Tony Christie facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tony Christie
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Christie in August 2021
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| Born |
Anthony Fitzgerald
25 April 1943 Conisbrough, South Yorkshire, England
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| Occupation | Musician, singer-songwriter |
| Years active | 1966–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Sue Christie
(m. 1968) |
| Children | 3 |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | Pop, rock, schlager, brega |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Associated acts | Peter Kay, Laruso, Richard Hawley |
Anthony Fitzgerald (born April 25, 1943), known as Tony Christie, is a famous English musician and singer. He is most famous for his song (Is This the Way to) Amarillo, which became a huge hit twice in the UK.
Contents
Tony Christie's Music Journey
Starting His Career
Tony Christie was born Anthony Fitzgerald. He chose his stage name after watching the 1965 movie Darling, which starred Julie Christie.
A manager named Harvey Lisberg discovered Tony. In 1971, Tony had three popular songs with MCA Records. His first hit was "Las Vegas", which reached number 21 in the UK.
He then had two more songs that made it into the top 20 on the UK Singles Chart. These were "I Did What I Did for Maria", which reached number two, and "(Is This the Way to) Amarillo", which peaked at number 18. All these hits happened in 1971.
In 1973, he had another smaller hit called "Avenues and Alleyways". This song reached number 37 and was also the theme music for the TV show The Protectors. By September 1972, "Is This the Way to Amarillo" had sold over one million copies. This earned him a special award called a gold disc.
Music in the 1970s
Tony Christie released albums regularly throughout the 1970s. He didn't always have big hits, but his album With Loving Feeling sold well because of the song "(Is This The Way to) Amarillo".
In 1972, he was invited to a music festival in Bulgaria called The Golden Orpheus. His performance there was recorded and released on vinyl.
Tony also played a role in the original 1976 recording of the musical Evita. He sang "On this Night of a Thousand Stars" and a duet with Julie Covington. He also tried to represent the UK in the 1976 Eurovision Song Contest. His song "The Queen of the Mardi Gras" came third in the competition.
Success in Europe
Even though Tony's popularity in England slowed down in the 1980s and 1990s, he became very successful in other parts of Europe. He was especially popular in Germany. He recorded four albums with German producer Jack White. Their first album together, Welcome to My Music, reached number 7 in the German charts and sold enough copies to go platinum. From 1991 to 2002, Tony recorded nine albums just for the German market.
In 1999, Tony sang on the song "Walk like a Panther" with the band All Seeing I. This song was written by Jarvis Cocker and became a top ten hit in the UK. This showed that new artists were being influenced by Tony's music.
Return to Fame
In 2002, the song "(Is This the Way to) Amarillo" was used in the TV comedy show Peter Kay's Phoenix Nights. This made Tony Christie popular again! The song was re-released on March 14, 2005, to raise money for the Comic Relief charity. It went straight to Number 1 on the UK Singles Chart. It sold more copies than it did when it was first released.
This version of "Amarillo" stayed at Number 1 for seven weeks. It became the best-selling Number 1 single of that year. Tony's album The Definitive Collection also reached Number 1 on the UK Albums Chart the next week. It even became Number 1 on the download charts.
After the song's success, Tony Christie was given a special honor: the freedom of Amarillo, Texas. He also appeared as a guest on the TV show Emmerdale.
A few months later, he re-released "Avenues & Alleyways". This song reached Number 26 on the UK Singles Chart, which was even better than its original release in 1973. In December 2005, Tony released a big band cover of Slade's "Merry Xmas Everybody". However, this song only reached Number 49 in the UK.
For the 2006 World Cup, a new version of "Amarillo" was released. It was called "(Is This the Way to) The World Cup" and reached Number 8 in the UK. In 2008, Tony recorded the album Made in Sheffield. This album was produced by Richard Hawley and included songs written by Alex Turner and Jarvis Cocker.
In 2009, Tony released the song "Every Word She Said". He also appeared on the song "Heresy" with his nephew's band, Laruso. In July 2010, Tony performed in the musical Dreamboats and Petticoats in London's Playhouse Theatre. He played the roles of 'Older Bobby' and 'Phil'.
Recent Years
In 2011, Tony Christie signed with the Acid Jazz label. He released his nineteenth album, Now's the Time!, in February 2011. This album was inspired by Northern soul music. It included songs written with Jarvis Cocker and Róisín Murphy.
To celebrate 50 years in music, Tony went on a big tour across the country. He performed his famous songs like "Avenues and Alleyways", "Las Vegas", and "Walk Like A Panther". He also sang songs from his new album.
In October 2011, Tony released a charity song called "Steal The Sun". All the money from this song went to the Help for Heroes Charity, which supports British soldiers. From December 2011, Tony also performed in a pantomime show at The Theatre Royal in Windsor, where he played the King.
In June 2014, Tony performed at Locke Park in Barnsley to help raise money for Barnsley Hospice. On July 1, 2017, Tony returned to his hometown of Conisbrough to perform at the Conisbrough Music Festival. He later appeared in the pantomime Jack and the Beanstalk at the Cambridge Arts Theatre. The show was set in a town called 'Amarillo', and Tony played the King.
Personal Life
Tony Christie married his wife, Susan, in 1968. They have three children. They live in Lichfield, Staffordshire. In January 2023, Tony shared that he had been diagnosed with dementia.
Discography
