Lou Christie was born Luigi Alfredo Giovanni Sacco in the
Pittsburgh suburb of Glenwillard, Pennsylvania on
February 19, 1943.  At the age of 15, he auditioned for Twyla
Herbert, an eccentric mystic who became his longtime
songwriting partner. After high school, Luigi found work
in New York and began recording for the Starr label in 1960.  Two
years later, he cut “The Gypsy Cried” for a local Pittsburgh label,
Co & Ce, who with airplay from Pittsburgh and Philadelphia radio
sold the master to Roulette Records where the single peaked on
the Hit Parade at #24 nationally.

Christie’s multi-octave falsetto style continued with "Two Faces Have I,"
the follow-up single climbing to #6.  Christie joined Dick Clark's
Caravan of Stars, and while on tour Uncle Sam came a-calling,
snatching Lou from the spotlight for two and half years while
he served in the Army.

After his discharge, Lou signed with MGM, which was
none too pleased with the first single he cut for the label. 
In fact, MGM's president reportedly threw the tape into
a trash basket. Christie's new management, though, salvaged the
tape and promoted it to DJs in California.  As a result of their
enthusiasm, MGM finally released "Lightnin' Strikes" at the
end of 1965.  The following February, it hit #1, having
sold over one million copies. Those who thought
“Lightnin’ Strikes” was cutting-edge provocative really
went beserk when “Rhapsody in The Rain” was released that
March.  Over a melody adapted from Tchaikovsky's
"Romeo and Juliet," it’s recalled backseat action during a
rainstorm as the wipers hythmically beat out “together, together.” 
In fact, the first pressings included the phrase “we were makin’ out
in the rain” -- which caused many radio stations to ban the record. 
MGM hastily issued a second version, substituting “we fell in
love in the rain” -- but it was almost too late. Although considered
an oldies staple today, “Rhapsody In The Rain” washed out at #16
when first released in 1966
.
Moving from MGM to Buddah in 1969,  songwriter-producer
Tony Romeo guided him back into the Top 10 with
“I’m Gonna Make You Mine.”  After that, Lou moved to
England, where Elton John covered one of his tunes
(“She Sold Me Magic”) and Christie developed a new, more
country-flavored sound.  The result, in 1974, was “Beyond
The Blue Horizon,” an Adult Contemporary hit that later
turned up in the 1988 movie Rain Man.  It was Lou’s 12th
visit to the American Hit Parade.

Visit the official Lou Christie website here.