Pat Upton | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Patrick Upton |
| Born | August 5, 1940 Geraldine, Alabama, U.S. |
| Died | July 27, 2016 (aged 75) Guntersville, Alabama, U.S. |
| Genres | Pop |
| Occupation(s) |
|
| Instrument(s) |
|
| Years active | 1964-2016 |
| Labels | Columbia |
Pat Upton (August 5, 1940 – July 27, 2016) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist with the band Spiral Starecase. He was the songwriter of, and lead vocalist on, their 1969 gold-selling single "More Today Than Yesterday", which peaked at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100.[1] The song has been covered by Sonny & Cher, Diana Ross, Andy Williams, Lena Horne, Patti Austin, and Goldfinger.
After Spiral Starecase disbanded in 1971, Upton relocated to Los Angeles, where he worked as a session musician and then a band member for Ricky Nelson.[2][3] Upton was noted as having an exceptionally high voice for a man.[4] On December 30, 1985, after a performance at Upton's Guntersville, Alabama club PJ's Alley, Nelson asked Upton to accompany him on a flight to Dallas, Texas, but Upton declined due to business obligations.[5] The flight crashed, killing Nelson, Nelson's fiancée Helen, and five members of Nelson's band.
Upton lived with his wife, former model Lynn Upton, in Guntersville, and they had three daughters and a son, while he was a grandfather of six. He died in his hometown of Geraldine, Alabama on July 27, 2016, at age 75.[5][6]
Discography
- Solo
- Then and Now - 1995
- With Rick Nelson
- Playing to Win - backing vocals - 1981
- With Juice Newton
- Well Kept Secret - backing vocals - 1978
- Take Heart - backing vocals - 1979
References
- ↑ "Musician, Geraldine native Pat Upton dies at 75". The Gadsden Times. July 27, 2016. Retrieved October 28, 2016.
- ↑ Koda, Cub. "Artist Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
- ↑ McLane, Ben (1998). "Articles: Spiral Starecase". benmcclane.com. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
- ↑ My Favorite Records: A Musical Memoir, p. 61, at Google Books
- 1 2 Thornton, William (July 27, 2016). "Geraldine native Pat Upton of 'Spiral Starecase' dead at 75". AL.com. Retrieved October 20, 2016.
- ↑ Jimenez, James H. (July 29, 2016). "Pat Upton dead at age 75 - Geraldine's native son wrote 'More Today Than Yesterday'". The Sand Mountain Reporter. Retrieved October 28, 2016.