When singer-songwriter Christopher Cross unveiled his self-titled debut album in 1980, little did he know the impact it would have. With hits like “Ride Like The Wind,” “Sailing,” and “Never Be The Same,” the album went on to win five Grammy awards in 1981, including earning Cross the coveted Best New Artist and Album of The Year awards. A year later, Cross followed that success with an Academy Award win for Best Original Song with “Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do),” from the movie, “Arthur.”
In the years since, Cross has released more than a dozen acclaimed albums, from 1983’s “Another Page” and hits like “All Right,” and “Think of Laura,” to recent albums like 2018’s “Take Me As I Am” and a limited-edition box set retrospective aptly titled “The Complete Works,” which celebrates his 40th anniversary as a recording artist.
On Tuesday, Cross will bring his signature sound and legacy of carefully crafted songs to an intimate performance at the State Theatre in Easton. Joining Cross that evening will be renowned Moody Blues guitarist and lead vocalist, Justin Hayward, who will be performing a selection of his own classic hits.
I recently spoke with Cross about his upcoming performance and more in this new interview:
Q. What can fans expect during your performance at The State Theatre?
Christopher Cross: I’m a singer-songwriter so for me it’s all about the songs and playing them for the fans. One thing about the show is that there are no tracks. I have an amazing group of musicians with me who are jazz trained and very high-level players and singers. It’s a sophisticated, high-production show as far as the music goes. I’ll be playing most of the first and second album and the hits that people know. I’ve made 12 albums over the years so I’ll also be playing selections from the other albums as well. This is our first time out this year and we’re really excited.
Q. Do you prefer performing at intimate places like The State Theatre as opposed to larger venues?
Cross: It’s all levels of good. The State Theatre seems very much like the Paramount Theatre here in Austin, Texas, where I live. The small theaters sound nice and are more intimate. You can see faces, connect with people and see their reactions more than you can from a giant venue.
Q. A tour with Justin Hayward is an interesting combination. How did the two of you meet?
Cross: I met Justin a few years ago when he asked me to come do a Moody Blues Cruise. He’s a lovely guy with amazing songs and is a classic artist. He’ll be doing more of a four-piece acoustic show and I’m more of a full production band. It will be a nice juxtaposition. I think his fans will enjoy what I do and vice versa.
Q. What can you tell me about your most recent album, “Take Me As I Am”?
Cross: It’s really a hybrid record. The choruses on the songs are sung but the rest of it is instrumental. I did that album for two reasons. First, I’m a guitarist and my fans had asked me to do a guitar-type record for years. So, I combined guitar work with some other virtuoso players and wrote choruses that give you a thematic idea of what the songs are about without writing the verses.
Early in my career I wrote alone but I had a longtime collaborator, Rob Meurer, who I wrote a lot of the later records with, lyrically. Rob was sadly killed in a hit-and-run accident a few years ago in L.A.. We were friends since we were 16 and our collaborative relationship was something I grew to rely on. I needed to get back on the horse and make a record to show that I could do it and as a tribute to Rob. There’s even a song on the record, “Alvah,” which is Rob’s middle name. I was very pleased with the record. It’s a different approach that I don’t think anyone’s taken.
Q. What’s the real meaning behind your biggest hit, “Sailing?”
Cross: The idea of sailing in the song is really a liquid metaphor. Sailors like to use it as their anthem, which is fine, but my intent in the lyric “the canvas can do miracles,” is really about a painter’s canvas. On the surface it’s sailing in a boat, but more deeply I tried to express the transition we experience through art. For writers, all the songs are important, and when I wrote “Sailing” I felt it was a quality song and something special. But when the record company wanted to release it as the second single, I was very opposed to it. I felt it was too introspective and too dark and wasn’t the right choice to follow “Ride Like The Wind.” Fortunately, Mo Ostin, who was chairman of Warner Brothers, made the decision to release it and he was right. It really resonated. It’s one of those songs that seems to connect with everybody.
Q. After the success of your first album, the Grammys, and the Academy Award, was there a lot of pressure to repeat with your next album, “Another Page”?
Cross: I wasn’t conscious of any pressure. For me, every record I’ve made is where I am in life at the time and the songs on “Another Page” came out based on what I was feeling at the time. The commercial success part of it is ancillary. You can’t be an artist relying on the commercial success because there’s always going to be a certain expectation that you can’t meet. It’s always been about the music. That has to be the reward.
Q. Do you have a special place where you keep your awards?
Cross: They’ve lived in different places at different times. I currently have a nice stand sitting in a corner of my office that’s a tower of my life. It has pictures of my kids, a photo of Rob and I, and memories of my career. The Grammys and the Oscar are also on that shelf. I’m proud of all of it.
Q. Of all the highlights of your career, what stands out to you as memorable?
Cross: That’s a tough one because it’s not just one moment. One of the things though is having gotten to meet artists that I’ve been influenced by and revered. Whether it’s [Paul] McCartney, Joni Mitchell, Brian Wilson, Carl Wilson or James Taylor. Not that I know them well, but getting to meet and interact with artists that have molded my career has been special. I feel incredibly blessed to have had this journey and I’m still enjoying it. So as long as I can get up there and the people come see me, I’ll be out there doing it.
James Wood is a freelance writer.
Christopher Cross with Justin Hayward
When: 7 p.m. Tuesday
Where: State Theatre, Easton
Tickets: Go to statetheatre.org
