Lou Christie

A distinct and outstanding pop singer, Lou Christie used his striking falsetto to put a unique spin on a handful of major hits. "Two Faces Have I" and "Lightnin' Strikes" were just two of the songs where his impressive range added drama and excitement to his performances, and at a time when pop singers usually had professional songwriters create material for them, Christie co-wrote nearly all of his biggest hits, fashioning them to suit his singing style. Christie enjoyed his greatest success in an era when singles held sway over albums, but 1963's Lou Christie and 1966's Lightnin' Strikes capture his talent and versatility, 1971's Paint America Love was an ambitious and unfairly overlooked concept album, and Enlightnin'ment: The Best of Lou Christie is an excellent sampling of his hits. Lou Christie was born Lugee Alfredo Giovanni Sacco in Glenwillard, Pennsylvania on February 19, 1943. Sacco began studying music while he was in high school, and became a key member of the school choir. While his music teacher was certain Sacco had the talent for a career in classical music, Sacco saw his future was in rock & roll. Sacco was 15 when he met Twyla Herbert, a thirty-something musician and songwriter who was convinced he had star potential. They began writing songs together as Sacco performed with vocal groups in Pittsburgh, including Lugee and the Lions, which also featured Herbert's teenage daughter. Lugee and the Lions cut a single, 1961's "The Jury" b/w "Little Did I Know," that was a regional success. After completing high school, Sacco left Pittsburgh for New York City, where he did session work and made the acquaintance of Nick Cenci, who ran a small label, C & C Records. Cenci cut a single on Sacco, and the A-side, "The Gypsy Cried," a tale of teenage heartbreak, was written by Sacco and Herbert and featured his remarkable falsetto. Cenci was convinced "The Gypsy Cried" would be a hit, but that Lugee Sacco was no name for a pop star, and gave him a new stage name, Lou Christie, a name Sacco openly admitted he didn't care for. "The Gypsy Cried" became a big hit in Pittsburgh and fared well enough nationally to peak at Number 24 on the Singles chart after it was picked up for national distribution by Roulette Records. The newly minted Lou Christie soon became a Roulette artist, and his second single, 1963's "Two Faces Have I," another Christie/Herbert composition, was an even bigger hit, rising to Number 6 and selling over a million copies. Christie was tapped to join Dick Clark's Caravan of Stars, a package tour that saw him sharing the bill with The Supremes and Brian Hyland, and "Egyptian Shumba," a tune Christie and Herbert penned for the Tammys, a female vocal group who often worked on Christie's sessions, became a minor hit and a cult favorite. However, Christie's career briefly stalled when he was drafted into the U.S. Army, and while Roulette and Colpix Records continued to release material while he was serving his country, none of them made a serious impression on the charts. Like many artists who recorded for Roulette, Christie became disenchanted with the label's reluctance to pay royalties (the label's owner, Morris Levy, was alleged to be connected to the Genovese crime family, making people hesitant to push him too hard on non-payment), and after returning to civilian life, he managed to free himself of his contract with the label and signed with MGM Records. Christie's first release for MGM was the 1965 single "Lightnin' Strikes," another Christie/Herbert tune, which became his biggest hit, going all the way to Number One on the Singles chart. His next MGM single, "Rhapsody in the Rain," generated controversy when the lyrics were interpreted by some radio programmers as being about teenage sex ("We were makin' out in the rain/ And in this car, our love went much too far"). However, it was popular enough to chart well anyway (especially after MGM released a version with toned-down lyrics), making it to Number 16. Two more singles for MGM were only mildly successful, and Christie jumped to Columbia Records. 1967's "Shake Hands and Walk Away Cryin'" barely scratched the Top 100, topping out at 95, and his protest song "Self Expression (The Kids on the Street Will Never Give In)" failed to chart. Christie also told interviewers Columbia was eager to promote him as an actor in teen films, which he felt would be beneath his dignity. Leaving Columbia, Christie landed at Buddah Records, where 1969's "I'm Gonna Make You Mine" put him back on the charts, reaching Number 10 on the Singles survey. Unfortunately, his follow-up, "Are You Getting Any Sunshine?", only reached Number 73 before slipping down the charts. 1971's Paint America Love, an ambitious and socially conscious concept album Christie primarily produced and co-wrote with Herbert, would go on to earn a cult following, but it was a commercial bust on original release. Christie recorded a cover of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" at the behest of his manager, but after a dispute with Buddah, the label stripped his vocals from the recording. Robert John cut a new lead vocal track for the tune, and the single went Top Ten. By the end of 1971, Christie left Buddah for the independent Three Brothers imprint. With producer Tony Romeo, Christie recorded atmospheric cosmic country material, and a pedal steel-infused cover of the old Jeanette MacDonald chestnut "Beyond the Blue Horizon" became a minor hit, topping out at number 80 on the Pop Singles chart and rising to number 12 on the Adult Contemporary listing. It proved to be Christie's last charting single, and in time he moved back to Pittsburgh, where he worked with local groups and drove a truck to make ends meet. In the 1980s, Christie began performing regularly again, finding an audience on the oldies circuit, and recorded an LP of Motown covers, Lou Christie Does Detroit, in 1982. In 1986, while Christie was touring with Lesley Gore, they cut a duet medley of "Since I Don't Have You" and "It's Only Make Believe" that was picked up for release by Manhattan Records. In 1994, Christie wrote and recorded the song "Breakin' Up" for Whit Stillman's film Barcelona, and the track appeared on the soundtrack album issued by Milan Records. Christie cut an album of fresh studio material, Pledging My Love, in 1997 -- his strongest full-length release since Paint America Love -- but it failed to find an audience. He stayed busy with live work and released a live album, Greatest Hits Live at the Bottom Line, in 2004. Promoter Dick Fox put together a successful touring production called Dick Fox's Golden Boys, featuring three popular vocalists of the American Bandstand era: Frankie Avalon, Fabian, and Bobby Rydell. After Rydell's death, Christie was invited to join the show, and continued to perform with them up until his death on June 18, 2025. He was 82 years of age.
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