Pat Upton (singer)

Pat Upton (August 5, 1940 – July 27, 2016), was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist with the band Spiral Starecase. He was the songwriter and lead vocalist in their 1969 single "More Today Than Yesterday" which peaked at 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart,[1] earning a gold disc. The song has been covered by Sonny & Cher, Diana Ross, Andy Williams, Lena Horne, Patti Austin and others. Upton later became a session musician and member of Ricky Nelson's band.

Upton, a native of Geraldine, Alabama, was on stage at the final show of Ricky Nelson. Nelson was playing at Upton's club, PJ's Alley, in Guntersville, Alabama on December 30, 1985, when Nelson asked Upton to fly with him to Dallas, Texas.[2] Upton declined because of responsibilities to his club. Nelson went without him and four hours into the flight, the plane crashed, killing Nelson, Nelson's fiancée Helen, and five members of Nelson's band.

Pat Upton lived with his wife, former model Lynn Upton, in Guntersville, Alabama. They had three daughters and a son, and he was a grandfather of six. Upton died in Geraldine on July 27, 2016, as a result of a short-term illness, at age 75.[2][3]

References

  1. ↑ "Musician, Geraldine native Pat Upton dies at 75". The Gadsden Times. July 27, 2016. Retrieved October 28, 2016.
  2. 1 2 Thornton, William (July 27, 2016). "Geraldine native Pat Upton of 'Spiral Starecase' dead at 75". AL.com. Retrieved October 20, 2016.
  3. ↑ Jimenez, James H. (July 29, 2016). "Pat Upton dead at age 75 - Geraldine's native son wrote 'More Today Than Yesterday'". The Sand Mountain Reporter. Retrieved October 28, 2016.
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