Editing Christopher Cross (section)

==Career==
===Early musical career===
Geppert, bassist Andy Salmon, and keyboardist Rob Meurer met in San Antonio when they were still teens. Geppert and Salmon became bandmates in Flash, with Geppert on guitar. Together, they formed Christopher Cross as a band and moved to Austin, where they added drummer [[Tommy Taylor (drummer)|Tommy Taylor]]. There, they played covers for cash while recording demo versions of original songs at Austin's Odyssey Sound, which later became Pecan Street Studio, which they shipped to record labels.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last=Frolik |first=Joe |title=Christopher Cross may let secret out of bag |page=29 |work=Austin American-Statesman |publication-date=March 10, 1979 |url=https://archive.org/details/20220728_20220728_2025}}</ref><ref name="Moser" /> Though they considered themselves a band, [[Warner Bros.]] signed Christopher Cross as a solo artist in early 1979.<ref name=":1" /><ref name="Moser">Margaret Moser. [https://www.austinchronicle.com/music/2012-01-20/the-reluctant-celebrity/ "The Reluctant Celebrity: Christopher Cross."] ''The Austin Chronicle.'' January 20, 2012. Retrieved July 25, 2022.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Christopher Cross & Flash |url=http://www.saboomie.com/txband/flash.jpg |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110715222114/http://www.saboomie.com/txband/flash.jpg |archive-date=July 15, 2011 |access-date=April 26, 2010}}</ref>

Although best known for his vocals and songwriting, Cross is also a skilled guitarist. [[Donald Fagen]] and [[Walter Becker]] of [[Steely Dan]] invited Cross to play on their albums, but Cross declined.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Flans |first=Robyn |date=September 25, 2015 |title=Classic Track: 'Ride Like the Wind,' Christopher Cross |url=https://www.mixonline.com/recording/classic-track-ride-wind-christopher-cross-425710 |website=Mixonline}}</ref> Cross also substituted for [[Ritchie Blackmore]] during a [[Deep Purple]] concert in 1970 when Blackmore fell ill.<ref name="Moser" /><ref>{{Cite interview |last=Cross |first=Christopher |interviewer=Greg Prato |title=Christopher Cross |url=https://www.songfacts.com/blog/interviews/christopher-cross |access-date=June 21, 2022 |work=Songfacts |date=October 18, 2013}}</ref>

Cross was the original owner of fellow Austin guitarist [[Stevie Ray Vaughan]]’s legendary “Number One” 1962/1963 hybrid [[Fender Stratocaster]]. Vaughan purchased the guitar at Ray Hennig’s Heart of Texas Music in Austin in 1974, only one day after Cross had traded the guitar for a [[Gibson Les Paul]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://acltv.com/2012/10/03/gear-blog-stevie-ray-vaughans-number-one/|title=Gear Blog: Stevie Ray Vaughan's Number One|website=Acltv.com|date=October 3, 2012|access-date=April 22, 2021}}</ref>

===First album and immediate success===
Cross released his self-titled debut album, ''[[Christopher Cross (album)|Christopher Cross]]'', on December 20, 1979.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gold & Platinum |url=https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/ |access-date=July 28, 2022 |website=RIAA |language=en-US}}</ref> [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] top 20 hits from this album included "[[Ride Like the Wind]]" (featuring backing vocals by [[Michael McDonald (singer)|Michael McDonald]]), "[[Sailing (Christopher Cross song)|Sailing]]", "[[Never Be the Same (Christopher Cross song)|Never Be the Same]]" and "Say You'll Be Mine" (featuring backing vocals by [[Nicolette Larson]]). "Ride Like the Wind" hit number two on the U.S. Hot 100, while "Sailing" topped the chart for one week.<ref name=":0" /> "Never Be The Same" went number one on the Adult Contemporary chart. Cross, the album, and the song "Sailing" were nominated for six Grammy Awards in 1980 and won five.<ref name="Grammy 1980">[https://www.grammy.com/grammys/awards/23rd-annual-grammy-awards 23rd Annual GRAMMY Awards] at Grammy.com. Retrieved July 25, 2022.</ref> Cross was the first artist in Grammy history to win all four general field awards in a single ceremony, bringing home [[Grammy Award for Record of the Year|Record of the Year]] ("Sailing"), [[Grammy Award for Album of the Year|Album of the Year]] (''Christopher Cross''), [[Grammy Award for Song of the Year|Song of the Year]] ("Sailing") and [[Grammy Award for Best New Artist|Best New Artist]] at the [[23rd Annual Grammy Awards]].{{efn|Cross and producer [[Michael Omartian]] also won [[Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s)]], he was nominated for but did not win [[Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male]]. The album was also nominated for [[Best Engineered Recording – Non-Classical]] (Chet Himes).<ref name="Grammy 1980" />}} This feat was not replicated for 39 years, until [[Billie Eilish]] won all four awards at the [[62nd Annual Grammy Awards]] in 2020.<ref name="EW2007">[https://web.archive.org/web/20070327234246/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,1567466_20010832_20010920,00.html "A Virtual College of Grammy Knowledge"], by Wook Kim, ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'', 2007. Retrieved January 7, 2008.</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Sisario |first=Ben |date=January 26, 2020 |title=Billie Eilish Sweeps Top Awards at the Grammys |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/26/arts/music/grammy-awards.html |access-date=January 27, 2020}}</ref> In addition, "Sailing" won for [[Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s)|Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist]](s). ''Christopher Cross'' has been certified [[Platinum (RIAA certification)|platinum]] five times in the U.S., selling over 5 million copies.<ref>{{Cite certification|region=United States|artist=Christopher Cross|title=Christopher Cross|access-date=July 24, 2022}}</ref>

Later in 1981, Cross released "[[Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)]]", co-written by [[Burt Bacharach]], [[Carole Bayer Sager]] and [[Peter Allen (musician)|Peter Allen]], which was the main theme for the 1981 film ''[[Arthur (1981 film)|Arthur]]''. The song won the [[Academy Awards|Oscar]] for [[Academy Award for Best Original Song|Best Original Song]] in 1981,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Roberts |first=David |title=British Hit Singles & Albums |publisher=Guinness World Records Limited |year=2006 |isbn=1-904994-10-5 |edition=19th |location=London |page=136}}</ref> and was nominated for three Grammys, but did not win.<ref name="Grammy 1981">[https://www.grammy.com/grammys/awards/24th-annual-grammy-awards 24th Annual GRAMMY Awards] at Grammy.com. Retrieved July 25, 2022.</ref>{{efn|The song was nominated for Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male<ref name="Grammy 1981" />}} In the U.S., it reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and on the Hot Adult Contemporary charts in October 1981, remaining at the top of the Hot 100 for three weeks while it also was a top-ten hit in several other countries. The song became the second and last American number-one hit by Christopher Cross.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Christopher Cross Artist Biography by Jason Ankeny - Awards |url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/christopher-cross-mn0000123754/awards |access-date=March 30, 2014 |publisher=Allmusic.com}}</ref>

===Second album===
Cross's second album, ''[[Another Page]]'' (1983), produced "[[All Right]]", "No Time for Talk", and "[[Think of Laura]]". "All Right" was used by [[CBS Sports]] for its highlights montage following the [[1983 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament]], while "Think of Laura" is used as a reference to characters on the soap opera ''[[General Hospital]]''. Against his wishes [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] used his song in this context; however, he has stated that he wrote "Think of Laura" not in reference to the television characters, but to celebrate the life of [[Denison University]] college student Laura Carter who was killed when she was struck by a stray bullet. Cross has stated on his social media platforms that he felt it was inappropriate for ABC/General Hospital to use the song against his wishes and those of Carter's family. ''Another Page'' sold well, getting [[Gold (RIAA certification)|Gold]] certification.<ref>{{Cite certification|region=United States|artist=Christopher Cross|title=Another Page|access-date=July 24, 2022}}</ref> He also co-wrote and sang the song "A Chance For Heaven" for the [[1984 Summer Olympics#Music|1984 Summer Olympic Games]].

===1980s===
After 1984, Cross's commercial success faded. As music television channel [[MTV]] grew to dominate the mainstream music scene in the United States, Cross's style of music proved to be a bad fit for the network, and his brand of [[adult contemporary music]] declined in popularity.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Christopher Cross has his first of two #1 hits with "Sailing" – History.com This Day in History – 8/30/1980 |url=http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/christopher-cross-has-his-first-of-two-1-hits-with-sailing |access-date=March 29, 2015 |website=History.com}}</ref>

Cross's next two albums, 1985's ''[[Every Turn of the World]]'' and 1988's ''[[Back of My Mind (Christopher Cross album)|Back of My Mind]]'' did not produce any top 40 hits or reach Gold or Platinum status.

He did, however, place the song "Swept Away" in the TV show ''[[Growing Pains]]''. It was used during a video montage while [[Kirk Cameron]]'s character Mike fell in love with a local girl while vacationing with the family in Hawaii.

===1990s===
Cross made three more albums in the 1990s, and although some of his releases gained positive critical response, he was not able to attract the mass audience he once enjoyed. After his decline in fame in the mid to late 1980s, he toured and opened for various acts during the 1990s.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Classicbands.com |url=http://www.classicbands.com/ChristopherCrossInterview.html |access-date=October 11, 2011 |website=Classicbands.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Weingarten |first=Marc |date=May 10, 1998 |title=Los Angeles Times |work=Articles.latimes.com |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-may-10-ca-48215-story.html |access-date=October 11, 2011}}</ref>

===2000s===
[[File:Christopher Cross in beaumont ca (2637703689) (cropped).jpg|thumb|Cross in 2008]]
The year 2002 saw the release of the ''Very Best of...'' album, and in 2007 he completed a Christmas album titled ''A Christopher Cross Christmas''. In 2008, Cross recorded a new acoustic album of his hits titled ''The Cafe Carlyle Sessions''.<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 2, 2008 |title=Westcoastmusic |url=http://noted.blogs.com/westcoastmusic/2008/10/interview-with.html |access-date=October 11, 2011 |website=Noted.blogs.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=May 4, 2009 |title=Insidemusicast.com |work=Inside Musicast |url=http://www.insidemusicast.com/musicasts/2009/5/4/christopher-cross.html |access-date=October 11, 2011}}</ref>

===2010s===
In 2011, Cross released a new studio album titled ''Doctor Faith''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Christopher Cross Website – Doctor Faith Release |url=http://www.christophercross.com/ccDrFaith.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927041514/http://www.christophercross.com/ccDrFaith.html |archive-date=September 27, 2011 |access-date=October 11, 2011 |website=Christophercross.com }}</ref>

In 2013, he released ''A Night in Paris'', a 2-CD live album he recorded and filmed in April 2012 at the [[Le Trianon (theatre)|Theatre Le Trianon]] in Paris, France.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Christopher Cross Returns with his First Live Release "A Night in Paris" |url=http://www.ear-music.net/en/news/details/christopher-cross-returns-with-his-first-live-release-a-night-in-paris |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130713035946/http://www.ear-music.net/en/news/details/christopher-cross-returns-with-his-first-live-release-a-night-in-paris/ |archive-date=July 13, 2013 }}</ref>

The song "Ride Like the Wind" was featured on the ''[[Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues]]'' original movie soundtrack, released in 2013.

In September 2014, he released ''Secret Ladder'', followed in November 2017 by ''Take Me as I Am''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Christopher Cross Official Web Site |url=http://christophercross.com/music.html |website=Christophercross.com}}</ref>

In 2017, he played a concert in his hometown, at the [[Tobin Center for the Performing Arts|Tobin Center]], San Antonio, Texas.<ref>David Hendricks [https://www.mysanantonio.com/entertainment/music-stage/article/Christopher-Cross-returns-to-San-Antonio-better-11194359.php#next"Christopher Cross returns to San Antonio better than ever"],''my SA'', June 5, 2017</ref> 

In late 2019, Cross toured with [[Todd Rundgren]], [[Jason Scheff]], [[Micky Dolenz]] and [[Joey Molland]] of [[Badfinger]] in celebration of [[the Beatles]]' ''White Album'' on the "It Was Fifty Years Ago Today – A Tribute to the Beatles' White Album". Cross performed "[[Sailing (Christopher Cross song)|Sailing]]" and "[[Ride Like the Wind]]".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://bestclassicbands.com/beatles-white-album-tribute-tour-9-30-19/|title=Dolenz, Rundgren, Molland Begin Beatles Tribute Tour|date=July 30, 2015}}</ref>

===2020s===
During 2021–2022, Cross played in his 40th anniversary tour which had been rescheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.