Editing Gene Pitney (section)

==Early years==
Pitney was born in [[Hartford, Connecticut]], United States,<ref name="BBC-death"/> on February 17, 1940,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KWMZ-BLP |title=FamilySearch |website=Familysearch.org |access-date=September 6, 2019}}</ref><ref name=leg1>{{cite news |url=https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/hartfordcourant/obituary.aspx?n=gene-pitney&pid=17314701&fhid=3196 |title=Gene Pitney Obituary - Rockville, CT |newspaper=[[Hartford Courant]] |access-date=September 6, 2019}}</ref> as the son of Anna A., née Orlowski, and Harold F. Pitney.<ref name=leg1/> The third of five children of a [[lathe]] operator, Pitney lived with his family in [[Rockville, Connecticut]], during his formative years. He also grew up in Rockville, now part of [[Vernon, Connecticut]].

Pitney's early influences were [[Clyde McPhatter]], and [[doo-wop]] groups such as [[The Crows]]. He attended [[Rockville High School (Connecticut)|Rockville High School]] where he formed his first band, Gene & the Genials. Gene's first recordings were in 1958 with a Connecticut singing group called the Embers. Those recordings were not released until 1990. In early 1959, he released two records on the Decca label, "Snuggle Up Baby" and "Classical Rock and Roll", as part of a duo called Jamie and Jane with [[Ginny Arnell]]. Later that year, he had his first solo release "Cradle Of My Arms" under the name '''Billy Bryan''' on the Blaze record label. His first release under his real name was in 1960 on the Festival label titled "I'll Find You".