Christopher Cross "Ride Like The Wind"

Christopher Cross "Ride Like The Wind"

The son of a surgeon from San Antonio, Texas, Chris Geppert earned a modicum of regional fame as a member of an Austin-based cover band called Flash, including opening for ZZ Top. That all changed suddenly for the musician in the fall of '78 when he signed a record deal as a solo artist with Warner Brothers Records and changed his name to Christopher Cross.

For his self-titled solo debut in 1980, Cross drew upon friends and acquaintences which included big-name pop stars of the day like J.D. Souther, Nicolette Larson, The Eagles' Don Henley, and Valerie Carter. The first single was the surging "Ride Like The Wind" on which head Doobie Brother Michael McDonald added his distinctive vocals. Although Cross would primarily earn his audience with light, airy ballads, "Ride Like The Wind" featured some nifty guitar work from Larry Carlton and, with its theme of lawlessness and criminal flight, straddled the fence between rock and pop.

The song became Cross' breakthrough in early '80, rising to #2 on the US pop singles chart and paving the way for a string of hits from his debut album. Christopher Cross would become a chart-topping album and help make Cross an inescapable pop music icon for the next several years.

To hear this song, and other hits from the early '80s, log on to Pop Go The '80s