Christopher Cross

Christopher Cross is one of the most underrated guitarists in rock history, hidden behind the smoothest voice in yacht rock. Born Chris Geppert in San Antonio in 1951, he grew up a heavy rock devotee — Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, the Texas blues scene. In August 1970, when Deep Purple arrived in San Antonio for their very first US show ever, Ritchie Blackmore fell ill from a flu shot. A promoter called in 19-year-old Cross, who knew the Deep Purple catalog cold, to fill in. Cross played the entire show. Blackmore later told him he was the only person who ever subbed for him. Cross went on to jam the blues circuit with fellow Texans Billy Gibbons and Stevie Ray Vaughan. He was also the original owner of SRV's Number One Strat — a 1962/63 hybrid Fender Stratocaster he traded for a Gibson Les Paul at Ray Hennig's Heart of Texas Music in Austin. Vaughan bought it the next day and built his entire career around it. Cross bought two Dumble amplifiers early — among the first musicians to do so — and used one to record the Ride Like the Wind guitar solo in a single take, '59 Les Paul straight into the Dumble. His original Dumbles eventually went to Japan, purchased by a collector. His debut album (1979) swept the Grammys, winning all four major categories. Donald Fagen and Walter Becker personally invited him to play on Steely Dan albums — he declined because he was too intimidated. He later played Tom Anderson guitars through a Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC+ live.