Lou Christie

about

Lou Christie (born Lugee Alfredo Giovanni Sacco in Glenwillard, Pennsylvania, on 19 February 1943; died 18 June 2025) was an American singer-songwriter remembered for his three-octave vocal range and for several hits in the 1960s including his 1966 U.S. chart-topper "Lightnin' Strikes" and his 1969 UK number two hit "I'm Gonna Make You Mine". Sacco was raised in suburban Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and traveled to New York after graduating from Moon Area High School and found work as a session vocalist. His sister Susan Christie had a minor hit with the novelty song "I Love Onions", which peaked at #63 on the Hot 100 in 1966. Robbee and Roulette: 1961-1963 Sacco recorded a few unsuccessful discs for various record labels in both New York and Pittsburgh, most notably "The Jury" (as by "Lugee & The Lions") on the Pittsburgh-based Robbee label, which achieved local success. "The Gypsy Cried" features the vocal style that would characterize all of Christie's biggest hits: verses sung in his normal register, and then a dramatic shift to his falsetto on the choruses. That song was released in 1962 on the tiny C&C label and unexpectedly credited to 'Lou Christie' without Sacco's permission. Sacco had been working on a list of potential stage names, and he has stated that he hated the name for decades afterwards: "I was pissed off about it for 20 years. I wanted to keep my name and be a one-named performer, just 'Lugee'." After the C&C release became a Pittsburgh hit, "The Gypsy

top songs

albums

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EnLIGHTNIN'ment The Best of Lou Christie

Lightnin’ Strikes: The Very Best Of The MGM Recordings

Lou Christie

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White Soul Man

Lou Christie and The Classics

Lightning Strikes! (Beyond The Blue Horizon)

I'm Gonna Make You Mine

The Ultimate Sixties Collection

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60's Gold

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60s Classics

Lou Christie The Hits

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60s Greatest Moments

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