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Gene Francis Alan Pitney ( February 17 1940 – April 5 2006 ) was an American Singer and Songwriter . Through the mid-1960s, he enjoyed considerable success on both sides of the Atlantic, and charted more than 20 Top 40 hit singles. He was also an accomplished Guitar ist, Pianist , Drummer , and skilled Sound Engineer . Pitney was born in Hartford , Connecticut . In his youth, he lived primarily in Rockville , part of the the town of Vernon . He attended Rockville High School from which he earned the name "The Rockville Rocket", and where he formed his first band called "Gene & the Genials". He also made a couple of records as part of a duo called 'Jamie and Jane' with a lady called Ginny Arnell and then released a single as Billy Bryan. In 1961 , Gene Pitney released his first solo single, "(I Wanna) Love My Life Away", on which he played several instruments and Multi-tracked the vocals, followed by his first big hit, "Town Without Pity" that same year. This song won the Golden Globe Award for "Best Song in a Motion Picture" and was nominated for an Academy Award For Best Song . Pitney helped his musical career by writing hit songs for others. Notable songs include "He's a Rebel" for The Crystals and Vikki Carr , "Today's Teardrops" for Roy Orbison , "Rubber Ball" for Bobby Vee , and " Hello Mary Lou " for Ricky Nelson (Nelson is often inaccurately credited as the songwriter). "He's A Rebel" kept Pitney's highest peaking Hot 100 record "Only Love Can Break A Heart" from being atop that chart on November 3, 1962. Pitney is also well remembered for his stirring rendition of the title song to the movie '' The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance '', (1962) which starred Jimmy Stewart , John Wayne , Vera Miles , and Lee Marvin in the title role. Pitney's vocal, utilizing his strong and distinctive voice told the story almost as well as the movie itself. Although the song was a certified hit for Pitney, many people did not realize that through a publishing squabble between Famous Music and Paramount Pictures the song does not appear on the soundtrack of the film. Many people who saw the movie and heard the song mistakenly believe it was the opening or closing song. His 1963 hit, "Mecca", is considered by some to be a precursor to Psychedelia in its use of India n musical influences, two years before The Beatles began incorporating these influences. The use of exotic musical instruments became something of a Pitney trademark, judging by the Mariachi trumpets employed in "Lonely Drifters", the ukuleles in "Hawaii" and the gypsy fiddle in "Golden Earrings". The {Link without Title} song, "That Girl Belongs to Yesterday", which became a hit for him, was the first Rolling Stones song to be a success in the United States, and it was partly Pitney's endorsement of the group which helped them to find favor in America. He was in the studio in England with the Stones on some of their earlier recording sessions, including those which resulted in both sides of their first Top 10 single "Not Fade Away" and their debut album, apparently playing piano, though the extent to which his contributions and those of "Uncle" Phil Spector were used is uncertain. His ongoing popularity in the U.K. market was ensured by the chart success of 'Twenty Four Hours From Tulsa' at the end of 1963. Pitney released an unbroken string of hit singles in the early 1960s, with the Unrequited Love classic "It Hurts To Be In Love" and "I'm Gonna Be Strong" in 1964 and "Nobody Needs Your Love" in 1966 (the first two were top 10 in the US; the last two peaked at No. 2 in the UK). He and Orbison were practically the only American soloists to withstand the British Invasion , both displaying an astounding vocal range. Pitney maintained a successful career in Britain and the rest of Europe . Pitney decided to spend six months of each year on the road, and the remainder with the Rockville sweetheart he married, and his three young sons. One of the few star performers to have survived the 1960s unscathed, his fitness regime built the stamina he required for his singularly dithyrambic stage act. Pitney's last American top 40 hit was "She's a Heartbreaker" ( 1968 ). Pitney last hit the UK charts after an absence of fifteen years with 1989 's duet with Marc Almond , a new version of "Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart", a song by British writers Roger Cook and Roger Greenaway , which had originally been a No. 5 solo hit for Pitney in 1967, and which belatedly brought him his first UK Number 1 hit, staying there for four weeks. Sales were boosted particularly by the two vocalists' appearance on the Terry Wogan TV show as it was climbing the charts. Pitney's US record company declined to issue the record in America on the grounds that buyers would mistake it for a vocal duet by two gay men, Almond being leather-clad as usual, and Pitney dressed in a white tuxedo. Pitney also recorded songs in Italian and Spanish , and twice finished second in the San Remo Music Festival , where his strong vibrato may have reminded older listeners of the Italian tenor Caruso. He had a regional hit with "Nessuno Mi Puo' Giudicare." {Link without Title} In 2002 , he was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame . His vocal timbre and phrasing clearly influenced the young David Bowie - just compare Pitney's rendering of "I'm Gonna Be Strong" and "Half Heaven, Half Heartache" to Bowie's vocals on "Changes" and "Lady Stardust", for instance. Pitney's vocal power fit his producer Phil Spector's famous Wall of Sound like hand in glove, and his melodramatic celebration of teenage life in a nutshell seems to have stood the test of time rather better than the pretentious concept albums of the Swinging Sixties. Pitney died on . An autopsy confirmed the singer died of natural causes. {Link without Title} He is remembered for his instantly recognisable Italianate tenor and consummate showmanship. SELECTED SONGS WRITTEN OR PERFORMED BY PITNEY
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