Christopher Thomas Allen (14 July 1952 – 25 March 2024), known professionally as Chris Cross,
[ was an English musician, best known as the bass guitarist in the new wave band ]Ultravox
Ultravox (earlier styled as Ultravox!) were a British new wave band, formed in London in April 1974 as Tiger Lily. Between 1980 and 1986, they scored seven Top Ten albums and seventeen Top 40 singles in the UK, the most successful of which wa ...
. After starting his music career with Stoned Rose, a band in Preston, Lancashire
Preston () is a city on the north bank of the River Ribble in Lancashire, England. The city is the administrative centre of the county of Lancashire and the wider City of Preston, Lancashire, City of Preston local government district. Preston ...
, he was one of the founding members of the band Tiger Lily in April 1974, before the band was renamed Ultravox
Ultravox (earlier styled as Ultravox!) were a British new wave band, formed in London in April 1974 as Tiger Lily. Between 1980 and 1986, they scored seven Top Ten albums and seventeen Top 40 singles in the UK, the most successful of which wa ...
! over two years later. The band's most successful single, "Vienna
Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
", was released in 1981.
Cross left Ultravox in 1989, several years after the band's studio album '' U-Vox'' was released in 1986. He rejoined the band after their revival in 2009 with a tour, and Ultravox released '' Brilliant'', another studio album, three years later. Cross died in 2024 at the age of 71.
Biography
Early years
Christopher Thomas Allen was born in Tottenham
Tottenham (, , , ) is a district in north London, England, within the London Borough of Haringey. It is located in the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London. Tottenham is centred north-northeast of Charing Cross, ...
, London, England, on 14 July 1952. He went to Belmont Secondary Modern School and William Forster Comprehensive. He began his music career playing in different bands, with his major early influences being Small Faces
Small Faces were an English Rock music, rock band from London, founded in 1965. The group originally consisted of Steve Marriott, Ronnie Lane, Kenney Jones and Jimmy Winston, with Ian McLagan replacing Winston as the band's keyboardist in 1966 ...
, Desmond Dekker and The Crazy World of Arthur Brown
The Crazy World of Arthur Brown are an English rock music, rock band formed by singer Arthur Brown (musician), Arthur Brown in 1967. The original band included Vincent Crane (Hammond organ and piano), Drachen Theaker (drums), and Nick Greenwoo ...
.
Later he joined Stoned Rose, in Preston, Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...
, but also decided to go to college to study psychology, a longstanding interest.
Tiger Lily and Ultravox
After his time at college he returned to London to apply at the Royal College of Art
The Royal College of Art (RCA) is a public university, public research university in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in South Kensington, Battersea and White City, London, White City. It is the only entirely postgraduate art and design uni ...
. Meanwhile, after answering an advertisement, the band Tiger Lily was created in 1974, with the founding members consisting of Cross (then identified as Chris St. John), singer Dennis Leigh, guitarist Stevie Shears
Stevie Shears (born 1954/1955) is an English musician known for playing in the rock bands Tiger Lily and Ultravox! (later Ultravox), as well as being part of the bands Faith Global and Cowboys International.
Biography Tiger Lily and Ultravox ...
, drummer Warren Cann
Warren Reginald Cann (born 20 May 1950) is a Canadian drummer and songwriter. He was a founding member of the British new wave band Ultravox.
Early life
Born in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada the son of two British immigrants, he began to ...
, and violinist/keyboardist Billy Currie. After playing gigs from 1974 to 1976, in the latter year the band renamed themselves Ultravox! and signed to Island Records
Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in Jamaica by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in 1959, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, another ...
.
In 1979, after three commercially unsuccessful but influential albums – '' Ultravox!'' (1977), '' Ha!-Ha!-Ha!'' (1977) and '' Systems of Romance'' (1978) – original vocalist John Foxx and guitarist Robin Simon
Robert "Robin" Simon (born 12 July 1956) is a British guitarist who was a member of Ultravox, Magazine and Visage.
Biography Early career
Simon began playing guitar in a Halifax-based band, Kandahar, in the early to mid-1970s. He also met an ...
, who had replaced Stevie Shears a year before, left Ultravox.
Midge Ure
James "Midge" Ure (; born 10 October 1953) is a Scottish singer-songwriter and record producer. His stage name, Midge, is a phonetic reversal of Jim. Ure enjoyed particular success in the 1970s and 1980s in bands including Slik, Thin Lizzy, ...
joined Ultravox in 1979, and the band released their commercially successful ''Vienna
Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
'' album a year later. By that time Cross and Ure were close friends; they together directed music videos such as Bananarama
Bananarama is an English pop group formed in London in 1980. The group, originally a trio, consisted of friends Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey, and Keren Woodward. Fahey left the group in 1988 and was replaced by Jacquie O'Sullivan until 1991, when ...
's " Shy Boy" and "The Telephone Always Rings" by Fun Boy Three. The band then produced another few successful albums: '' Rage in Eden'' (1981), ''Quartet
In music, a quartet (, , , , ) is an ensemble of four singers or instrumental performers.
Classical String quartet
In classical music, one of the most common combinations of four instruments in chamber music is the string quartet. String quar ...
'' (1982), ''Monument
A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, historical ...
'' (1983) and ''Lament
A lament or lamentation is a passionate expression of grief, often in music, poetry, or song form. The grief is most often born of regret, or mourning. Laments can also be expressed in a verbal manner in which participants lament about something ...
'' (1984). After '' U-Vox'', a studio album released in 1986, Cross left Ultravox in 1989 and pursued a career as a psychotherapist
Psychotherapy (also psychological therapy, talk therapy, or talking therapy) is the use of Psychology, psychological methods, particularly when based on regular Conversation, personal interaction, to help a person change behavior, increase hap ...
. Before Cross's departure, Ure had also left the band to perform as a solo artist before rejoining, but Cross noted the band "fell apart" after Ure rejoined, also stating "it was like everyone lost interest".
Ultravox revival
In April 2009, Ultravox embarked on the "Return to Eden" tour, which included two festivals and a ''Best of Ultravox'' CD/DVD being released by EMI.
The 2012 album release, '' Brilliant'', included Cross as co-writer with Billy Currie and Midge Ure on all tracks. The album was promoted with a UK theatre tour and a series of European dates. Ultravox made their final performance in 2013, at The O2
The O2 (formerly known as the Millennium Dome) is a large entertainment district on the Greenwich peninsula in South East London, England, including an indoor arena, a music club, a Cineworld cinema, an exhibition space, Town square, piazzas, ...
in London.
Death
Cross died on 25 March 2024, aged 71. His death was announced by Midge Ure.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Cross, Chris
1952 births
2024 deaths
People from Tottenham
English synth-pop new wave musicians
English rock bass guitarists
Glam rock musicians
Musicians from the London Borough of Haringey
Ultravox members