80s Music - Catching Up with Christopher Cross

During the 1970's, Christopher Cross was busy front lining a San Antonio (his hometown) based group called Flash - he was unknown, and they were unknown, but by the 1980s, a solo Christopher Cross was all over the adult contemporary charts, and the whole of 80s music would not be the same without him.

Christopher Cross During the 1980s

Perhaps if you were a mere child during the 1980s, you may not remember the tremendous impact of Christopher Cross to 80s music - but somehow, I doubt it. Cross' mega-hit "Sailing" has one of the most beautiful opening arrangements in all of music history, "Ride Like The Wind" owns a breezy chorus that made us feel the verse of the song, and although "Think of Laura" was not intentionally written about Laura Webber, one half of General Hospital's Iconic 80's Supercouple, "Luke and Laura," that small detail made absolutely no difference to millions of obsessed fans. "Think of Laura" somehow became the official song of the popular 80s TV couple.

In 1981, Christopher Cross was officially recognized by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences when he was awarded five Grammy Awards that year. Cross continued to leave his mark on the world of 80s music with other adult contemporary hits like "Never Be The Same," "All Right" (I think we're gonna make it...), "Say You'll Be Mine," and "Arthurs Theme/The Best That You Can Do" (remember, that catchy chorus that starts "When you get caught between the moon and New York City...?")

Since the mid 1980s, Christopher Cross had been mostly silent on the record charts. In the 1990s, Cross just seemed to have evaporated from the music scene altogether - it was a shame because 90s music was bold, and colorful, and some of us yearned for a smooth and calming presence like Christopher Cross.

Where is Christopher Cross Now?

I Have Good News 80s Fans! In 2010, Christopher Cross was hard at work and getting back into the music business, a la studio style. He released a new album called Dr. Faith in late 2010, the album contains all new songs and it is full of music that is reminiscent of Cross' smooth adult contemporary style - you can listen to snippets of each song on his website. He is currently on a mini concert tour, and you can catch him periodically in and around the Texas music circuit - especially San Antonio.

I do not know if Christopher Cross will ever reach the heights he did in 80s music, but most musicians never reach such heights, so that makes him a music legend. I am certain of a couple of things: his style hasn't changed, and his voice hasn't faded; hopefully he will stick around and continue to give us an alternative to today's plastic nonsense.

- Sources -

http://www.christophercross.com

23rd Annual Grammy Awards @ Grammy.com

Christopher Cross' Artist Page Bio @ Amazon.com