Christopher North | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | January 26, 1951 San Francisco, California |
| Genres | Rock, Blues, R&B, Prog, Funk |
| Instrument | Hammond Organ Keyboard |
| Years active | 1964–present |
Christopher Reed North (born January 26, 1951) is an American musician. He is the founding keyboardist of the American progressive rock band Ambrosia.
North was born in San Francisco. He grew up in San Pedro, California, playing in various bands through junior high and high school. Some of the early bands he played with were The Proones, The Livin End, and Thee Exceptions. In 1968 he formed the psychedelic rock band Blue Toad Flax with Tom Trefethen playing organ and singing lead vocals. [1]
In 1970 he formed the progressive rock band Ambrosia with David Pack, Joe Puerta and Burleigh Drummond. [2] He is known for his very intense live performances. [3] [4]
North and the other members of Ambrosia contributed to the album Tales of Mystery and Imagination by The Alan Parsons Project. [5]
He played organ and piano on the hit songs "Galilee" and "Rock 'N' Roll Preacher" from the debut album by Chuck Girard and also on Girard's 1980 album The Stand. North played organ on the John Lennon tribute single "Johnny's Gone Away" written and produced by Tom Trefethen with Alan Parsons as executive producer. [6]
In 2014 North played on the song "The Soft Parade" from Light My Fire: A Classic Rock Salute to The Doors .
North is listed on the All Time Hammond Pops list three times for his solos on Ambrosia hits “Holdin' on to Yesterday”, “Biggest Part of Me” and “You're the Only Woman (You & I)”. He was also listed from 1976-1981 as one of the top multi-keyboardists by Keyboard Magazine at which time they discontinued the list. [7]
| Date | Title | Label | Charted | Country | Certifications | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| as part of Ambrosia | ||||||
| 1975 | Ambrosia | 20th Century Fox | 22 | US | ||
| 1976 | Somewhere I've Never Travelled | 20th Century Fox | 79 | US | ||
| 1978 | Life Beyond L.A. | Warner Bros. | 19 | US | ||
| 1980 | One Eighty | Warner Bros. | 25 | US | RIAA: Gold [8] | |
| 1982 | Road Island | Warner Bros. | 115 | US | ||
| 1997 | Anthology | Warner Bros. | US | |||
| 2002 | Essentials | Warner Bros. | US | |||
| 2003 | How Much I Feel and Other Hits | Rhino Flashback | US | |||
| Year | Album details | Chart peak positions |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. | ||
| 2002 | Live at The Galaxy
| — |
| 2007 | Standing Room Only
| |
| Year | Album details | Chart peak positions |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. | ||
| 1997 | Anthology
| — |
| 2002 | The Essentials
| — |
| 2003 | How Much I Feel and Other Hits
| — |
| Year | Title | Chart positions [9] | Certifications | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US AC | AU | CAN | ||||
| 1975 | "Holdin' on to Yesterday" | 17 | 46 | — | 37 | Ambrosia | |
| "Nice, Nice, Very Nice" | 63 | — | — | — | |||
| 1976 | "Magical Mystery Tour" | 39 | — | — | — | All This and World War II | |
| "Can't Let a Woman" | 102 | — | — | — | Somewhere I've Never Travelled | ||
| "Runnin' Away" | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1978 | "How Much I Feel" | 3 | 11 | 30 | 2 |
| Life Beyond L.A. |
| "Life Beyond L.A." | — | — | — | — | |||
| "If Heaven Could Find Me" | 107 | — | — | — | |||
| 1980 | "Biggest Part of Me" | 3 | 3 | — | 18 |
| One Eighty |
| "You're the Only Woman (You & I)" | 13 | 5 | — | 15 |
| ||
| "No Big Deal" | 105 | — | — | — | |||
| 1981 | "Outside" | 102 | — | — | — | Inside Moves soundtrack | |
| 1982 | "Feelin' Alive Again" | — | — | — | — | Road Island | |
| "How Can You Love Me" | 86 | — | — | — | |||
| "For Openers (Welcome Home)" | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1997 | "I Just Can't Let Go" | — | 26 | — | — | Anthology | |
| 2004 | "Biggest Part of Me" (Remix) | — | 31 | — | — | Non-album single | |
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