Post by petrolino on Jul 26, 2019 21:18:09 GMT
Multi-instrumentalist Gene Pitney used his mother's maiden name (Orlowski) as an early songwriting pseudonym; Ann Orlowski was a playful pianist in her own right who could pick up anything by ear. Early in his career, Pitney recorded versions of 'Ave Maria' and 'The Lord's Prayer'. A devout Catholic, he recorded an album in Italian, 'Gene Italiano' (1964), in the same year he played piano on 'The Rolling Stones' (1964), the debut album by the Rolling Stones.
Also in 1964, David Bowie was leading Davie Jones And The Mannish Boys who played third on the bill at an ABC cinema concert in Edinburgh, Scotland. Other acts performing were Gerry And The Pacemakers, The Kinks, Marianne Faithfull, The Mike Cotton Sound and Pitney. This spiritual experience was to exert a profound influence upon the development of Bowie's increasingly melodramatic vocal style. With a three-octave range and then some, Pitney paid great attention to detail when undertaking any recording session, regardless of language.
Phil Spector, The Rolling Stones & Gene Pitney
'Quando Vedrai La Mia Ragazza' (Festival di San Remo, 1964)
