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Gretchen
Christopher
"Good As
Gold"
The Artist and Her Music
Multi-million Seller
Songwriter/Recording Artist Gretchen Christopher creates a rare rapport with audiences. As one listener said,
"She wraps
her warm voice around you
and leads you down a goose pimple
path."
Upon seeing
Gretchen Christopher perform, Legendary Jazz Trumpeter
Dizzy Gillespie said, "You sing like an angel."
Meeting Gretchen
at the Grammy
Awards, Winner Linda Ronstadt exclaimed, "I love your
music!"
Gretchen's music has the quality of standards. Her
autobiographical lyrics and
memorable melodies express
themselves softly,
profoundly; documenting feelings and
experiences from teen years through love, loss, laughter and
life thereafter. Audiences
share her musical journey, from the
1959 Gold #1 Record and Best Selling Sheet Music "COME
SOFTLY TO ME"
('n doo be doo, Dom dom) and Top 40 Hit "GRADUATION'S HERE" (both of which she co-wrote and
sang lead on, with
The Fleetwoods) to the inspiring and
soul-bared lyrics, dynamic and haunting tunes she's writing
today, worthy of Broadway.
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Her first song having logged nearly
three million air plays in the USA
alone, Broadcast Music, Inc. has
repeatedly honored
Songwriter Gretchen Christopher and
"Come Softly To Me" as BMI Million
Airs.
MOTION PICTURES
Translated and recorded by
over
100 different artists and being
broadcast worldwide for decades
of radio and television audiences,
"Come Softly to Me" is also heard in
movies.
-
STAND BY ME
-
CLEAN &
SOBER
-
CROSSING
DELANCEY
-
28
DAYS
Besides
numerous television performances, Gretchen appears in one movie, is portrayed in
another, and her Fleetwoods hits
are featured in the
soundtracks of a dozen motion pictures, including:
-
AMERICAN
GRAFFITI
-
DINER
-
RETURN
TO MACON COUNTY
-
AMERICAN
HOT WAX
-
NATIONAL
LAMPOON'S VACATION
Her music is familiar
to the youngest movie-goers, as well as the millions who bought
her records and hear them broadcast today. |
Cited as "Actress-Singer-Composer" with the
ability to dramatize a song and move
an audience beyond the mere
recitation of
lyrics and music, Gretchen Christopher
received, in December 1992, the Southern California Motion Picture
Council's highest
honor, the Jeanie Golden Halo Eagle
"Superstar" Award, for her contribution to the
Entertainment Industry and Performing Arts.
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT
When she reprised her autobiographical show "Come Softly To
Me, Gretchen Christopher" at Hollywood's Cinegrill in
'93
and '94, the Music & Performing Arts Angels presented to her,
for lifetime achievement, the Angel Victory Award, naming
Gretchen Christopher "Inspirational star, singer, composer,
artist, dancer, choreographer." The latest in a
distinguished line
of honorees, from Sammy Davis Jr. in 1979 to Debbie Reynolds in
1993.
Making her life and living in the arts, Gretchen danced,
choreographed and sang solo on television at age 17, founded
The
Fleetwoods at age 18, sang lead on more than 20 of
their
recordings and wrote 11 of them. She's performed and led
the
vocal arranging on
15 albums, including 11 nationally charted
hits ("MR. BLUE", "TRAGEDY",
"GOODNIGHT MY
LOVE",
and "(He's) THE
GREAT IMPOSTER", to name a few),
spending a total
of 110 weeks on Billboard's Hot 100.
In 1988, delighting the audience by wearing the same gown she'd worn
28 years earlier when Dick Clark
presented her with
her first gold records, dancer trim, blonde and blue-eyed Gretchen
accepted another Gold
Record as The Fleetwoods were
inducted into the NW MUSIC HALL OF
FAME
Kicking off the '90's CD, THE BEST OF THE FLEETWOODS, Gretchen reprised
the classics in her concert by the same name.
She then introduced one of her new
up-tempo tunes and wowed the audience
with her dancing and an energy only hinted
at in the trio's
recordings. Result: Two encores, a standing ovation, and an
invitation to
headline, with her own songs, the
Bob Hope USO
Show for the "Chosin Few" (2000+)
at the Tropicana in
Las Vegas (for survivors of the Battle of the
Chosin Reservoir).
Solo, Gretchen has performed her new music and world renowned
hits in London,
Manchester, Paris, Moscow, Helsinki,
Brussels, Edinburgh, and from Mexico City to
the Worlds Fair in
Vancouver, British Columbia. She's sung and danced across
Europe and was featured in "Celebrity Corner" on the HAL
Scandinavian Symphony Cruise
and First Caribbean Cruise of
the
New Millennium.
Gretchen Christopher
Click Photo To Enlarge |
A resident of her birthplace,
Olympia, Washington, "the
hippest town in the West" (TIME
Magazine,
re: Ladyfest), Gretchen
Christopher is featured in the
documentary film "Go With The
Flow". She
paved
the way for many artists. Her
trio, The Fleetwoods, were
the first Northwest label
artists to
achieve national #1 Hits and earn Gold Records for millions
of sales (now equivalent to
Platinum).
Gretchen's classes in Jazz Dance
were part of the nucleus around
which The Evergreen State
College
(TESC) formed its
Leisure Education Program, to
which she
added Disco, A Cappella Doo-Wop
Singing,
Ballet and Swing,
during her three decades of
teaching while performing.
From
the mid-Seventies,
on
into the new millennium,
Gretchen and her
dancers provided the first and
continuing entertainment
for TESC Super
Saturday, the biggest 1-day
festival in Washington. |
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In 1978, appointed to St. Martins College Adjunct Faculty as Sr. Lecturer 1 in
the Discipline of Fine Arts (equivalent
to PhD)
Christopher
introduced Jazz Dance into the curriculum and numbered monks among her students.
In 2000, acknowledged for a lifetime of
achievements, Gretchen Christopher and
Washington Governor Albert Rosellini,
were
among those honored as "Voices of
Washington."
Gretchen Christopher continues to be a woman of many
"firsts",
bridging two centuries.
In Seattle, she performed
for the June
25, 2000, Grand Opening
Concert of the Experience Music Project (EMP),
which is
exhibiting her first Fleetwoods tour costume and Gold
Records,
the first earned by a
Northwest artist. Her performances of Jazz, Gospel, and Fleetwoods hits followed, in
July, at (Ventures Guitarist)
Nokie's First Northwest Music
Celebration,
In August, Gretchen Christopher and
the Coasters opened Issaquah's First Full Scale
Music Festival, and in November, Gretchen served as Panelist for the first
ROCKRGRL Music Convention 2000.
Always a trouper, the Original Voice of The Fleetwoods, Gretchen
Christopher did appear at the
Skagit Valley Casino's new Pacific Showroom,
despite its being the day after the 6.8 Nisqually Earthquake,
February 28, 2001 (bringing to mind her inspirational
performances at Hollywood's Cinegrill,
after the devastating Northridge Quake). Following the
9/11
terrorists attacks on America, Gretchen
rededicated
her October 13, 2001,
booking into a two-hour solo concert
of original music, "Come Softly To Me for Peace on Earth", 100%
of the proceeds going to benefit survivors of the 9/11
tragedies.
Gretchen
continues to compose original music and lyrics. Recording in
California, Texas
and Washington, she is currently
completed a CD of her
new songs which, in solo
concerts, have
brought standing ovations.
Gretchen's SWEET SIXTEEN!
(Suite 16)
After 11 Billboard hit singles and 15 albums as The
Fleetwoods' lead female vocalist, arranger and BMI Million
Airs Songwriter,
Gretchen Christopher has
now written,
recorded,
produced
and released
her first SOLO CD, Gretchen's SWEET SIXTEEN
(SUITE 16) The
16-song autobiographical concept album documents a true love
story and the life of its writer, through six decades, and
has been
submitted for Grammy consideration
The concept album tells their story through 16 sweet, soulful,
insightful, songs (including new recordings of #1 Hit
"Come Softly To Me"
and Top 40 Hit "Graduations Here").
When Gretchen was 16 and "he" was 18 (the older man in her
life), they met and fell in love for the very first time.
(Who knew it would last all his life?) Two years later, she left
to pursue her dreams. Achieving story book success, first solo
and then as The Fleetwoods, yet finding loneliness at the top,
she poured out her feelings in writing songs reflecting love and
loss,
wrestling depression, searching for self and a new attitude. Now
after nearly four decades apart, she and her first love are
together
again! And Gretchen's sweet 16, again (born February 29th
(:o)! It is the stuff of dreams (what if we could meet our first
love again?) -
a true story, celebrating
Gretchen's SWEET SIXTEEN! (SUITE 16). Sound clips may be heard at bottom
of page and CD ordered below
The Fleetwoods Founder Bio
A
Leap Year Day Baby, born February
29th, to musical parents, Helen and Ian Christopher, in Olympia,
Washington,
Gretchen Diane Christopher
committed her life to the arts before her
fifth birthday. She wrote a high school paper entitled
"Give Me Professional Entertainment!" and
made her professional debut singing solo, choreographing and
dancing for television.
A few months later, Gretchen composed
"Come Softly" at the piano at Olympia High School. For the
Senior Class Talent
Assembly, she sang and combined it in
counterpoint with the street corner humming and harmony of two
classmates, creating
what would become the magic of
"Come Softly To Me" and the trio "The Fleetwoods."
Gretchen recorded the song and the trio at home and took the
tape to Seattle Record Promoter Bob Reisdorff. He listened,
said,
"It'll sell a million!" and formed Dolphin (soon changed to
Dolton) Records. "Come Softly To Me" became the #1 Record,
Best Selling Sheet Music in the U.S. and Britain, a worldwide
hit, and the first Gold Record (million-seller) produced on a
Northwest label.
Co-written by former-fellow-cheerleaders Gretchen and Barbara
for their Senior Class Party, "Graduation's Here," was the
second
Top 40 Hit (#1Hit "Come Softly To Me" being the first) on which
Gretchen sang lead, with Barbara adding kid-glove harmony,
and Gary a doo-wop scat back-up.
When not singing melody, Gretchen led the vocal arranging,
harmonizing and creating the dynamic fills and answer lines that
earmarked the "Fleetwoods Sound" -- with the third member
following her in close harmony. Such was the case with their
third release, "Mr. Blue", which also turned to Gold.
The Fleetwoods became the only group in the world to have two #1
Hits top Billboard in 1959. According to Jerry Osborne's
Ask Mr. Music column (6/12/06), "From 1940 through
1969, The Fleetwoods are the only mixed-gender trio to have more
than one
No 1 hit."
After eleven hit singles on Billboards Hot 100, including nine
Top 40, three Top Ten and two Number One Hits, The
Fleetwoods
chose retirement, and Gretchen continued to write and perform,
keeping The Fleetwoods name and music alive.
Following the success of her solo concerts, in 1982 the other
group members asked Gretchen to reorganize The Fleetwoods
and train a replacement for Barbara Ellis,
the female member who retired. Gretchen Christopher was
contracted to serve as
Manager, with "the sole authority to bind
the Original and Replacement Fleetwoods by contract for any
performance
commitment as manager deems appropriate to
carry out the business of The Fleetwoods."
Serving as choreographer, scriptwriter, graphic designer,
publicist and P.R. person, Gretchen expanded the trio's
performance
repertoire, from just the usually-requested top three songs, to
a fully choreographed 20-song, one-hour show, complete with
dialogue and costume changes. As Manager, she negotiated
bookings for the group, from Southern Cal Expo at Del Mar to
Madison Square Garden in New York, from Americana Lake Geneva to
the Tropicana in Las Vegas, resulting in the most active
period of performing since The Fleetwoods first hit.
Near the end of 1983,
Gary
Troxel, the male member of the
group gave his written resignation and relinquished his right to
perform as The Fleetwoods. Gretchen
Christopher became the only remaining Original still performing.
The sole authority to
contract for and carry out the
business of the Fleetwoods, Gretchen auditioned and trained
Replacements on both coasts,
and continued to keep the name and music
alive, interspersing group bookings between solo performances,
as she does
to this day.
THE FLEETWOODS starring GRETCHEN CHRISTOPHER headlined in
Las Vegas, November 2007, kicking off release of
GRETCHEN'S SWEET SIXTEEN (SUITE 16), her
autobiographical concept album in which The Fleetwoods are
included
on one track. Just a month later, they learned that GRETCHEN'S
SWEET SIXTEEN (SUITE 16) is among the 2007 BILLBOARD
CRITICS' PICKS for 10 BEST ALBUMS of the year!
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