Chris Cross is the bass guitarist

Bassist

A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...

 in the band

Band (music)

In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...

 Ultravox.

Early years

Cross went to Belmont Secondary Modern School, William Forster Comprehensive. He began his music career playing in different bands, in Tottenham

Tottenham

Tottenham is an area of the London Borough of Haringey, England, situated north north east of Charing Cross.-Toponymy:Tottenham is believed to have been named after Tota, a farmer, whose hamlet was mentioned in the Domesday Book; hence Tota's hamlet became Tottenham...

, North London

North London

North London is the northern part of London, England. It is an imprecise description and the area it covers is defined differently for a range of purposes. Common to these definitions is that it includes districts located north of the River Thames and is used in comparison with South...

, his major early influences were The Small Faces

The Small Faces

The Small Faces were an English rock and roll band from East London, heavily influenced by American rhythm and blues. The group was founded in 1965 by members Steve Marriott, Ronnie Lane, Kenney Jones, and Jimmy Winston, although by 1966 Winston was replaced by Ian McLagan as the band's...

, Desmond Dekker

Desmond Dekker

Desmond Dekker was a Jamaican ska, rocksteady and reggae singer-songwriter and musician. Together with his backing group, The Aces , he had one of the first international Jamaican hits with "Israelites". Other hits include "007 " and "It Miek"...

, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown

The Crazy World of Arthur Brown

The Crazy World of Arthur Brown is a psychedelic rock album by Arthur Brown and his band The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, released in 1968. Considered a classic of the late-1960s psychedelic scene and a significant influence on progressive rock, The Crazy World of Arthur Brown includes covers of...

.

Later he joined Stoned Rose, in Preston, Lancashire

Lancashire

Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...

, alongside Pete Hughes and Mick Carroll, who later went to form Ritzi

Ritzi

Ritzi are a British band formed in 1975, from The Fylde area of Lancashire, England. They are best known for their only charting single, "Too Much Fandango", which had its greatest success in Australia in 1976, reaching #28....

, but also decided to study a long standing interest in Psychology at college.

Tiger Lily and Ultravox

In 1973, he returned to go to Art College in London, begun studying Art and Psychology meanwhile he also answered the ad for members to form a 'new' band, put by in Dennis Leigh, an art student in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, thus forming Tiger Lily

Tiger Lily (UK band)

Tiger Lily was a short-lived glam rock band and the seed of Ultravox! . It was founded in London in 1973 by Royal College of Art student Dennis Leigh , who escaped from his northern industrial environment in Lancashire, Chris St...

 along with guitarist Stevie Shears

Stevie Shears

Stevie Shears is a musician known for playing in english rock bands Tiger Lily and Ultravox! , alongside electronic musician John Foxx.-Tiger Lily and Ultravox!:...

, drummer Warren Cann

Warren Cann

Warren Reginald Cann is a drummer and drum machine programmer, best known as a member of the British New Wave band Ultravox.-Early life:...

 joined shortly and violinist/keyboardist Billy Currie

Billy Currie

Billy Currie is an English violist, violinist, pianist, keyboardist, and songwriter...

 added the next year. During the Tiger Lily phase he began to name himself as Chris St. John.

In the meantime, as Chris Allen, he wrote several songs with his brother Jeff for Jeff's Glam Rock group Hello (1972–1979)

The Band spent a year constructing/arranging and rehearsing their songs written mostly by Leigh in Modrenos a mannequin refurb workshop in Kings Cross

Kings Cross, London

King's Cross is an area of London partly in the London Borough of Camden and partly in the London Borough of Islington. It is an inner-city district located 2.5 miles north of Charing Cross. The area formerly had a reputation for being a red light district and run-down. However, rapid regeneration...

 London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

. After doing gigs from 1974 to 1976, in the latter year the band chose to call themselves Ultravox! and signed to Island Records

Island Records

Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...

, while St. John also changed his artistic name to Chris Cross (while Dennis Leigh called himself as John Foxx).

In 1979, after three commercially somewhat unsuccessful but influential albums - Ultravox!

Ultravox! (album)

Ultravox! is the first studio album from the band Ultravox!, which at the time was properly eponymous before the band dropped the Neu!-inspired exclamation mark from their name...

(1977), Ha!-Ha!-Ha!

Ha!-Ha!-Ha!

Ha!-Ha!-Ha! was the second album by British pop group Ultravox, at that time formally known as "Ultravox!", with an exclamation mark, as a nod to Neu!...

(1977) and Systems of Romance

Systems of Romance

Systems of Romance, released on 8 September 1978, is the third album by British band Ultravox...

(1978) - and a tour through USA and Canada, original vocalist John Foxx and guitarist Robin Simon

Robin Simon

For the art historian and critic Robin Simon, editor of , see Robin JH SimonRobin Simon For the art historian and critic Robin Simon, editor of , see Robin JH SimonRobin Simon For the art historian and critic Robin Simon, editor of , see Robin JH SimonRobin Simon (born Robert Simon 12 July 1956,...

, who replaced Stevie Shears a year before, left Ultravox, so Cross worked on another part time "Purely for Fun" project with Pretenders

The Pretenders

The Pretenders are an English rock band formed in Hereford, England in March 1978. The original band consisted of initiator and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde , James Honeyman-Scott , Pete Farndon , and Martin Chambers...

' guitarist James Honeyman-Scott

James Honeyman-Scott

James Honeyman-Scott , commonly referred to as "Jimmy", was an English rock guitarist, songwriter and founding member of the band The Pretenders....

 one of his favorite guitar players and Eddie and the Hot Rods' vocalist Barrie Masters and The Rods

The Rods

The Rods is an American heavy metal band formed by David "Rock" Feinstein , Garry Bordonaro and Carl Canedy ....

 drummer Steve Nicholls.

With Midge Ure

Midge Ure

James "Midge" Ure, OBE is a Scottish guitarist, singer, keyboard player, and songwriter...

 added in Ultravox, the band continued working more on their unique synthesizer sounds during the recording of their successful Vienna

Vienna (album)

Vienna is the fourth studio LP by the synthpop band Ultravox, first released on 11 July 1980. The album peaked at #3 in the UK charts and was the first Ultravox release to enter the UK top ten. It was certified Platinum in the United Kingdom in July 1981 for 300,000 copies sold...

album. By that time, he and Ure began to be close friends, collaborating on another projects like the direction of the Bananarama

Bananarama

Bananarama are an English female pop duo who have had success on the pop and dance charts since 1982. Rather than relying on a two part harmony, the duo generally sings in unison, as do their background vocalists. Although there have been line-up changes, the group enjoyed their most popular...

's Shy Boy

Shy Boy

"Shy Boy" is a song recorded by English girl group Bananarama. It appears on their 1983 debut album Deep Sea Skiving and was released as its second single...

video, Fun Boy Threes 'The Telephone Always Rings' video. Took part in the Band Aid

Band Aid (band)

Band Aid was a charity supergroup featuring British and Irish musicians and recording artists. It was founded in 1984 by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise money for famine relief in Ethiopia by releasing the song "Do They Know It's Christmas?" for the Christmas market that year. The single...

 video and writing the music to "The Bloodied Sword". After another few successful albums - Rage in Eden

Rage in Eden

Rage in Eden, released in 1981, is the fifth album by British band Ultravox, and the second of the band's most-recognizable incarnation, fronted by Midge Ure. The album reached #4 in the UK album charts and was certified Gold by the BPI for sales in excess of 100,000 copies...

(1981), Quartet

Quartet (Ultravox album)

Quartet, released in 1982, is the sixth LP by British band Ultravox, and the third of the band's most-recognizable incarnation, fronted by Midge Ure. The album peaked at no.6 on the UK album chart and was certified Gold by the BPI in December 1982 for 100,000 copies sold...

(1982), Monument

Monument (Ultravox album)

Monument, released in 1983, is a live album by the British band Ultravox. It is the soundtrack to the live video of the same name, recorded at the London Hammersmith Odeon during the band's 1982 "Monument" tour...

(1983) and Lament

Lament (Ultravox album)

Lament is an album by Ultravox, released in 1984. This was the seventh full album and the fourth of the band's most-recognisable incarnation, fronted by Midge Ure. It was also the last album featuring original drummer Warren Cann. The album peaked at no.8 on the UK album chart and was certified...

(1984) - and the last which was less successful, U-Vox

U-Vox

U-Vox is an album by Ultravox, released in 1986. This was the eighth full album and the fifth of the band's most-recognisable incarnation, fronted by Midge Ure...

, and a tour in 1987, the band drifted into other projects and he says, "never got round to working on Ultravox".

Retirement from music

Cross now works as a Psychotherapist and Counsellor and Supervisor

Mental Health Counselor

Mental health counselors practice mental health counseling which is a dynamic, holistic, strengths-based and psychoeducational discipline born in the late 1970s when several mental health professionals realized that the master’s degree level counselors working in community settings lacked a...

, which he studied at college

College

A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...

 before joining Ultravox.

Ultravox revival

In November 2008 it was announced that Ultravox were to embark on the "Return To Eden" tour in April 2009, plus two festivals and additionally a Best Of Ultravox CD/DVD was released by EMI.

Equipment

During the Ultravox was led by John Foxx, he used a White Gibson EB-3, Fender Fretless Precision bass guitar and electronica on an Ems Synthi AKS Synth and later a Mini Moog Ampeg

Ampeg

Ampeg is primarily a musical instrument amplifier manufacturer headquartered in Woodinville, Washington, though they also manufacture guitars to a small extent...

 amp and 8x10 Speaker.

While the recording of Vienna album, he used a Yamaha bass Fender Precision Fretless

Fretless guitar

A fretless guitar is a guitar without frets. It operates in the same manner as most other stringed instruments and traditional guitars, but does not have any frets to act as the lower end point of the vibrating string...

 and a Mini-Moog

Minimoog

The Minimoog is a monophonic analog synthesizer, invented by Bill Hemsath and Robert Moog. It was released in 1970 by R.A. Moog Inc. , and production was stopped in 1981. It was re-designed by Robert Moog in 2002 and released as Minimoog Voyager.The Minimoog was designed in response to the use of...

 synthesizer and Yamaha Synthesiser

Later he also used Status

Status

Status , is a state, condition, or situation.Status may also refer to:* Social status, in sociology** Achieved status** Ascribed status** Master status** Political status** Socioeconomic status** Sociometric status...

 and a Steinberger

Steinberger

Steinberger refers to a series of distinctive electric guitars and bass guitars, designed and originally manufactured by Ned Steinberger. The word Steinberger can be used to refer to either the instruments themselves or the company that produced them...

 basses.

Cross's distinctive grey bass guitar is an Ibanez

Ibanez

is a Japanese guitar brand owned by Hoshino Gakki. Based in Nagoya, Aichi, Japan, Hoshino Gakki were one of the first Japanese musical instrument companies to gain a significant foothold in import guitar sales in the United States and Europe, as well as the first brand of guitars to mass produce...

 Roadster from the early 1980s; this guitar has been used on many of Ultravox's albums and was Cross's primary instrument during the first stage of the 'Return to Eden' Tour in 2009.

On the 'Return to Eden' tour in 2010, he also used a Rickenbacker 4003 Cherryburst bass, and a standyby Black Fender Telecaster bass.