I Worship At His Shrine

Gene Pitney, 65, just died. He was the undisputed leader of melodramatic rock and roll. His yearning, impassioned vibrato made every love song he sang a matter of life and death.

Pitney was a major star in the pre-Beatles 60s, with hits such as "Town Without Pity," "(The Man Who Shot) Liberty Valance" (a song not found in the film of the same name) and his biggest, "Only Love Can Break A Heart."

Unlike many of his contemporaries, he was able to withstand the British invasion. In fact, as different as they may seem, he became good friends with The Rolling Stones--Mick Jagger and Keith Richards even wrote his (non-hit) "That Girl Belongs To Yesterday." And in 1964, when The Beatles ruled the charts, he scored two top tens--"I'm Gonna Be Strong" and the magnificent "It Hurts To Be In Love."

While Pitney rarely wrote his own material, he was actually a great songwriter, turning out classics for others, such as "Hello Mary Lou," "He's A Rebel" and "Rubber Ball."

My personal favorite? It's a tie. Whenever I'm on the road, it's "Twenty Four Hours From Tulsa." The rest of the time, it's a song that's, as they say, more relevant than ever, "Mecca."

Go out and buy, or burn, his greatest hits right now.