s rock band Badfinger, whose hit songs include " No Matter What", " Day After Day" and " ...

and Tom Evans. Christie returned to the United States, and lived for a time in

Lake Charles, Louisiana Lake Charles (French: ''Lac Charles'') is the fifth-largest incorporated city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and the parish seat of Calcasieu Parish, located on Lake Charles, Prien Lake, and the Calcasieu River. Founded in 1861 in Calcas ...

. In 1974, he tried a new musical style, going

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, whi ...

on his album ''Lou Christie''. This album is also known unofficially as ''Beyond the Blue Horizon'' after its best known track, a cover of a hit song from 1930 written for the film ''

Monte Carlo Monte Carlo (; ; french: Monte-Carlo , or colloquially ''Monte-Carl'' ; lij, Munte Carlu ; ) is officially an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco, specifically the ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino is ...

''. The song missed the Country charts and only made No. 80 on the pop chart but managed No. 12 on the

Adult Contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quie ...

chart. The song has been used in several film soundtracks, including 1988's ''

Rain Man ''Rain Man'' is a 1988 American road movie, road Drama (film and television), drama film directed by Barry Levinson and written by Barry Morrow and Ronald Bass. It tells the story of abrasive, selfish young wikt:wheeler-dealer, wheeler-dealer C ...

''. In the spring of 1978 Christie returned home to Pittsburgh to head the upstart record Label 2001 records, a branch of the 2001 and VIP nightclubs nationwide. While visiting local friends at the Staircase Lounge, Christie heard a local group, Sweet Breeze, and loved the band's harmonies and music. Christie signed the band Sweet Breeze to their first recording contract and the band recorded a song written by Christie and Herbert called "Summer in Malibu" that was a regional hit for the band. Christie became active on the oldies circuit starting in the early 1980s, scoring a final US chart hit, credited as "Summer '81 Medley" by The Cantina Band (featuring Lou Christie), in 1981, performing a

medley Medley or Medleys may refer to: Sports *Medley swimming, races requiring multiple swimming styles * Medley relay races at track meets Music * Medley (music), multiple pieces strung together People * Medley (surname), list of people with this n ...

Beach Boys A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological sources, such as mollusc shell ...

classics. In 1986, he recorded a duet with

of a medley of "Since I Don't Have You"/"It's Only Make Believe" for Manhattan Records, a division of EMI-America. The two singers were touring together at the time, and the song was released only as a one-off single. Christie was credited as special music collaborator on the movie ''

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

'', released in 1994. He and Mark Suozzo wrote a song, "Breakin' Up", which Christie performed and which was included in the soundtrack album for the film. In 1997, Christie recorded his first all-new album since the 1970s, entitled ''Pledging My Love'' and produced by Alan Grossman & Jimm Mosher of Hit Music Studio in

Spencer, North Carolina Spencer is a town in Rowan County, North Carolina, United States, incorporated in 1905. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 3,267. History The town was named for Samuel Spencer, first president of the Southern Railway, who is credi ...

. ''

'' labeled this new album "Most Impressive Comeback" album. Most of it was penned by Christie, presented in a contemporary manner, and included the songs "What Happened to the Nights", "Techno Pop" (a diatribe about the loss of communication in our lives), and "I Sure Fell in Love" and covers of the Critters' "Mr. Dieingly Sad" and Johnny Ace's title tune.

Cub Koda Michael "Cub" Koda (born October 1, 1948 – July 1, 2000) was an American rock and roll singer, guitarist, songwriter, disc jockey, music critic, and record compiler. ''Rolling Stone'' magazine considered him best known for writing the song " ...

said it was "loaded with AOR hits". 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 concert act on the oldies circuit in the US and UK. He has also hosted a series of programs on SiriusXM radio for the 1960s channel. In 2015, Christie released his first new recording in several years, entitled "Drive In Dreams", written by Gregory Scharpf, who is a former member of Sweet Breeze, the Pittsburgh-based band that Christie signed to their first recording contract. His next release was 2016's "When You Were Young", also penned by Scharpf.

Discography

Singles

Albums

*''Lou Christie'' (Roulette, 1963) *''Lou Christie Strikes Again'' (Colpix, 1964) *''Lightning Strikes'' (MGM, 1965) *''Painter of Hits'' (MGM, 1966) *''I'm Gonna Make You Mine'' (Buddah, 1969) *''Paint America Love'' (Buddah, 1971) *''Lou Christie'' (Three Brothers, 1974) *''Lou Christie Does Detroit'' (51 West, 1982) *''Pledging My Love'' (Varese Sarabande, 1997) *''Greatest Hits Live from the Bottom Line'' (Varese Sarabande, 2004) *''The Turquoise Trail'' (LightningStrikes, 2012) *''Summer in Malibu'' (LightningStrikes, 2015)Microsoft Music Database fai.music.metaservices.microsoft.com

Collections

*''Rhapsody in the Grooves: His Finest Recordings 1962–1969'' (Raven LP, 1984) *'' EnLightnin'ment—The Best of Lou Christie'' (Rhino, 1990) *''Greatest Hits Vol. 1'' (LightningStrikes, 1993) *''Glory River—The Buddah Years 1968–1972'' (Sequel, 1994) *''Beyond The Blue Horizon: More of the Best'' (Varese Sarabande, 1994) *''Greatest Hits Vol. 2'' (LightningStrikes, 1997) *''Egyptian Shumba: Singles & Rare Recordings 1962–64'' (w/The Tammys) (RPM, 2001) *''Original Sinner: The Very Best of the MGM Recordings'' (RPM, 2004) *''Studio 102 Essentials'' (Studio 102, 2008)

References

External links

Official website

Lou Christie Twitter

Bio at

Yahoo! Yahoo! (, styled yahoo''!'' in its logo) is an American web services provider. It is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California and operated by the namesake company Yahoo Inc., which is 90% owned by investment funds managed by Apollo Global Mana ...

Music
Bio at ClassicBands.com

Lou Christie: Lightning is Still Striking, author – Linda Alexander
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Christie, Lou 1943 births Living people Buddah Records artists Colpix Records artists Columbia Records artists MGM Records artists Musicians from Pittsburgh Roulette Records artists Singer-songwriters from Pennsylvania Singers with a three-octave vocal range