Gene Pitney 1941-2006

Gene Pitney was nominated 7 times for the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame before being inducted in 2002. I never thought he was Hall material, and blame Pitney fan Dave Marsh for shoving his induction down the voters' throats. Pitney had some great songs, but so did Neil Sedaka. Pitney wrote "He's A Rebel" and "Hello Mary Lou", classics for sure, but to me it still wasn't enough. But seeing Pitney get introduced to the Hall crowd on the 2002 telecast, I felt sorry for him. The response from the audience was lukewarm. And while I still don't think he's a Hall of Famer, I thought he deserved better. Anyway, buy the Varese Vintage 25 Hits package for all the Pitney you need.