Christopher Cross | |
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.jpg) Cross in 2022 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Christopher Charles Geppert (1951-05-03)May 3, 1951 (age 74) San Antonio,Texas, U.S. |
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| Occupations |
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| Instruments |
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| Years active | 1971–present |
| Labels | |
Spouse(s) | |
| Website | christophercross |
Christopher Cross (bornChristopher Charles Geppert; May 3, 1951) is an American singer-songwriter andguitarist.He won fiveGrammy Awards for hiseponymous debut album released in 1979. The singles "Sailing" (1980), and "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)" (from the 1981 filmArthur) peaked at number one on the U.S.Billboard Hot 100.[2][3][4] "Sailing" earned three Grammys in 1980,[5] while "Arthur's Theme" won in 1982 theOscar forBest Original Song (with co-writersBurt Bacharach,Carole Bayer Sager, andPeter Allen).
A self-described "army brat", Cross is the son of a U.S. Armypediatrician stationed atWalter Reed Army Hospital in Washington, D.C., in the mid-1950s, acting as physician for PresidentDwight Eisenhower's grandchildren.[6] He attendedAlamo Heights High School inSan Antonio and graduated in 1969. He was involved in football and track and field.[7]Cross was married to Roseanne Harrison from 1973 until their divorce in 1982. His 1988 marriage to Jan Bunch ended in a 2007 divorce.[8] He has two children, Madison and Rain.[9][10]
On April 3, 2020, Cross confirmed through hisFacebook page that he had tested positive for theCOVID-19 virus, and was ill, but was recovering. Cross later reported on Twitter that he had lost the use of his legs, but his doctors told him he should fully recover. Physicians told him his illness triggered an episode ofGuillain–Barré syndrome that caused the nerves in his legs to stop functioning properly.[11] By October 2020, he was able to walk with a cane, but said his memory and speech had been affected.[12] In 2021 and 2022 he played his 40th anniversary concert tour, which had originally been planned for 2020.[13]
Cross was raised Catholic.[14]
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 drummerTommy Taylor. There, they played covers for cash while recording demo versions of original songs at Austin's Odyssey Sound, which later became Pecan Street Studio, which they shipped to record labels.[15][16] Though they considered themselves a band,Warner Bros. signed Christopher Cross as a solo artist in early 1979.[15][16][17]
Although best known for his vocals and songwriting, Cross is also a skilled guitarist.Donald Fagen andWalter Becker ofSteely Dan invited Cross to play on their albums, but Cross declined because "he was so intimidated, afraid to do it."[18] Cross also substituted forRitchie Blackmore during aDeep Purple concert in 1970 when Blackmore fell ill.[16][19]
Cross was the original owner of fellow Austin guitaristStevie Ray Vaughan's "Number One" 1962/1963 hybridFender Stratocaster. Vaughan purchased the guitar at Ray Hennig's Heart of Texas Music in Austin in 1974, only one day after Cross had traded the guitar for aGibson Les Paul.[20]
Cross released his self-titled debut album,Christopher Cross, on December 27, 1979.[21]Billboard Hot 100 top 20 hits from this album included "Ride Like the Wind" (featuring backing vocals byMichael McDonald), "Sailing", "Never Be the Same" and "Say You'll Be Mine" (featuring backing vocals byNicolette Larson). "Ride Like the Wind" hit number two on the U.S. Hot 100, while "Sailing" topped the chart for one week.[2] "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 1980 and won five.[22] Cross was the first artist in Grammy history to win all four general field awards in a single ceremony, bringing homeRecord of the Year ("Sailing"),Album of the Year (Christopher Cross),Song of the Year ("Sailing") andBest New Artist at the23rd Annual Grammy Awards.[a] This feat was not replicated for 39 years, untilBillie Eilish won all four awards at the62nd Annual Grammy Awards in 2020.[23][24] In addition, "Sailing" won forBest Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s).Christopher Cross has been certifiedplatinum five times in the U.S., selling over 5 million copies.[25]
Later in 1981, Cross released "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)", co-written byBurt Bacharach,Carole Bayer Sager andPeter Allen, which was the main theme for the 1981 filmArthur. The song won theOscar forBest Original Song in 1981,[26] and was nominated for three Grammys, but did not win.[27][b] 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.[28]
Cross's second album,Another Page (1983), produced "All Right", "No Time for Talk", and "Think of Laura". "All Right" was used byCBS Sports for its highlights montage following the1983 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, while "Think of Laura" is used as a reference to characters on the soap operaGeneral Hospital. Against his wishes,ABC used 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 ofDenison University college student Laura Carter who was killed when she was struck by a stray bullet. Cross has stated on his social media platforms that he felt it was inappropriate for ABC/General Hospital to use the song against his wishes and those of Carter's family.Another Page sold well, gettingGold certification.[29] He also co-wrote and sang the song "A Chance For Heaven" for the1984 Summer Olympic Games.
After 1984, Cross's commercial success faded. As music television channelMTV 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 his brand ofadult contemporary music declined in popularity.[30]
Cross's next two albums, 1985'sEvery Turn of the World and 1988'sBack of My Mind did not produce any top 40 hits or reach Gold or Platinum status. His track "Charm the Snake" was the sole success from his albumEvery Turn of the World. It reached No. 68 in the Billboard Hot 100.
He did, however, place the song "Swept Away" in the TV showGrowing Pains. It was used during a video montage whileKirk Cameron's character Mike fell in love with a local girl while vacationing with the family in Hawaii.
Cross made three more albums in the 1990s, and although some of his releases gained positive critical response, he was not able to attract the mass audience he once enjoyed. After his decline in fame in the mid to late 1980s, he toured and opened for various acts during the 1990s.[31][32]
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The year 2002 saw the release of theVery Best of... album, and in 2007 he completed a Christmas album titledA Christopher Cross Christmas. In 2008, Cross recorded a new acoustic album of his hits titledThe Cafe Carlyle Sessions.[33][34]
In 2011, Cross released a new studio album titledDoctor Faith.[35]
In 2013, he releasedA Night in Paris, a 2-CD live album he recorded and filmed in April 2012 at theTheatre Le Trianon in Paris, France.[36]
The song "Ride Like the Wind" was featured on theAnchorman 2: The Legend Continues original movie soundtrack, released in 2013.
In September 2014, he releasedSecret Ladder, followed in November 2017 byTake Me as I Am.[37]
In 2017, he played a concert in his hometown, at theTobin Center, San Antonio, Texas.[38]
In late 2019, Cross toured withTodd Rundgren,Jason Scheff,Micky Dolenz andJoey Molland ofBadfinger in celebration ofthe 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".[39]
During 2021–2022, Cross played in his 40th anniversary tour which had been rescheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2025, Christopher Cross joinedToto as the special guest on theDogz of Oz tour, performing across the U.K. and Europe in early 2025. Cross and Toto had previously shared the stage at the Hollywood Bowl on September 1, 2024, and this tour further solidified their booking together.[40]
In 2018, he joined with other musicians in Austin to form the band Freedonia.[41]
With Freedonia, he has released two full-length albums: "Freedonia" (2018) and "Firefly" (2019) and an EP titled "Bring Back The Dinosaurs" (2021).
One common feature of Cross's album covers is the appearance of aflamingo. 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.[42]
| Year | Album | Label | Chart positions | Certifications (sales thresholds) | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUS [43] | CAN [44] | GER [45] | JPN [46][47] | NLD [48] | NZ [49] | SWE [50] | UK [51] | US [52] | ||||
| 1979 | Christopher Cross | Warner Bros. | 6 | 26 | — | 18 | 14 | 16 | — | 14 | 6 | |
| 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 | Reprise | — | — | 45 | 27 | 93 | — | 49 | — | — | |
| 1992 | Rendezvous | Ariola | — | — | — | 96 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1994 | Window | — | — | — | 91 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1998 | Walking in Avalon | CMC | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1999 | Red Room | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007 | A Christopher Cross Christmas | Sony | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 2008 | The Café Carlyle Sessions | Edel | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 2011 | Doctor Faith | Ear | — | — | 48 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 2012 | A Night in Paris | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014 | Secret Ladder | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017 | Take Me As I Am | Christopher Cross Records | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | ||||||||||||
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Certifications (sales thresholds) | Album | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAN [56] | GER [57] | IRE [58] | NED [59] | NOR [60] | AUS [43] | NZ [61] | SWI [62] | UK [63] | US [64] | US A/C [65] | |||||||||
| 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: The Album | ||||||
| 1983 | "All Right" | 13 | 23 | 14 | 16 | 5 | 30 | 44 | 5 | 51 | 12 | 3 | Another Page | ||||||
| "No Time for Talk" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 33 | — | ||||||||
| "Think of Laura" | 9 | — | — | — | — | 100 | — | — | — | 9 | 1 | ||||||||
| "Deal 'Em Again" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||
| 1984 | "A Chance for Heaven"(swimming theme from1984 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)" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||
| "That Girl" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||
| "Loving Strangers" | 94 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 27 | Nothing in Common: Original Soundtrack Album | |||||||
| 1988 | "Swept Away" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Back of My Mind | ||||||
| "I Will (Take You Forever)"(withFrances Ruffelle) | 90 | — | — | — | — | 47 | — | — | — | — | 41 | ||||||||
| "Someday" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||
| 1992 | "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 & US only) | ||||||
| "Wild, Wild West"(Germany only) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||
| 1995 | "Open Up My Window" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||
| 1998 | "Walking in Avalon" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Walking in Avalon | ||||||
| "When She Smiles" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||||||||||||||||
| Year | Title | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | "Ride Like the Wind" | Christopher Cross |
| "Sailing" | ||
| "Never Be the Same" | ||
| 1981 | "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)" | Arthur: The Album |
| 1983 | "All Right" | Another Page |
| "Think of Laura" | ||
| 1985 | "Charm the Snake" | Every Turn of the World |
| "That Girl" | ||
| 1988 | "I Will (Take You Forever)" | Back of My Mind |
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Academy Awards | Best Original Song | "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)"(fromArthur) | Won | [67] |
| 1981 | ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards | Most Performed Feature Film Standards | Won | ||
| 1981 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Original Song | Won | [68] | |
| 1980 | Grammy Awards | Album of the Year | Christopher Cross | Won | [69] |
| Record of the Year | "Sailing" | Won | |||
| Song of the Year | Won | ||||
| Best New Artist | — | Won | |||
| Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male | Christopher Cross | Nominated | |||
| Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) | "Sailing" | Won | |||
| 1981 | Record of the Year | "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)" | Nominated | ||
| Song of the Year | Nominated | ||||
| Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male | Nominated | ||||
| 1988 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Music and Lyrics | "Swept Away"(fromGrowing Pains – Episode: "Aloha") | Nominated | [70] |
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