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Christopher Reed North (January 26, 1951 – March 30, 2026) was an American musician. He was the founding keyboardist of the American progressive rock band Ambrosia.

Early life

Christopher Reed North was born in San Francisco on January 26, 1951. He grew up in San Pedro, California, playing in various bands through junior high and high school. Some of the early bands he played with were The Proones, The Livin End, and Thee Exceptions. In 1968 he formed the psychedelic rock band Blue Toad Flax with Tom Trefethen, playing organ and singing lead vocals.[1]

Career

Ambrosia

North with Ambrosia

In 1970 he formed the progressive rock band Ambrosia with David Pack, Joe Puerta and Burleigh Drummond.[2] Puerta invited North to join after seeing him perform in a “dimly lit room” one night: “There was a coffin with speakers in it. And at the end of the room, Chris was there, playing the organ with a bottle of wine on the top, smoking a cigarette, and there was a girl massaging his shoulders as he played, so I go, ‘We gotta get this guy in the band'”.[3]

He was known for his very intense live performances.[4][5] North and the other members of Ambrosia contributed to the album Tales of Mystery and Imagination by The Alan Parsons Project.[6]

In 1977, while the band was recording their Life Beyond L.A. album, North suffered a breakdown and left the band, only appearing on two tracks on the album.[7][8] While he was out of the band, they recorded their biggest hit “How Much I Feel“.[9] He returned a year later in late 1978 for a tour.[10]

Ambrosia reformed after a few years off in 1989, and North continued to tour with Puerta and Drummond until 2024 averaging around 60 dates a year.

Other work

North played organ and piano on the hit songs “Galilee” and “Rock ‘N’ Roll Preacher” from the debut album by Chuck Girard and also on Girard’s 1980 album The Stand. North played organ on the John Lennon tribute single “Johnny’s Gone Away” written and produced by Tom Trefethen with Alan Parsons as executive producer.[11]

In 2014 North played organ on the song “The Soft Parade” from Light My Fire: A Classic Rock Salute to The Doors, a tribute album to The Doors, with Graham Bonnet on vocals and Steve Hillage on guitar.

Personal life and death

North was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2024.[12][13] The band announced on their Facebook in October 2025 that his fight with cancer was successful, but he was back in the hospital later the same year after being accidentally struck by a vehicle, an incident that led to him contracting pneumonia, which weakened his health. According to a Facebook post by David Pack, the collision involved North being hit by an “out of control speeding car” while walking to a restaurant. He died in a Los Angeles hospice on March 30, 2026, at the age of 75.[14][15]

Reception

North performing with Ambrosia

North is listed on the All Time Hammond Pops list three times for his solos on Ambrosia hits “Holdin’ on to Yesterday”, “Biggest Part of Me” and “You’re the Only Woman (You & I)”. He was also listed from 1976–1981 as one of the top multi-keyboardists by Keyboard Magazine at which time they discontinued the list.[16]

Discography

Ambrosia

Main article: Ambrosia discography

Other artists

References

  1. ^ “Answers – The Most Trusted Place for Answering Life’s Questions”. Answers.com. Retrieved March 31, 2026.
  2. ^ Huey, Steve. “Ambrosia: Biography”. AllMusic. Retrieved March 22, 2011.
  3. ^ “’70s Rock Band Ambrosia Still Knows How to Groove”. Westword.com. 2023-07-25. Retrieved 2025-10-22.
  4. ^ LA Times Ambrosia Concert review from the Santa Monica Civic 1977
  5. ^ “Crawdaddy Magazine Ambrosia Part 2 1978”. Crawdaddy.com. Retrieved March 31, 2026.
  6. ^ the Trades article Interview: Alan Parsons: The Artist and Scientist of Sound Recording
  7. ^ “DAVID PACK INTERVIEW”. Theparsonsday.altervista.org. Retrieved 2025-10-22.
  8. ^ Colin Larkin – The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music 1992
  9. ^ “Ambrosia”. Albumlinernotes.com. Retrieved 2025-10-22.
  10. ^ “ambrosia: access all areas!”. Ambrosiaweb.com. Archived from the original on 2011-07-07. Retrieved 2025-10-22.
  11. ^ “Mostly Pink”. Mostlypink.net. Retrieved March 31, 2026.
  12. ^ Kachejian, Brian (October 21, 2025). “Complete List Of Ambrosia Band Members”. ClassicRockHistory.com. Retrieved October 21, 2025.
  13. ^ Boissoneau, Ross (July 31, 2025). “Ambrosia poised to relive melodic classics in Manistee”. Local Spins. Retrieved October 21, 2025.
  14. ^ Linder, Brian (2026-03-31). “Iconic rock band’s founding member dead at 75: ‘He was truly one of a kind’“. pennlive. Retrieved 2026-03-31.
  15. ^ Wood, Mikael (31 March 2026). “Ambrosia’s Christopher North, keyboardist with soft-rock hitmakers, dies at 75”. Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 10 April 2026. Retrieved 15 April 2026.
  16. ^ “HammondWiki – All Time Hammond Pop Hits”. Dairiki.org. Retrieved March 31, 2026.
  17. ^ a b c d e f “Christopher North Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio …” AllMusic. Retrieved October 22, 2025.