Christopher Cross entered the studio in the summer of 1979, a few months after Billboard magazine replaced the categorical term Easy Listening with Adult Contemporary. The San Antonio singer-songwriter’s eponymous album released in December of that year made him AC’s first new superstar and earned him four GRAMMYs in 1981. This year he’s finally able to bring his 40th anniversary tour to Las Vegas after the lifting of COVID restrictions.
What started out as a band became a stage name for Christopher Geppert after Warner Bros. signed him as a solo artist. His bandmates did play on his No. 1 hit “Sailing,” but session musicians such as guitarist Larry Carlton, backing vocals from the likes of Nicolette Larson and Michael McDonald, and production by Michael Omartian helped create a pop-leaning, Steely Dan feel through much of the album.
Cross encapsulated what would become known as soft rock, now often reverently referred to as “yacht rock.” Cross would reach No. 1 again with 1981’s “Arthur’s Theme (The Best That You Can Do),” but his debut album would forever embody a moment in time for singer-songwriters as ’70s introspection gave way to ’80s extroversion.
The Pearl at Palms, 8 p.m. Sept. 30, starting at $35 plus tax and fee. ticketmaster.com
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