Christopher Cross

At 72 years old, Christopher Cross has this physical status:

Christopher Cross (born Christopher Charles Geppert; May 3, 1951) is an American singer-songwriter from San Antonio, Texas. Cross won five Grammy Awards for his eponymous debut album released in 1979.

The singles "Sailing" (1980), and "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)" (from the 1981 film Arthur) peaked at number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.

"Sailing" earned three Grammys 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).

Personal life

A self-described "Army brat", Cross is the son of a U.S. Army pediatrician stationed at Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington, D.C., in the mid-1950s, acting as physician for President Dwight Eisenhower's grandchildren. He attended Alamo Heights High School in San Antonio and graduated in 1969. He was involved in football and track and field. Cross was married to Roseanne Harrison from 1973 until the couple divorced in 1982. His 1988 marriage to Jan Bunch ended in a 2007 divorce.

Cross has a son from his first marriage and two children from his second marriage, a son and a daughter.

On April 3, 2020, Cross confirmed through his Facebook page that he had tested positive for the COVID-19 virus, and was ill, but was recovering. Cross later reported on Twitter that he has lost the use of his legs, but his doctors have told him he should fully recover. Physicians told him his COVID-19 disease triggered an episode of Guillain–Barré syndrome that caused the nerves in his legs to stop functioning properly. On October 18, 2020, during an interview with CBS Sunday Morning, Cross described what COVID-19 is like for him, in his first public appearance since contracting the virus. The effects of COVID-19 still linger as Cross considers himself a "Long Haul" survivor. Cross advocated the wearing of masks and is eager to tour again.

In 2019 he prepared to go on tour in 2020 as a 40th year celebration of his successful debut album bearing his name. He had dates booked at various venues in the United States beginning in early 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic rapidly became widespread. Initially, his dates were rescheduled for later in the year, but then it became apparent that the time frame would be a lot longer. Finally, in September 2021 when restrictions were softened, he began fulfilling those concert dates by performing live at venues nationwide.

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Career

Geppert, bassist Andy Salmon, and keyboardist Rob Meurer met in San Antonio when they were still teenagers. Geppert and Salmon were among the Flash bandmates, with Geppert on guitar. They formed Christopher Cross as a band and then moved to Austin, where they added drummer Tommy Taylor. They were playing for money while recording demo versions of original songs at Pecan Street Studios in Austin, Texas, where they fought for rights. Although Warner Bros. signed Christopher Cross as a solo artist in early 1979, they didn't consider them a band.

Though Cross is best known for his vocals, his guitar-playing is so good that it resulted in an unfull invitation to compete with Donald Fagen and Walter Becker of Steely Dan. Ritchie Blackmore died shortly before the performance, and he played guitar during a Deep Purple concert in 1970.

On December 27, 1979, Cross' self-titled debut album, Christopher Cross, was released. "Ride Like the Wind" (featuring backing vocals from Michael McDonald), "Sailing," "Never Be the Same"), and "Say You'll Be Mine" were among Michael McDonald's top ten hits from this album (featuring backing vocals). On the United States, "Ride Like the Wind" debuted at number two. The Hot 100 was the most popular one on the charts for a week, while "Sailing" took first place. On the Adult Contemporary chart, "Never Be the Same" came in first place. In 1981, Cross, the album, and the song "Sailing" were nominated for six Grammy Awards, and they received five. Cross was the first artist to win all four general field awards in a single ceremony, including "Sailing"), Album of the Year ("Christopher Cross), Song of the Year ("Sailing"), and Best New Artist at the 23rd Annual Grammy Awards. Billie Eilish won all four awards at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards in 2020, but this feat was not repeated for 39 years until Billie Eilish won all four awards. In addition, "Sailing" received the Best Arrangement Accompliment Vocalist(s). Christopher Cross has been named platinum five times in the United States, having sold more than 5 million copies.

Cross co-authored "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)," which was the main theme of the 1981 film Arthur. In 1981, the song received the Oscar for Best Original Song and was nominated for, but it did not win three Grammy Awards. It made it to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and on the Hot Adult Contemporary charts in October 1981, and stayed at the top of the Hot 100 for three weeks, while other countries were also a top-ten hit. Christopher Cross' second and last American number one hit the song.

"All Right," "No Time for Talk," and "Think of Laura Cross's second album, Another Page (1983), was Cross's second album (1983). Following the 1983 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, CBS Sports' "All Right" was used in its highlights montage, while "Think of Laura" was used to describe characters from the soap opera General Hospital. Cross encouraged ABC to use his song in this context; however, he has said that he wrote "Think of Laura" not in reference to the television characters, but in reference to Denison University college student Laura Carter, who was killed by a stray bullet. Another Page had a great success, receiving Gold status. "A Chance For Heaven" was also written and performed by the 1984 Summer Olympic Games.

Cross's star quickly faded after 1984. Cross's style of music continued to be a bad match for the network, and Cross's brand of adult contemporary music fell in popularity as the television channel MTV grew to dominate the mainstream music scene in the United States.

Cross's upcoming two albums, 1985's Every Turn of the World, and 1988's Back of My Mind, were neither known top 40 hits or reach Platinum status.

He did, however, place the song "Swept Away" in the television show Growing Pains. Although Kirk Cameron's character Mike fell in love with a local girl when holidaying with the family in Hawaii, it was used during a video montage.

Cross released three more albums in the 1990s, and although some of his collections attracted critical attention, he was not able to reach the mass audience he once loved. He appeared and opened for several acts in the 1990s after his demise in prominence in the mid-1980s.

He released the Very Best Of... album in 2002, and A Christopher Cross Christmas was released in 2007. Cross released The Cafe Carlyle Sessions, a new acoustic album of his hits, in 2008.

Cross also released Doctor Faith, a new studio album from 2011.

In 2013, he released A Night in Paris, a 2-CD live album he recorded and shot at the Theatre Le Trianon in Paris, France, in April 2012.

The song "Ride Like the Wind" was included on the Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues original film soundtrack, which was released in 2013.

In September 2014, he revealed Secret Ladder, followed by Take Me as I Am in November 2017.

In 2017, he appeared at the Tobin Center in San Antonio, Texas, where he appeared in his hometown. He formed the Freedonia band in Austin in 2018.

Cross toured with Todd Rundgren, Jason Scheff, Micky Dolenz, and Joey Molland of Badfinger in late 2019, in honor of the Beatles' White Album's "It Was Fifty Years Ago Today," an "A Tribute to the Beatles' White Album." "Sailing" and "Ride Like the Wind" were two popular Cross songs.

Since 2018, Cross has been playing in Freedonia, a band formed in the United States. They have two full length albums; "Freedonia" and "Firefly" and "Bring Back the Dinosaurs" on EP.

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Awards

• Academy Award, 1981 – Best Original Song, "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)"
• Golden Globe Award, 1981 – Best Original Song, "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)"
• Grammy, 1981 – Record of the Year – "Sailing"
• Grammy, 1981 – Song of the Year – "Sailing"
• Grammy, 1981 – Album of the Year – Christopher Cross
• Grammy, 1981 – Best New Artist – Christopher Cross
• Grammy, 1981 – Best Arrangement – "Sailing"
• ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards, 1991 – "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)"