Alabama yutes of the 1960s, and a bit into the 1970s, enjoyed a most unusual popular musical decade, the “Shower of Stars” shows, bringing top music acts to Birmingham and Montgomery.
One of the favorites of the Alabama shows died June 18, Lou Christie of Pittsburgh, dead at 82.
Christie was big in his prime. He had a number one hit “Lightning Strikes.” He also had hits with “Two Faces Have I” and “Rhapsody in the Rain.”
Christie was famous for his high falsetto voice. He could switch into the high notes, going up an octave.
He was a feature attraction at shows put on by Birmingham’s WVOK radio and Montgomery’s WBAM radio. The Mighty 690 and the Big Bam were operated by the radio family of the south, the Brennans. Dan Brennan was in charge of the oldies songs with his 4 p.m. weekday show, “Dan’s Dusty Disks.” Dan was also the organizer of the "Shower of Stars" shows. They sought and brought Lou Christie to the Alabama teens when he was at the top of his game.
The Brennans also operated sister stations in Chattanooga, Tenn. (WFLI) and Jacksonville, Fla. (WAPE). The "Shower of Stars" were also booked there by the Brennans. It was a deep south thing.
A well-known DJ at Montgomery's WBAM was Bill J. Moody from Wetumpka. He also served as emcee of some "Showers of Stars" shows and other Lou Christie shows. Moody and Christy did 10 shows together. They remained friends throughout life. Moody now lives in Dothan.
Yutes of the '60s who went to the "Shower of Stars" shows now have their own active Facebook group, which can be found here.
An entire generation of Alabama, Chattanooga and Jacksonville teens heard and saw their music idols perform locally. One of those was Lou Christie.
Christie, born in 1943, was in his early 20s when he hit nationally and started coming to Alabama. The Alabama audiences got to see Christie perform:
- "Lightning Strikes"
- "Two Faces Have I"
- "Rhapsody in the Rain"
- "The Gypsy Cried"
- "How Many Tear Drops?"
- "I’m Gonna Make You Love Me"
In one of the biggest shows booked into a small Alabama town, Lou Christie came to Sylacauga in 1969. He played at the famous “Old Rec,” which had an unusually outstanding lineup of musical shows for the yutes. Recreational leaders Beth Yates and Maxey Veazey were able to book Lou Christie after his booking rate had dropped, but caught him right as another song hit nationally. They got a bargain, and the overflow crowd of Alabama yutes got a heck of a show – local and cheap.
When Christie’s Top 40 hits stopped coming around 1980, he transitioned into a different approach. He went on tour with oldies reviews. Part of the reason Christie was in demand for the oldies circuit was his unusually high voice. He was one of the few singers who could adequately cover The Beach Boys and the Four Seasons, with their high tenors, and Maurice Williams of the Zodiacs with his popular “Stay.”
Dick Fox had perhaps the ultimate oldies touring show with “The Golden Boys” – Frankie Avalon, Fabian and Bobby Rydell. When Rydell died in 2022, they replaced him with Lou Christie.
Now that Lou Christie has died, who will The Golden Boys add?
Goodbye, Lightning Lou Christie.
The Gypsy Cried, and so did fans over the nation. How Many Tear Drops? – a lot falling in memory of a Lou many of us saw in the days of our yute.
Jim 'Zig' Zeigler's beat is the colorful and positive about Alabama -- her people, places, events, groups and prominent deaths. He is a former Alabama Public Service Commissioner and State Auditor. You can reach him for comments at [email protected].
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