History of Ultravox explored as band member Chris Cross dies at 71

Chris Cross, the bass guitarist for Ultravox, has passed away at the age of 71. He is most remembered for his contribution to the writing of the band’s popular 1981 song, Vienna.

It was reported that Cross, whose legal name was Chris Allen, died on March 25, although his death was officially announced by fellow bandmate Midge Ure on April 1. The exact cause of his passing has yet to be confirmed.

Midge Ure, the leading man of the band and a fellow bandmate, shared a tribute post yesterday for the musician who passed away. The post was as follows:

“We worked together, we played together, made music and directed videos together. We were instant friends as well as Ultravox comrades. Even after years apart we managed to pick up where we left off like the years in between never existed.”

Midge Ure then referred to Chris as the band’s “glue”, citing him as the one who held the group together.

“You were the glue that held the band together. You were the logic in the madness and the madness in our lives. It was great to know and grow with you. You are loved and missed old friend.”

After learning about Cross’s passing, his fellow bandmate Billy Currie shared a post dedicated to the guitarist. In his post, he wrote:

“Hi People, Very sad to hear about Chris… We had some amazing times together. Laughing mostly.”

Ultravox, founded in 1974 under the name Tiger Lily, had founding members Chris Cross, Warren Cann, Dennis Leigh, Stevie Shears, and Billy Currie. In 1976, the band decided to change their name to Ultravox.

The Formation of Ultravox in 1974: Chris Cross as a Founding Member

Despite releasing three albums in the years after their formation – Ultravox!, Ha!-Ha!-Ha! and Systems of Romance – the band did not experience their breakthrough moment. In 1979, Midge Ure joined the band after the departure of lead singer John Foxx and guitarist Robin Simon, but they still struggled to find success.

With the addition of Midge Ure, the band was reborn, now consisting of four members including guitarist Chris Cross, drummer Warren Cann, violinist and keyboardist Billy Currie, and lead singer Midge Ure. Their breakthrough album, Vienna, propelled them to fame in July 1980.

Despite initially not being a huge hit, the album gained popularity when the band released a single with the same name in January 1981, which was well received by listeners.

Despite their other popular hits such as Dancing with Tears in My Eyes, All Stood Still, and Reap The Wild Wind, the band’s single Vienna maintained its position at No. 2 for three consecutive weeks, making it the fifth-highest-selling track in the UK in 1981. It also achieved Top 10 rankings in Australia, New Zealand, and various European countries.

After the success of Vienna, Ultravox continued to release five more albums – Rage in Eden, Quartet, Monument, Lament, and U-Vox. These albums, released between 1980 and 1986, helped the band achieve multiple Top 10 placements and produced a total of 17 hit songs.

After a brief hiatus to pursue individual endeavors, the band regrouped for a 2009 tour.

The band’s last album, Brilliant, was launched in 2012, with Chris Cross joining Midge and Billy as co-writer for all of the album’s songs.

Ure and Cross collaborated on various other projects together. One of their joint endeavors was directing the music video for Bananarama’s Shy Boy. Later, Ure and Sir Bob Geldof joined forces to establish the Band-Aid project, with Cross also being involved in the initiative.