Gene Pierson - Reach Out (1970)

(Brian Holland - Lamont Dozier - Eddie Holland)
 Australia
#12 Sydney

Creative, psychedelic version of the Motown classic, single on Festival by Gene Pierson, real name Giancarlo Salvestrin.

Gene Pierson was an Australian who moved to New Zealand in 1965 to avoid military conscription in Australia.

In Sydney he had been in The Inturns, who recorded one unreleased single with Nat Kipner, and he had begun a promising solo career, but In New Zealand, under his new stage name, he built a successful career as a pop singer and released a handful of singles, one of which went to #1 at pirate station Radio Hauraki.

After returning to Sydney in 1969 for his father's funeral, Pierson/Salvestrin took his New Zealand records to Festival. He recorded briefly with Pat Aulton at Festival, but it was I'll Be There that charted, produced by Richard Batchens with backing by Simple Image with vocalist Barry Leaf.

After working in TV (Channel 7), journalism (Go-Set) and PR (Sydney Bistros), Gene Pierson went into the business side of music, and later formed the labels Laser and Big Mouth.

References, further reading:
1. Most of the above is precised from Glenn A. Baker's detailed and colourful liner notes to Gene Pierson's retrospective CD Spinning The Moments. Read them online at GenePierson.com.au, along with numerous clippings and graphics. Not to be missed!
2. The Gene Pierson biography at Bruce Sergent's site tells the New Zealand segment of the story.

Suggested by Terry Stacey & Mike Robbins.