Music Legend Gene Pitney Immortalized — Up Close — In New Book

VERNON, CT — Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and Connecticut native Gene Pitney is immortalized with very personal touches in a new book, "Gene Pitney: The Singer, The Songs, The Songwriters."

The book by a man who knew Pitney well, Tom McGrath, is available now on Amazon.com. McGrath also has a website for the book: www.genepitneybook.com.

Lynne Pitney, Gene's widow, is scheduled to join McGrath for a book signing — the only one she is doing — on Nov. 28 from 2 to 4 p.m. at Arts Center East in Vernon. Tickets are $30 and ticket holders get a copy of the book, a Gene Pitney- autographed piece of memorabilia and a guaranteed seat. See https://artscentereast.org for more information.

Pitney was born in Hartford in 1940 and spent his formative years in the Rockville section of Vernon, where he earned the moniker "The Rockville Rocket." He would sell out raucous shows in the local dance and music halls with his band Gene Pitney and his Genials.

The town of Vernon recently dedicated a park in Pitney's honor located on a riverside parcel band members recall he used as a retreat to write his music.

The humble Pitney found himself right smack on the middle of the rock music movement as the scene expanded from the solo presence of singers like Elvis Presley and Buddy Holly to include the super groups like The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. Pitney was a part of it — both as a solo act and behind the scenes in deep, creative collaborations.

McGrath was close to Pitney. Pitney was the best man at his wedding. McGrath was a pallbearer at his funeral in 2006. McGrath joked that he became a DJ because he couldn't sing or dance, but he certainly carved a niche with Pitney that led to a business partnership, Gene Pitney Music & Merchandising.

Said McGrath, "Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. Burt Bacharach and Hal David. Carole King and Gerry Goffin. An eclectic group of acclaimed songwriters with one thing in common: they all wrote hit songs for Rock & Roll Hall of Fame member Gene Pitney in the 1960s. "Twenty Four Hours From Tulsa" and "Town Without Pity" and "(The Man Who Shot) Liberty Valance" and "Only Love Can Break A Heart" are a few of Pitney’s worldwide hits.

"Pitney was, without a doubt, the Frank Sinatra of his generation. Hit after hit after hit. Screaming female fans. Sold out concerts in the U.S. and overseas. He did not just sing the songwriters' songs; he interpreted them. He brought them to life — giving them context and essence that the writers never imagined. When one of his hits blared out of a transistor radio in the 1960s, there was no doubt who was singing."

McGrath explores how the shy, clean-cut 24-year-old singer reworked "That Girl Belongs To Yesterday," an early Rolling Stones song, that gave Mick Jagger and Keith Richards their first hit in England and America?

McGrath also dives into why Pitney initially did not want to record "Only Love Can Break A Heart," the song that became his biggest U.S. hit.

"How did a wet-behind-the-ears Pitney get his hands on 'Town Without Pity,' a song that would be nominated for an Academy Award, before his career was in full swing?" McGrath asks in the book.

"Gene Pitney: The Singer, The Songs, The Songwriters" tells the stories behind Pitney's iconic hit records and others. McGrath was Pitney’s friend, business partner, and confidante for more than 20 years and the work certainly reflects that.