Tony Christie
Anthony Fitzgerald (born 25 April 1943),[2] known professionally as Tony Christie, is an English musician and singer. He is best known for his recording of "(Is This the Way to) Amarillo", a double UK chart success.
Tony Christie
Career[edit]
1960s to 1970s[edit]
Born Anthony Fitzgerald, Christie adopted his stage name after seeing the 1965 film Darling, starring Julie Christie.[1][3]
Discovered and managed by Harvey Lisberg,[3] Christie had three hits in 1971 on the MCA Records label, beginning with "Las Vegas" which reached number 21 in the UK, and went on to have two Top Twenty hits in the UK Singles Chart with "I Did What I Did for Maria", which reached number two, and "(Is This the Way to) Amarillo", which peaked at number 18, all in 1971. In 1973 he had a minor hit with "Avenues and Alleyways" which reached number 37. It was also the theme music to the television series The Protectors. In addition he charted with "Drive Safely Darlin'" in early 1976 which reached 35 in the UK chart. "Is This the Way to Amarillo" had sold more than one million copies by September 1972, and was awarded a gold disc.[4] His early songs were dramatic big-voiced numbers, many of which were written by Mitch Murray and Peter Callander.
Christie recorded albums regularly throughout the 1970s and made infrequent appearances on the charts. His album With Loving Feeling sold well boosted by the hit single "(Is This The Way to) Amarillo". He recorded an album in the United States in 1973 with the record producer Snuff Garrett, which did little to stop his commercial slide. A live album followed which sold relatively better but by the mid-1970s recorded work became rarer and stage work took preference. In June 1972, he was invited to take part in the music festival, The Golden Orpheus, in Bulgaria, which was recorded and published on vinyl by the government musical company Balkanton.
Christie played the role of Magaldi on the original 1976 album recording of Evita (singing the solo song "On this Night of a Thousand Stars" and the duet with Julie Covington "Eva And Magaldi / Eva Beware Of The City") and sought to represent the UK in the 1976 Eurovision Song Contest, with the song "The Queen of the Mardi Gras" but came third in the contest to select an entrant, behind eventual contest winners Brotherhood of Man.
1980s to 1990s[edit]
Although his popularity waned in his native England through most of the 1980s and 1990s, Christie maintained a successful singing career in continental Europe during this period. This was especially so in Germany, with four albums recorded with German producer Jack White, especially their first album collaboration Welcome to My Music, reaching number 7 in the German charts and going platinum. From 1991 to 2002, Christie recorded nine albums especially for the German market.
In 1999, Christie sang the Jarvis Cocker-penned UK top ten hit "Walk like a Panther", recorded by the Sheffield band All Seeing I. His influence on a new generation of singers was further demonstrated when indie pop band Rinaldi Sings released a cover version of "Avenues & Alleyways" in March 2004.
2000 to 2010[edit]
In 2002, "(Is This the Way to) Amarillo" was used in the TV comedy series Peter Kay's Phoenix Nights, leading to a resurgence in his popularity. The song was re-released on 14 March 2005 to raise money for the Comic Relief charity, and reached Number 1 in the UK Singles Chart[5] (outselling all the first release's chart run put together). This led to the biggest sales for a Number 1 single for the whole year, with seven weeks at the chart pinnacle. It also became the longest running chart-topper since Cher's "Believe", almost seven years earlier. The single was credited as "featuring Peter Kay", though Kay only appeared in the video; the audio track was the original 1971 issue. His album The Definitive Collection also climbed to the Number 1 spot the following week in the UK Albums Chart,[5] breaking records when it also came in at Number 1 on the downloads chart.
Personal life[edit]
Christie married his wife Susan in 1968, they have 3 children. They currently reside in Lichfield, Staffordshire. In January 2023, Christie announced he had been diagnosed with dementia.[16]