Christopher Cross
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Christopher Cross | |
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 Christopher Cross backstage after a tribute concert to Michael McDonald in Los Angeles (February 4, 2000).
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Christopher Geppert |
| Also known as | Christopher Cross |
| Born | May 3, 1951 |
| Origin | San Antonio, Texas |
| Genre(s) | Pop Soft rock Yacht rock |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, musician, producer |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar, piano |
| Years active | 1979-present |
| Label(s) | Warner Bros, BMG Records, Reprise, Priority Records, CMC International |
| Associated acts | Michael McDonald, Burt Bacharach, Madison, Alan Parsons Project |
| Website | http://www.christophercross.com/ |
Christopher Cross (born Christopher Geppert on May 3, 1951) is an American singer-songwriter from San Antonio, Texas. His debut album earned him all of the "Big Four" Grammy Awards in one year, a feat that is yet to be equalled. He also received an Oscar and a Golden Globe relating to his work with music in hit films. Along with Michael McDonald, Toto, Kenny Loggins and, to a lesser degree, Hall and Oates, Cross formed the backbone of the so-called "Yacht Rock" genre of adult contemporary music, which captured the imagination of would-be sailors everywhere in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
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[edit] Career
He is best known by most for his Top Ten hit songs, "Sailing", "Ride Like the Wind", and "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)," the latter of which he performed for the film Arthur starring Dudley Moore and Liza Minnelli. "Sailing" earned three awards at the 1981 Grammy Awards Ceremony, while "Arthur's Theme" won the Oscar for Best Original Song in 1981 (with co-composers Burt Bacharach, Carole Bayer Sager and Peter Allen.)
Cross first played with a San Antonio based cover band named Flash before signing a solo contract with Warner Bros. Cross released his self-titled debut album, Christopher Cross in 1979, which garnered him five Grammy Awards. He is the first and only artist to personally receive all of the "Big Four" Grammy Awards (Best Record, Song, Album, and New Artist) in the same year. Although Norah Jones' debut album Come Away with Me and song "Don't Know Why" won the same four awards in 2003, she did not personally receive the Song of the Year Grammy because it is a songwriter's award. Hits from this album included "Sailing", "Ride Like the Wind" (featuring backing vocals by Michael McDonald) and "Never Be the Same."
His second album, Another Page, which came out in 1983, included the hit songs "Think of Laura", "No Time For Talk", and "All Right." "All Right" was used by CBS Sports for its highlights montage following the 1983 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, won in an upset by North Carolina State, which defeated the University of Houston in the championship game, 54-52. Although Another Page sold respectably, it did not nearly live up to the high expectations set by his debut album.
Christopher Cross released his third album Every Turn of the World in 1985. However, the album failed to produce any top 40 hits, and did not sell well. He went on to make three more albums in the 90's and although some of his releases have gained critical response, he has failed to catch the mass audience he once enjoyed. Many think this has been due to his inability to transition to the music video format. Simply said, Cross' on-screen persona did not come across very well in the mid 1980s, when many bands like Duran Duran instead maintained an air of androgynous sexuality for their music videos. After his decline in the mid-1980s, Cross has gotten back in the groove, having toured and opened for various acts since the 90's and releasing his second Greatest Hits package in 2002.
Christopher Cross has completed a new Christmas album and on November 15, 2007 it was released exclusively on iTunes. He is working on a new studio album to be released in 2008. Today, he does about 100 live performances a year. Cross performed on November 6 at Flemington Racecourse, singing Ride Like the Wind as part of the pre-race entertainment for the 2007 Melbourne Cup.
In recent years, his daughter, Madison has become a singer and actress.
[edit] Singles
| Title | US HOT 100 | Serial number | Year | From album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Ride Like The Wind" | #2 | Warner 49184 | March 1980 | Christopher Cross |
| "Sailing" | #1 | Warner 49507 | July 1980 | Christopher Cross |
| "Never Be The Same" | #15 | Warner 49580 | October 1980 | Christopher Cross |
| "Say You'll Be Mine" | #20 | Warner 49705 | April 1981 | Christopher Cross |
| "Spinning" | - | Warner | 1980-1981 | Christopher Cross |
| "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)" | #1 | Warner 49787 | August 1981 | Arthur (Soundtrack) |
| "All Right" | #12 | Warner 29843 | January 1983 | Another Page |
| "No Time For Talk" | #33 | Warner 29662 | May 1983 | Another Page |
| "Think Of Laura" | #9 | Warner 29658 | December 1983 | Another Page |
| "A Chance For Heaven" (Swimming Theme from 1984 Summer Olympics) | #76 | Columbia 04492 | 1984 | Official Music of the XXIIIrd Olympiad (1984) |
| "Charm The Snake" | #68 | Warner 28864 | 1985 | Every Turn Of The World |
| "Every Turn of the World" | - | - | 1985 | Every Turn Of The World |
[edit] Awards
- Academy Award for Best Song, 1981, "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)"
- Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song, 1981, "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)"
- Grammy, 1981 - Record of the Year - "Sailing"
- Grammy, 1981 - Album of the Year - Christopher Cross
- Grammy, 1981 - Best New Artist - Christopher Cross
- Grammy, 1981 - Song of the Year - "Sailing"
- Grammy, 1981 - Best Arrangement - "Sailing"
[edit] Discography
- Christopher Cross (1979)
- Another Page (1983)
- Every Turn of the World (1985)
- Back of My Mind (1988)
- Rendezvous (1992)
- The Best of Christopher Cross (1993)
- Window (1995)
- Walking in Avalon (1998)
- Greatest Hits Live (1999)
- Red Room (2000)
- The Very Best of Christopher Cross (2002)
- A Christopher Cross Christmas (2007)
[edit] In popular culture
- He is one of the many recurring characters on the Channel 101 series Yacht Rock, which featurized the fictionalized lives of soft/smooth and Yacht rock musicians from 1978-1984. Some of his collaborators, such as Michael McDonald, are also featured on the series.
- Many people associate "Think of Laura" with the Luke and Laura plotline of the soap opera, General Hospital, which was very popular at the time, but it was actually written about a friend of Christopher's girlfriend at the time (named Laura) who had recently been killed by a stray bullet while riding in the back of a car[1].
- Chris Griffin of Family Guy, is named after him, as his full name is Christopher Cross Griffin.
- In the Seinfeld episode "The Millennium", Newman reveals that he booked Cross for his Millennium Eve party, which he has been planning since 1978.
- Cross' single "Ride Like the Wind" is included in the Time Life compilation Soft Rock.
- "Ride Like the Wind" was used as a video in an episode of Second City Television. Rick Moranis plays the part of Michael McDonald doing the backing vocals. He rushes to the studio and arrives just in time to sing the background vocals Such a long way to go.
[edit] Performances
- Cross contributed backing vocals, (along with The Beach Boys' Carl Wilson,) to David Lee Roth's 1985 hit "California Girls."
- Cross performed the song "Sailing" alongside the pop band 'Nsync at the Fourth Annual Blockbuster Awards in 1999.
- Cross also performed lead vocals on "So Far Away", a song from Alan Parsons' album On Air. When Parsons was touring in support of that album, Cross would sometimes join the band onstage to sing the song if he was available.
- Cross spent much of his youth living in a home on Newbury Terrace in Terrell Hills, just outside San Antonio, Texas. That home had earlier belonged to the Cummins family and another notable San Antonian, the historian and author Light Townsend Cummins, grew up in that same house a decade earlier. It has since been demolished.
[edit] External links
- The Official Website
- Arthur's Theme
- Music Guide entry
- CBS Sports highlights of the 1983 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, featuring Cross' song "All Right"
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