The Rockville Rocket

My second love..."The Rockville Rocket", Gene Pitney was born in Hartford, Connecticut, but lived in Rockville, Connecticut during the height of his popularity in the 60's.   I probably went to every show he played in the New Haven area.  I'm not really sure how many remember him, but pre-Beatles he was extremely popular.  Most  famous for songs like,  "Town Without Pity", "Twenty Four Hours from Tulsa", "It Hurts to be in Love",  and, "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence", he continued to put out hit after hit.   He also wrote songs for acts like the Crystals, (He's a Rebel) and Ricky Nelson, (Hello Mary Lou).   I still remember quite vividly after all these years, my friends and I sneaking into his dressing room at the New Haven Arena, hoping to find him before he went on, and even though that didn't happen, I did have enough time to explore and take what I hoped was his bar of soap from the shower and saved it, neatly wrapped in plastic for years.... until it disintegrated.  During this period I also wrote him a letter expressing my total devotion and several months later received a letter from his mother. Not quite what I was hoping for, but still pretty exciting for a 13 year old!  Gene Pitney was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002,  and died in 2006 at the age of 65.  I still listen to his music.