Christopher Cross biography
Christopher Cross (born Christopher Charles Geppert; May 3, 1951) is an American singer-songwriter from San Antonio, Texas. His debut album earned him five Grammys. He is perhaps best known for his US Top Ten hit songs, "Sailing", "Ride Like the Wind", and "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)", the last of which he recorded for the film Arthur starring Dudley Moore. "Sailing" earned three Grammy Awards 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
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.
Cross released his self-titled debut album, Christopher Cross, in 1979, which garnered him five Grammy Awards. He was the first solo 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. 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).
Cross' second album, Another Page (1983), included the hit songs "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. Although Another Page sold respectably, it did not nearly live up to the high expectations set by his debut album.
Cross' next two albums, 1985's Every Turn of the World and 1988's Back of My Mind failed to produce any top 40 hits, and did not sell as well as his first two albums.
Cross made three more albums in the 1990s, and although some of his releases have gained critical response, he has failed to catch the mass audience he once enjoyed. After his decline in fame in the mid-1980s, he has toured and opened for various acts since the 1990s and released his second greatest hits package in 2002.
Cross completed a Christmas album, A Christopher Cross Christmas, released in 2007. Cross finished recording a new acoustic album of his hits titled The Cafe Carlyle Sessions.
Cross released a new studio album Dr. Faith in 2011.
Personal life
Cross married his wife, Jan, in 1988. They divorced in 2007. They have two children; son, Christopher, and daughter, Madison.
Compilations
- 1993:The Best of Christopher Cross (WEA)
- 1999: Greatest Hits Live (CMC)
- 2002: The Very Best of Christopher Cross (Warner Bros.)
Soundtracks
- 1981: Arthur (Motion picture soundtrack) "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)"
- 1983: General Hospital (TV series soundtrack) "Think of Laura"
- 1984: Official Music of the XXIIIrd Olympiad "A Chance For Heaven" (swimming theme)
- 1986: Nothing In Common (Motion picture soundtrack) "Loving Strangers (David's Theme)"
- 2010: 30 Rock (TV series soundtrack) "Lemon's Theme"
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