Lou Christie (born Luigi Alfredo Giovanni Sacco on February 19, 1943 in Glenwillard, Pennsylvania) is an American singer-songwriter best known for a string of pop hits in the 1960s. This Manual of Style has the simple purpose of making things easy to read by following a consistent format — it is a style guide. ... February 19 is the 50th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Year 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1943 calendar). ... Crescent Township is a township located in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. ... The term singer-songwriter refers to performers who both write and sing their own material. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from January 1, 1960 to December 31, 1969, inclusive. ...

Raised in suburban Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Sacco traveled to New York City 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 labels in both New York and Pittsburgh. One of his singles, "The Gypsy Cried" was released on the tiny C&C label and credited to "Lou Christie" without Sacco's permission or consent. (He has stated that he hated the name for decades afterward.) It features the vocal style that would categorize 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. "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 20 years older than Lou but also shared his love of classical music. Nickname: Steel City, Iron City, City of Champions, City of Bridges, City of Colleges Location in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania Coordinates: Country United States State Pennsylvania County Allegheny County Founded 1758 Mayor Luke Ravenstahl (D) Area    - City 151. ... Nickname: Big Apple, Gotham Location in the state of New York Coordinates: Country United States State New York Boroughs The Bronx Brooklyn Manhattan Queens Staten Island Settled 1613 Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Area    - City 1,214. ... Moon Area High School is a public high school located in Moon Township, Pennsylvania, in the United States. ... Roulette Records is a record label which was started late 1956 by George Goldner, Joe Kolsky, Morris Levy and Phil Khals, but the label was soon sold to Hugo Peretti and Luigi Creatore. ... Classical music is a broad, somewhat imprecise term, referring to music produced in, or rooted in the traditions of, European art, ecclesiastical and concert music, encompassing a broad period from roughly 1000 to the present day. ...

His follow-up single "Two Faces Have I" was an even bigger hit, peaking at #6, as Christie joined Dick Clark's Caravan of Stars Tour. On that tour, he was reportly linked in an interracial romance with Diana Ross of The Supremes. A third Roulette release, "How Many Teardrops" stalled at #46 as Christie's career was temporarily derailed by his induction into the US Army. Dick Clark redirects here. ... Diana Ross (born Diane Ernestine Earle Ross[1] on March 26, 1944) is an American pop, soul, and R&B singer and actress. ... The Supremes were a successful Motown all-female singing group. ... The Army is the branch of the United States armed forces which has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ...

Already, Christie was frequently, if unfairly, 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 move that John Lennon would later acknowledge as influential. While a stint in the military might have ended the careers of many musicians, Lou's career would quickly be re-established after his discharge from the military, when he signed on with the MGM label. Frankie Valli (born May 3[1] in the Italian First Ward of Newark, New Jersey as Francis Stephen Castelluccio) is best known as lead singer of The Four Seasons, a music act of the 1960s, which continued from then to the 1970s disco scene to the present day. ... Falsetto (IPA: Italian , General American , RP ) is a singing technique that produces sounds that are pitched higher than the singers normal range. ... John Winston Ono Lennon, MBE (October 9, 1940 – December 8, 1980), (born John Winston Lennon, known as John Ono Lennon) was an iconic English 20th century rock and roll songwriter and singer, best known as the founding member of The Beatles. ... MGM Records was a record label started by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer movie studio in 1946. ...

"Lightnin' Strikes", his first release after his discharge would go to #1 in the US in early 1966, and also climbed into the U.K. top 20, becoming his first hit in that country. The song's provocative lyrics featured his signature falsetto and included a female chorus shouting Stop!, which suggested to some an unwanted sexual advance: See also: 1965 in music, other events of 1966, 1967 in music, 1960s in music and the list of years in music Hot 100 No. ... UK redirects here. ...

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

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

But whatever controversy Lightnin' Strikes caused paled in comparison to the firestorm brought on by the lyrics of his next release: "Rhapsody In The Rain".

Released in the Spring of 1966, the song 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. 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ... Tchaikovsky redirects here. ... Romeo and Juliet is a musical work by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. ... For the popular Tamil film, see Rhythm (film) Rhythm (Greek = flow, or in Modern Greek, style) is the variation of the accentuation of sounds or other events over time. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards and appeal to a wider international audience, this article may require cleanup. ... Colpix Records was the first recording company for Columbia Pictures/Screen Gems. ...

Whether it was the controversial lyrics or competition from the other singles released simultaneously, Rhapsody only managed to hit #16 in the US and #37 in the UK. His career seemed to be derailed once again as his follow up 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. Giacomo Puccini Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele Secondo Maria Puccini (December 22, 1858 – November 29, 1924) was an Italian composer whose operas, including La bohème, Tosca, and Madama Butterfly, are among the most frequently performed in the standard repertoire[1]. Some of his melodies, such as O mio babbino caro... The Teatro alla Scala in Milan. ... Madama Butterfly (or sometimes Madame Butterfly in English) is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini, set in Japan. ... Bernard Alfred (Jack) Nitzsche (Chicago, April 22, 1937 – Hollywood, August 25, 2000) was an integral presence in the history of popular music in the 20th century. ... The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. ...

After being dropped by MGM and an unfruitful stint with Columbia Records in the late 1960's, Christie teamed up with bubblegum music producer Tony Romeo and Buddah Records (a move prompted by his business manager Stan Polley) and had a surprise hit with "I'm Gonna Make You Mine" in the Autumn of 1969. The song peaked at #10 in the US, but was a smash hit in the UK, climbing to #2. A follow up, "She Sold Me Magic" charted only in the UK, peaking at #25, and later covered by Elton John. Christie spent the early 1970s in London largely outside of the music industry and battling drug addiction. Columbia Records is the oldest brand name in recorded sound, dating back to 1888, and was the first record company to produce pre-recorded records as opposed to blank cylinders. ... For other uses, see Bubblegum (disambiguation). ... While working at Kama Sutra Records, Art Kass was unhappy with the distribution deal with MGM Records and started Buddah Records around 1967. ... Stan Polley (date of birth unknown) was an American music entrepreneur who for a time managed the business ventures of the band Badfinger. ... See also: 1968 in music, other events of 1969, 1970 in music, 1960s in music and the list of years in music // Events Perhaps the most famous musical events of 1969 are two legendary concerts. ... Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE[1][2] (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on 25 March 1947) is an English pop/rock singer, composer and pianist. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ...

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, features one of Christie's strongest non-falsetto vocal performances ever. 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, showing that his teenaged fans of ten years earlier were still supportive of him as adults. The song has been used in several motion picture soundtracks, most notably in the 1988 film Rain Man Image File history File links Lou3brocd. ... See also: 1973 in music, other events of 1974, 1975 in music, 1970s in music and the list of years in music // January - The Ramones form. ... country music, see Country music (disambiguation) Country music, the first half of Billboards country and western music category, is a blend of popular musical forms originally found in the Southern United States. ... See also: 1929 in music, other events of 1930, 1931 in music and the list of years in music. // Events The BBC Symphony Orchestra is formed. ... Adult contemporary music, frequently abbreciated to just AC, is a type of radio format that plays mainstream and pop music, without hip-hop or rap since, as per the name, it is geared more towards adults than teens. ... For other uses see film (disambiguation) Film refers to the celluliod media on which movies are printed Film — also called movies, the cinema, the silver screen, moving pictures, photoplays, picture shows, flicks, or motion pictures, — is a field that encompasses motion pictures as an art form or as... Soundtrack refers to the recorded sound accompanying a visual medium such as a motion picture, television show, or video game. ... // Michael Jacksons first film was Moonwalker Rain Man, starring Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise Who Framed Roger Rabbit, starring Bob Hoskins Coming to America, starring Eddie Murphy Big, starring Tom Hanks Twins, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito Crocodile Dundee II Die Hard, starring Bruce Willis The Naked Gun... Rain Man is a 1988 film which tells the story of a selfish yuppie who discovers that his father has left all of his estate to the autistic brother he never knew he had. ...

Lou Christie became active on the oldies circuit starting in the early 1980s and even scored a final US 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. He remains a popular concert act on the oldies circuit in the US and UK and occasionally releases new material as well. The 1980s refers to the years of 1980 to 1989. ... See also: Musical groups established in 1981 Record labels established in 1981 other events of 1981 list of years in music 1980s in music // January 10 - Revival of the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta The Pirates of Penzance opens at Broadways Uris Theatre, starring Linda Ronstadt and Rex Smith February... The Beach Boys, originally the Beech Boys, a small team of four brothers from the south of Poland, emigrated to America in the early 1950s in search of a fortune to be made in the Arizonian logging industry. When it soon became evident they had been the victims of...

External links

• His official website

• Lou Christie Fan Club

• Bio at Yahoo! Music

• Bio at ClassicBands.com

• Fan page, with lyrics to several of Christie's biggest hits