Before Christopher Cross became a household name in the early 1980s, he was quietly honing his craft in one of America’s most musically fertile cities: Austin, Texas. For a decade, Cross immersed himself in the city’s eclectic scene, surrounded by talents like Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Johnson, and Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top. It was a time of learning, friendship, and musical growth—but also of pragmatism.

Cross admits much of his early career involved playing in cover bands simply to pay the bills. Married at 22 with a young son, he shouldered responsibilities that didn’t always align with the dream of being an original recording artist. Still, he nurtured his songwriting at night, recording demos in studios and sending them off with quiet confidence.

At the time, Austin audiences gravitated more toward blues-rock and experimental groups. Bands like the Electromagnets, fronted by Eric Johnson, or the Moving Sidewalks—precursors to ZZ Top—were gaining recognition for their originality. Stevie Ray Vaughan, though beloved locally, struggled financially while pursuing his art. Against that backdrop, few in the Austin scene realized Cross was also writing songs that would soon take the world by storm.