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Gene Francis Alan Pitney is an American singer born on February 17, 1941 in Hartford, Connecticut. He lived primarily in nearby Rockville, from which he earned the name "The Rockville Rocket".
Pitney's musical career began by writing hit songs for others such as "Today's Teardrops" for Roy Orbison and "Hello Mary Lou" for Ricky Nelson. In 1961, Gene Pitney began a collaboration with songwriters Burt Bacharach and Hal David that resulted in the recording of his first hit single, "(I Wanna) Love My Life Away", followed by his first big hit, "Town Without Pity" that same year. This song would win the Golden Globe Award for "Best Song in a Motion Picture" and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Song.
Pitney released a series of hit singles in the early 1960s, but was unable to withstand the British Invasion. He did, however, maintain a successful career in Britain and the rest of Europe. His last American hit was "She's a Heartbreaker" (1968), while he last hit the charts in the UK with 1989's duet with Marc Almond, a new version of Pitney's "Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart".
In 2002, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Some of his most popular songs:
- "(I Wanna) Love My Life Away"
- "It Hurts to be in Love"
- "Town Without Pity"
- "(The Man Who Shot) Liberty Valance"
- "If I Didn't Have a Dime"
- "Only Love Can Break a Heart"
- "Half Heaven-Half Heartache"
- "Backstage"
- "Twenty-Four Hours from Tulsa"
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