Latest news with #TwylaHerbert
New York Times
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Lou Christie, ‘Lightnin' Strikes' Pop Crooner, Is Dead at 82
Lou Christie, who with his heartthrob persona and piercing falsetto rode high on the mid-1960s pop charts with hits like 'Lightnin' Strikes' and 'Two Faces Have I,' while transcending teen-idol status by helping to write his own material, died on Wednesday at his home in Pittsburgh. He was 82. His family announced the death on social media, saying only that he died 'after a brief illness.' With his perky doo-wop-inflected melodies and his gymnastic vocal range, Mr. Christie was at times compared to Frankie Valli of the Four Seasons. Like Mr. Valli, Mr. Christie hit his stride as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and the other guitar groups of the British Invasion were starting to shatter the handsome-teen-crooner archetype personified by the likes of Fabian and Frankie Avalon. 'They started disappearing,' Mr. Christie once said of such singers in an interview with the site Classic Bands. 'It was so interesting that I kept going. I hit the end of that whole era. 'I've always been between the cracks of rock 'n' roll, I felt. The missing link.' Even in changing times, he held his own, thanks in part to the songs he wrote with his songwriting partner, Twyla Herbert, who was two decades his senior. The songs they created together had more emotional complexity than the standard odes to puppy love. While his debut album, released in 1963, failed to make a splash, two of the singles featured on that album climbed the charts. 'The Gypsy Cried' reached No. 24 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1963. 'Two Faces Have I,' a showcase for Mr. Christie's signature falsetto, climbed to No. 6 a few months later. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Lou Christie, singer-songwriter who hit No. 1 with 'Lightnin' Strikes,' dies at 82
Lou Christie, the singer and songwriter who set teen fans screaming in the 1960s with hits like "Lightnin' Strikes" and "Two Faces Have I," has died. He was 82. Christie died at his home in Pittsburgh after a short illness, his family said Wednesday in an announcement on social media. Read more: Chris Robinson, 'General Hospital' actor who famously played a doctor on TV, dies at 86 "He was cherished not only by his family and close friends, but also by countless fans whose lives he touched with his kindness and generosity, artistic and musical talent, humor and spirit. His absence leaves a profound void in all our hearts. He will be greatly missed, always remembered, and forever loved," the statement read. Christie was born Lugee Alfredo Giovanni Sacco on Feb. 19, 1943, in Glenwillard, Pa., and took on his stage name, courtesy of a local music producer, when he was a still a teen. Soon he would meet his decades-older songwriting collaborator Twyla Herbert, a classically trained but eccentric musician who died in 2009, and together they would write almost all of his songs and hundreds more for other artists. In Pennsylvania, Christie recorded and released a single, "The Gypsy Cried," that became a local hit in the Pittsburgh area. He moved to New York, got work as a backup singer and eventually wound up touring with Dick Clark's Cavalcade of Stars, sitting on a bus with Diana Ross and other standouts. "I was with Gene Pitney and Johnny Tillotson, the Supremes, Paul and Paula, Dick and Dee Dee, the Crystals, the Ronettes, Fabian, Frankie Avalon," the singer told writer Gary James for "To me, this was my graduating class and still is today." Read more: Brian Wilson, the musical genius behind the Beach Boys, dies at 82 Christie's fans screamed over his signature falsetto when "Two Faces Have I" made it to No. 6 on the Billboard 100 in 1963, the year he released his self-titled first album. He spent two years in the U.S. Army and upon his return released the single "Lightnin' Strikes." The song, off the 1965 album of the same name, hit No. 1 on that chart in 1966. He stirred up a bit of scandal with the 1966 song "Rhapsody in Rain," with lyrics that at the time were considered explicit: Baby the raindrops play for me / A lonely 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" and "Baby, I'm parked outside your door / Remember makin' love, makin' love, we were makin' love in the storm." The tune topped out at No. 16 on the charts. His array of album releases grew with "I'm Gonna Make You Mine" in 1969, "Paint America Love" in 1971, "Pledging My Love" in 1997 and more records over the years. The life of a teen idol in the early 1960s was a mix of dismissal and adulation, according to peer Fabian Forte, who performed as Fabian and toured with Christie in rock 'n' roll revival shows in the 1980s. Read more: News of Brian Wilson's death left bandmate Mike Love speechless, says honorary Beach Boy John Stamos "They laughed at us. They wouldn't take us seriously as artists," Forte told The Times in 1985, talking about music critics in the 1950s and early '60s. But, he added, 'Don't get me wrong. It wasn't all bad. For a teen-age boy, you can imagine what it was like having all those girls drooling over you. That was heaven." The teen idols of that era faded with the British Invasion, but Christie didn't fade with them. "I hit the end of that whole era," Christie told writer James for "I've always been between the cracks of rock 'n' roll, I felt. The missing link. ... We had the teenage idols. We had Frankie Avalon. We had Fabian. That thing was just about closing down when a lot of my records started hitting. ... They all disappeared, but my records kept going through that English Invasion." In addition to releasing more music later in life, Christie would offer up his vocal talents to help raise money for causes including the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation and a rock 'n' roll retirement home for artists from the '50s and '60s planned by the Starlight Starbright foundation. Read more: Sly Stone, funk-rock progenitor and leader of the Family Stone, dies at 82 And in those years after his No. 1 spotlight had dimmed, Christie still knew how to put smiles on fans' faces, as evidenced after a performance at a festival at Magic Mountain in 1985. The event began late on one of the hottest days of the year after its lineup and schedule had switched around repeatedly leading up to the concert and the promoter had gone missing. Some acts that concert-goers expected to see wound up not performing — but Christie was not one of them. 'I'm really glad the show turned out well,' Christie told The Times in 1985, lounging in his trailer after his set at the "Spirit of the '60s" festival. 'I tell you, I was going crazy with this thing — on, off, on again, off again. I had to cancel some dates I had arranged for after this was canceled the first time. But' — and a big smile crossed his face — 'they got their show, all right. The baby boomers really dug it. Even people backstage enjoyed it.' A representative for the singer did not immediately respond Thursday to The Times' request for comment. Get notified when the biggest stories in Hollywood, culture and entertainment go live. Sign up for L.A. Times entertainment alerts. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
The Sun
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Lou Christie dead: Lightnin' Strikes & Rhapsody in the Rain singer has died at 82 after battling short illness
ICONIC songwriter Lou Christie has died, aged 82. The Lightnin' Strikes & Rhapsody in the Rain singer passed away at his home in Pittsburgh after battling a short illness, his wife said. 1 The artist reached number one of the Billboard Hot 100 in 1966 with the catchy single Lightin' Strikes. And he had another top 20 hit that year with 'Rhapsody in the Rain,' considered overly raunchy at the time. He died on Wednesday aged 82, his wife Francesca told The Hollywood Reporter. The renowned singer was known for his signature falsetto, and he broke onto the scene with two songs in 1963 with the two tunes The Gypsy Cried and Two Faces Have I. Both tracks were written in collaboration with the late Twyla Herbert - a long-time work partner. .
Daily Mail
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Singer Lou Christie of Lightnin' Strikes fame has died at 82
Singer Lou Christie, who had major hits, including lightning, strikes, and Rhapsody in the rain, died at the age of 82 on Wednesday. Christie spouse Francesca told The Hollywood Reporter that the singer died at his Pittsburgh home after battling a brief sickness. The singer-songwriter reached the apex of his professional success in 1966 with the singles Lightnin' Strikes' and Rhapsody in the Rain. Lightnin' Strikes' made it to the top spot on that Billboard Top 100 while Rhapsody in the Rain landed in the top 20. Prior to 1966, Christie had his first taste of success with a pair of hit singles in 1963: The Gypsy Cried and Two Faces Have I. He wrote both tracks with the late Twyla Herbert, who he worked with for years on songs. She died in July of 2009, according to an online obit.
