Gene Pitney

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 enjoyed considerable success

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 enjoyed considerable success on both sides of the Atlantic and charted more than 20 Top 40 hit singles.

Pitney's musical career began by writing hit songs for others such as "He's A Rebel" for The Crystals, "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.