Christopher Cross

This article is about the American singer-songwriter. For the hip-hop duo, see Kris Kross.
For other people named Chris Cross, see Chris Cross (disambiguation).
Christopher Cross

Cross backstage after a tribute concert to Michael McDonald, February 4, 2000
Background information
Birth name Christopher Charles Geppert
Born (1951-05-03) May 3, 1951
San Antonio, Texas, U.S.
Genres Pop rock, soft rock
Occupation(s) Singer, songwriter, musician, producer
Instruments Vocals, guitar
Years active 1971–present
Labels Warner Bros., Priority, CMC International
Associated acts Michael McDonald, Burt Bacharach, Madison Cross, The Alan Parsons Project
Website christophercross.com

Christopher Cross (born Christopher Charles Geppert; May 3, 1951) is an American singer-songwriter from San Antonio, Texas. His debut album earned him five Grammy Awards. He is perhaps best known for his US Top Ten hit songs, "Ride Like the Wind", "Sailing", and "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)", the latter recorded by him for the film Arthur starring Dudley Moore.[1][2] "Sailing" earned three Grammys in 1981, while "Arthur's Theme" won the Oscar for Best Original Song in 1981 (with co-composers Burt Bacharach, Carole Bayer Sager, and Peter Allen).

Career

Early musical career

Cross first played with a San Antonio-based cover band named Flash (not to be confused with the early 1970s English band of the same name) before signing a solo contract with Warner Bros. in 1978.[3]

The first album, and immediate success

Cross released his self-titled debut album, Christopher Cross, in 1979. The Billboard Hot 100 top 20 hits from this album included "Ride Like the Wind" (featuring backing vocals by Michael McDonald), "Sailing", "Never Be the Same", and "Say You'll Be Mine" (featuring backing vocals by Nicolette Larson). Due to the almost immediate success and popularity gained by his first album, he was nominated for several Grammy Awards, garnering him five.

Cross has the distinction of being the only artist to win all four General Field Grammy awards (Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year and Best New Artist) in the same year. He also won a fifth for Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s), sharing this award with producer and co-arranger Michael Omartian for the song "Sailing."

The second album

Cross's second album, Another Page (1983), included the hit songs "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)" (on the CD & cassette versions only, as a bonus song), "All Right", "No Time for Talk", and "Think of Laura". "All Right" was used by CBS Sports for its highlights montage following the 1983 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, while "Think of Laura" is used as a reference to characters on the soap opera General Hospital. Another Page sold well, getting Gold Certification. He also co-wrote and sang the song "A Chance For Heaven" for the 1984 Summer Olympic Games.

The curse of the MTV generation

After 1984, Cross's star quickly dimmed. As music television station MTV grew to dominate the mainstream music scene in the U.S., Cross's physical appearance and style of music proved to be "a bad fit" for the network, and Cross's brand of adult contemporary music declined in popularity.[4]

Cross's next two albums, 1985's Every Turn of the World and 1988's Back of My Mind did not produce any top 40 hits and did not sell as well as his first two albums.

The 1990s

Cross made three more albums in the 1990s, and although some of his releases have gained critical response, he has not been able to attract the mass audience he once enjoyed. After his decline in fame in the mid-1980s, he toured and opened for various acts during the 1990s.[5][6]

The 2000s

In 2002 he released his Very Best of... album, and in 2007 he completed a Christmas album, A Christopher Cross Christmas. In 2008 recorded a new acoustic album of his hits titled The Cafe Carlyle Sessions.[7][8]

The 2010s

In 2011 Cross released a new studio album titled Doctor Faith.[9]

In 2013 he released A Night in Paris, a 2-CD live album he recorded and filmed in April 2012 at the Theatre Le Trianon in Paris, France.[10]

The song "Ride Like The Wind" was featured on the Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues original movie soundtrack, released in 2013.

In September 2014 he released his latest album, Secret Ladder.[11]

He currently continues to perform live shows.

Personal life

A self-described "Army brat," Cross is the son of a U.S. Army pediatrician stationed at Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington, D.C. in the mid-1950s, acting as physician for President Dwight Eisenhower's grandchildren.[12]

Cross married Jan Bunch in 1988. They divorced in 2007. They have two children; son Rain and daughter Madison.[13]

Discography

Studio albums

Year Album Label Chart positions Certifications
(sales thresholds)
AUS
[14]
CAN
[15]
GER
[16]
JPN
[17][18]
NLD
[19]
NZ
[20]
SWE
[21]
UK
[22]
US
[23]
1979 Christopher Cross Warner Bros. 6 26 18 14 16 14 6
1983 Another Page 6 23 2 1 7 9 12 4 11
1985 Every Turn of the World 44 27 34 37 127
1988 Back of My Mind 45 27 93 49
1992 Rendezvous CMC 96
1994 Window 91
1998 Walking in Avalon
2000 Red Room
2007 A Christopher Cross Christmas Ear
2008 The Café Carlyle Sessions
2010 Christmas Time Is Here
2011 Doctor Faith 48
2013 A Night in Paris
2014 Secret Ladder Christopher Cross Records
"—" denotes releases that did not chart.

Compilations

Soundtracks

Singles

Year Single Peak chart positions Certifications
(sales thresholds)
Album
CAN
[26]
GER
[27]
IRE
[28]
NED
[29]
NOR
[30]
NZ
[31]
SWI
[32]
UK
[33]
US U.S.
AC
1980 "Ride Like the Wind" 3 31 69 2 24 Christopher Cross
"Sailing" 1 21 18 8 48 1 10
"Never Be the Same" 25 41 15 1
"Say You'll Be Mine" 33 20 15
"Mary Ann" (Japan only) Single only
1981 "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)" 2 7 1 10 6 7 1 1 Arthur (soundtrack)
1983 "All Right" 13 23 14 16 5 44 5 51 12 3 Another Page
"No Time for Talk" 33 10
"Think of Laura" 9 9 1
1984 "A Chance for Heaven" (swimming theme from 1984 Summer Olympics) 76 16 Official Music of the XXIIIrd Olympiad
1985 "Charm the Snake" 68 Every Turn of the World
"Every Turn of the World"
1986 "Love Is Love (In Any Language)"
"Loving Strangers" 94 27 Nothing in Common (soundtrack)
1988 "Swept Away" Back of My Mind
"I Will (Take You Forever)" (with Frances Ruffelle) 41
1993 "In the Blink of an Eye" (Germany only) 51 Rendezvous (Germany & Japan only)
"Nothing Will Change" (Germany only)
"Is There Something" (Germany only)
1994 "Been There, Done That" (Germany only) 55 Window (Germany & Japan only)
"Wild, Wild West" (Germany only)
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Other appearances

Awards

Nominations

Performances

In popular media

References

  1. "New York Times". Movies.nytimes.com. January 18, 2007. Retrieved 2011-10-11.
  2. Holden, Stephen (April 17, 2008). "New York Times". Nytimes.com. Retrieved 2011-10-11.
  3. Christopher Cross & Flash at the Wayback Machine (archived July 15, 2011)
  4. "Christopher Cross has his first of two #1 hits with "Sailing" – History.com This Day in History – 8/30/1980". History.com. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
  5. "Classicbands.com". Classicbands.com. Retrieved 2011-10-11.
  6. Weingarten, Marc (May 10, 1998). "Los Angeles Times". Articles.latimes.com. Retrieved 2011-10-11.
  7. "Westcoastmusic". Noted.blogs.com. October 2, 2008. Retrieved 2011-10-11.
  8. "Insidemusicast.com". Insidemusicast.com. May 4, 2009. Retrieved 2011-10-11.
  9. "Christopher Cross Website – Doctor Faith Release". Christophercross.com. Retrieved 2011-10-11.
  10. "Christopher Cross Returs with his First Live Release "A Night in Paris"".
  11. "Christopher Cross Official Web Site".
  12. Christopher Cross. Comments during Concert at Wolf Trap Performing Arts Center, Vienna, Virginia. January 19, 2013.
  13. "Christopher Cross files for divorce". USA TODAY. April 27, 2007. Retrieved December 18, 2011.
  14. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.Note: This reference gives Australian albums and singles information. It is used for chart peak positions as the early albums were released before ARIA regulated the Australian charts itself (1989)
  15. Canadian Albums peaks
  16. "Album Search: Christopher Cross" (in German). Media Control. Retrieved 2011-05-20.
  17. Okamoto, Satoshi (2006). Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  18. "クリストファー・クロスのCDアルバムランキング-ORICON STYLE". oricon.co.jp (in Japanese). Original Confidence. Retrieved 2011-08-08.Note: Reference indicates chart positions from 1988 onwards, and part of the information are currently unavailable
  19. "Dutchcharts.nl Christopher Cross discography". Hung Medien. MegaCharts. Retrieved 2011-08-08.
  20. "chart.org.nz Christopher Cross discography". Hung Medien. RIANZ. Retrieved 2011-08-08.
  21. "swedishcharts.com – Discography Christopher Cross". Retrieved November 3, 2010.
  22. "Chart Stats – Christopher Cross". Retrieved November 3, 2010.
  23. "allmusic ((( Christopher Cross > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums )))". allmusic.com. Billboard 200. Retrieved 2011-08-10.
  24. 1 2 3 "American certifications – Cross, Christopher". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 2011-08-09.
  25. 1 2 "British certifications – Christopher Cross". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 2010-08-19. Enter Christopher Cross in the field Search. Select Artist in the field Search by. Click Search
  26. Canadian Top Singles peaks
  27. German peaks
  28. Search for Irish peaks
  29. Dutch Top 40 peaks
  30. Norwegian peaks
  31. New Zealand peaks
  32. Swiss peaks
  33. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  34. "Grammy's Greatest Moments, Volume III: Various Artists". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2011-11-23.
  35. "Primetime Emmy Awards: Awards for 1988". Internet Movie Database.
  36. "Deep Purple – San Antonio, Texas – August 28, 1970". Purple.de. August 28, 1970. Retrieved 2011-10-11.

External links

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