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Christopher Cross (born Christopher Charles Geppert; May 3, 1951) is an American singer-songwriter from San Antonio, Texas. He won five Grammy Awards for his eponymous debut album released in 1979. The singles "Sailing" (1980), and "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)" (from the 1981 film Arthur) peaked at number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.[1][2][3] "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).

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

Christopher Cross
Cross in 2022
Background information
Birth nameChristopher Charles Geppert
Born (1951-05-03) May 3, 1951 (age 71)
San Antonio, Texas, U.S.
Genres
  • Rock
  • pop
  • yacht rock
  • soft rock
Occupations
  • Musician
  • singer
  • songwriter
  • composer
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
Years active1971–present
Labels
  • Warner Bros.
  • Priority
  • CMC International
Websitechristophercross.com

Career



Early musical career


Geppert, bassist Andy Salmon and keyboardist Rob Meurer met in San Antonio when they were still teens. Geppert and Salmon became bandmates in Flash, with Geppert on guitar. Together, they formed Christopher Cross as a band and moved to Austin, where they added drummer Tommy Taylor. There, they played covers for cash while recording demo versions of original songs at Austin's Pecan Street Studios, which they shopped to record labels. [4][5] Though they considered themselves a band, Warner Bros. signed Christopher Cross as a solo artist in early 1979.[4][5][6]

Although best known for his vocals, Cross's guitar-playing is such that it once led to an unfulfilled invitation to play with Donald Fagen and Walter Becker of Steely Dan.[7] He also played guitar during a Deep Purple concert in 1970 when Ritchie Blackmore fell ill shortly before the show.[5][8]


The first album and immediate success


Cross released his self-titled debut album, Christopher Cross, on Dec. 27, 1979.[9] 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). "Ride Like the Wind" hit number two on the U.S. Hot 100, while "Sailing" topped the chart for one week.[1] "Never Be The Same" went number one on the Adult Contemporary chart. Cross, the album and the song "Sailing" were nominated for six Grammy Awards in 1981 and won five.[10] Cross was the first artist in Grammy history to win all four general field awards in a single ceremony, bringing home Record of the Year ("Sailing"), Album of the Year (Christopher Cross), Song of the Year ("Sailing") and Best New Artist at the 23rd Annual Grammy Awards.[lower-alpha 1] This feat was not replicated for 39 years, until Billie Eilish won all four awards at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards in 2020.[11][12] In addition, "Sailing" won for Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s). Christopher Cross has been certified platinum five times in the U.S., selling over 5 million copies.[13]

Later in 1981, Cross released "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)", co-written by Burt Bacharach, which was the main theme for the 1981 film Arthur. The song won the Oscar for Best Original Song in 1981,[14] and was nominated for three Grammys, but did not win.[15][lower-alpha 2] In the U.S., it reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and on the Hot Adult Contemporary charts in October 1981, remaining at the top of the Hot 100 for three weeks while it also was a top-ten hit in several other countries. The song became the second and last American number-one hit by Christopher Cross.[16]


The second album


Cross's second album, Another Page (1983), produced "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 Division I men's basketball tournament, while "Think of Laura" is used as a reference to characters on the soap opera General Hospital. Cross allowed ABC to use his song in this context; however, he has stated that he wrote "Think of Laura" not in reference to the television characters, but to celebrate the life of Denison University college student Laura Carter who was killed when she was struck by a stray bullet. Another Page sold well, getting Gold certification.[17] He also co-wrote and sang the song "A Chance For Heaven" for the 1984 Summer Olympic Games.


The 1980s


After 1984, Cross's star quickly dimmed. As music television channel MTV grew to dominate the mainstream music scene in the United States, Cross's style of music proved to be a bad fit for the network, and Cross's brand of adult contemporary music declined in popularity.[18]

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 or reach Gold or Platinum status.

He did, however, place the song "Swept Away" in the TV show Growing Pains. It was used during a video montage while Kirk Cameron's character Mike fell in love with a local girl while vacationing with the family in Hawaii.


The 1990s


Cross made three more albums in the 1990s, and although some of his releases gained critical response, he was not 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.[19][20]


The 2000s


Cross in 2008
Cross in 2008

The year 2002 saw the release of the Very Best of... album, and in 2007 he completed a Christmas album titled A Christopher Cross Christmas. In 2008, Cross recorded a new acoustic album of his hits titled The Cafe Carlyle Sessions.[21][22]


The 2010s


In 2011, Cross released a new studio album titled Doctor Faith.[23]

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.[24]

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 Secret Ladder, followed in November 2017 by Take Me as I Am.[25]

In 2017, he played a concert in his hometown, at the Tobin Center, San Antonio, Texas.[26] In 2018, he joined with other musicians in Austin to form the band Freedonia.[27]

In late 2019, Cross toured with Todd Rundgren, Jason Scheff, Micky Dolenz and Joey Molland of Badfinger in celebration of the Beatles' White Album on the "It Was Fifty Years Ago Today – A Tribute to the Beatles' White Album". Cross performed "Sailing" and "Ride Like the Wind".[28]

Since 2018, Cross has been playing in a band called Freedonia. They have 2 full length albums: "Freedonia" and "Firefly" and an EP titled "Bring Back The Dinosaurs".


Flamingo


One common feature of Cross's album covers is the appearance of a flamingo. According to Cross, there is no meaning behind this other than the painting chosen for his first album cover featured the bird, which has been used as a motif ever since.[29]


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.[30] He attended Alamo Heights High School in San Antonio and graduated in 1969. He was involved in football and track and field. [31] Cross was married to Roseanne Harrison from 1973 until the couple divorced in 1982. His 1988 marriage to Jan Bunch ended in a 2007 divorce.[32]

Cross has a son from his first marriage and two children from his second marriage, a son and a daughter.

On April 3, 2020, Cross confirmed through his Facebook page that he had tested positive for the COVID-19 virus, and was ill, but was recovering. Cross later reported on Twitter that he has lost the use of his legs, but his doctors have told him he should fully recover. Physicians told him his COVID-19 disease triggered an episode of Guillain–Barré syndrome that caused the nerves in his legs to stop functioning properly.[33] On October 18, 2020, during an interview with CBS Sunday Morning, Cross described what COVID-19 is like for him, in his first public appearance since contracting the virus. The effects of COVID-19 still linger as Cross considers himself a "Long Haul" survivor. Cross advocated the wearing of masks and is eager to tour again.

In 2019 he prepared to go on tour in 2020 as a 40th year celebration of his successful debut album bearing his name. He had dates booked at various venues in the United States beginning in early 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic rapidly became widespread. Initially, his dates were rescheduled for later in the year, but then it became apparent that the time frame would be a lot longer. Finally, in September 2021 when restrictions were softened, he began fulfilling those concert dates by performing live at venues nationwide.


Discography



Studio albums


Year Album Label Chart positions Certifications
(sales thresholds)
AUS
[34]		 CAN
[35]		 GER
[36]		 JPN
[37][38]		 NLD
[39]		 NZ
[40]		 SWE
[41]		 UK
[42]		 US
[43]
1979 Christopher Cross Warner Bros. 6 26 — 18 14 16 — 14 6
  • RIAA: 5× Platinum[44]
  • ARIA: 2× Platinum[45]
  • BPI: Platinum[46]
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 — —
1991 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 — — — — — — — — —
2017 Take Me As I Am — — — — — — — — —

Compilations



Soundtracks



Singles


Year Single Peak chart positions Certifications
(sales thresholds)		 Album
CAN
[47]		 GER
[48]		 IRE
[49]		 NED
[50]		 NOR
[51]		 AUS
[34]		 NZ
[52]		 SWI
[53]		 UK
[54]		 US
[55]		 U.S.
AC
[56]
1980 "Ride Like the Wind" 3 — — — — 25 31 — 69 2 24 Christopher Cross
"Sailing" 1 — 21 18 — 46 8 — 48 1 10
"Never Be the Same" — — 25 — — 42 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 13 10 6 7 1 1 Arthur (soundtrack)
1983 "All Right" 13 23 14 16 5 30 44 5 51 12 3 Another Page
"No Time for Talk" — — — — — — — — — 33 10
"Think of Laura" 9 — — — — 100 — — — 9 1
1984 "A Chance for Heaven" (swimming theme from 1984 Summer Olympics) — — — — — — — — — 76 16 The Official Music of the XXIIIrd Olympiad Los Angeles 1984
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) 90 — — — — 47 — — — — 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


[62] [63]


Nominations





Notes


  1. Cross and producer Michael Omartian also won Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s), he was nominated for but did not win Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male. The album was also nominated for Best Engineered Recording – Non-Classical (Chet Himes).[10]
  2. The song was nominated for Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male[15]

References


  1. "Christopher Cross". Billboard. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
  2. "New York Times". Movies & TV Dept. Baseline & All Movie Guide. 2008. Archived from the original on February 5, 2008. Retrieved October 11, 2011.
  3. Holden, Stephen (April 17, 2008). "New York Times". The New York Times. Retrieved October 11, 2011.
  4. Frolik, Joe (March 10, 1979). "Christopher Cross may let secret out of bag". Austin American-Statesman. p. 29.
  5. Margaret Moser. "The Reluctant Celebrity: Christopher Cross." The Austin Chronicle. 20 January 2012. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
  6. "Christopher Cross & Flash". Archived from the original on July 15, 2011. Retrieved April 26, 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  7. Flans, Robyn (September 25, 2015). "Classic Track: 'Ride Like the Wind,' Christopher Cross". Mixonline.
  8. Cross, Christopher (October 18, 2013). "Christopher Cross". Songfacts (Interview). Interviewed by Greg Prato. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
  9. "Gold & Platinum". RIAA. Retrieved July 28, 2022.
  10. 23rd Annual GRAMMY Awards at Grammy.com. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
  11. "A Virtual College of Grammy Knowledge", by Wook Kim, Entertainment Weekly, 2007. Retrieved 2008-01-07.
  12. Sisario, Ben (January 26, 2020). "Billie Eilish Sweeps Top Awards at the Grammys". The New York Times. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  13. "American certifications – Christopher Cross – Christopher Cross". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  14. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 136. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  15. 24th Annual GRAMMY Awards at Grammy.com. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
  16. "Christopher Cross Artist Biography by Jason Ankeny - Awards". Allmusic.com. Retrieved March 30, 2014.
  17. "American certifications – Christopher Cross – Another Page". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  18. "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.
  19. "Classicbands.com". Classicbands.com. Retrieved October 11, 2011.
  20. Weingarten, Marc (May 10, 1998). "Los Angeles Times". Articles.latimes.com. Retrieved October 11, 2011.
  21. "Westcoastmusic". Noted.blogs.com. October 2, 2008. Retrieved October 11, 2011.
  22. "Insidemusicast.com". Inside Musicast. May 4, 2009. Retrieved October 11, 2011.
  23. "Christopher Cross Website – Doctor Faith Release". Christophercross.com. Archived from the original on September 27, 2011. Retrieved October 11, 2011.
  24. "Christopher Cross Returns with his First Live Release "A Night in Paris"". Archived from the original on July 13, 2013.
  25. "Christopher Cross Official Web Site". Christophercross.com.
  26. David Hendricks "Christopher Cross returns to San Antonio better than ever",my SA, June 5, 2017
  27. "Christopher Cross Official Web Site". Christophercross.com.
  28. "Dolenz, Rundgren, Molland Begin Beatles Tribute Tour". July 30, 2015.
  29. "Christopher Cross Official Website - FAQs". Christophercross.com. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  30. Christopher Cross. Comments during Concert at Wolf Trap Performing Arts Center, Vienna, Virginia. January 19, 2013.
  31. "classmates.com".
  32. "Christopher Cross files for divorce". USA TODAY. April 27, 2007. Retrieved December 18, 2011.
  33. Lisa Respers France. "Christopher Cross says Covid-19 paralyzed him temporarily". CNN. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
  34. 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)
  35. "Canadian Albums peaks". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on May 25, 2016. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  36. "Album Search: Christopher Cross" (in German). Media Control. Retrieved May 20, 2011.[dead link]
  37. Okamoto, Satoshi (2006). Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  38. "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 August 8, 2011.Note: Reference indicates chart positions from 1988 onwards, and part of the information are currently unavailable
  39. "Dutchcharts.nl Christopher Cross discography". Hung Medien. MegaCharts. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
  40. "chart.org.nz Christopher Cross discography". Hung Medien. RIANZ. Retrieved August 8, 2011.
  41. "swedishcharts.com – Discography Christopher Cross". Retrieved November 3, 2010.
  42. "The Official Charts Company – Christopher Cross". Official Charts. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
  43. "Christopher Cross - Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  44. "American certifications – Cross, Christopher". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 9, 2011.
  45. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1996 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
  46. "British certifications – Christopher Cross". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved August 19, 2010. Type Christopher Cross in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  47. "Canadian Top Singles peaks". Archived from the original on March 14, 2016. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  48. "Home - Offizielle Deutsche Charts". Officialcharts.de. Archived from the original on September 3, 2014. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  49. "Search for Irish peaks". Archived from the original on August 30, 2012. Retrieved August 25, 2012.
  50. "Christopher Cross". Top40.nl. Stichting Nederlandse Top 40. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  51. Hung, Steffen. "norwegiancharts.com - Norwegian charts portal". norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved May 17, 2018.
  52. "New Zealand peaks". Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  53. "Die Offizielle Schweizer Hitparade und Music Community". hitparade.ch. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  54. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  55. "Christopher Cross - Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  56. "Christopher Cross - Adult Contemporary". Billboard. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  57. "Grammy's Greatest Moments, Volume III: Various Artists". Amazon. Retrieved November 23, 2011.
  58. ""Arthur's Theme" Wins Original Song: 1982 Oscars". Archived from the original on December 11, 2021 – via www.youtube.com.
  59. Schonfeld, Zach (February 15, 2016), "The Most Ridiculous 'Album of the Year' Winners in Grammy History", Newsweek, retrieved December 13, 2016
  60. "Grammy Album of the Year winners 1959 – 2018". The Telegraph. January 20, 2016. Archived from the original on January 11, 2022 – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
  61. "Best New Artists Who Also Won Album Of The Year". GRAMMY.com. January 11, 2018.
  62. "Christopher Cross". GRAMMY.com. June 4, 2019.
  63. "23rd Annual GRAMMY Awards". GRAMMY.com. November 28, 2017.
  64. "Primetime Emmy Awards: Awards for 1988". Internet Movie Database.
  65. "Deep Purple – San Antonio, Texas – August 28, 1970". Purple.de. August 28, 1970. Retrieved October 11, 2011.
  66. "第11回世界歌謡祭 World Popular Song Festival in Tokyo '80 - ヤマハ音楽振興会". www.yamaha-mf.or.jp. Retrieved April 1, 2022.



На других языках

- [en] Christopher Cross

[es] Christopher Cross

Christopher Charles Geppert (San Antonio, Texas; 3 de mayo de 1951), conocido por su nombre artístico Christopher Cross, es un cantautor estadounidense, ganador de un Óscar, un Globo de Oro y 5 premios Grammy.

[ru] Кросс, Кристофер

Кристофер Кросс (Christopher Cross, наст. имя Christopher Charles Geppert, род. 3 мая 1951 г. в Сан-Антонио) — американский автор и исполнитель песен, за два первых года своей музыкальной карьеры выигравший премии «Оскар», «Золотой глобус» и пять премий «Грэмми».


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