Geoff Morrow
Geoffrey Stanton "Geoff" Morrow (born 16 May 1942, London, England)[1] is a British songwriter and businessman. His compositions have been recorded by Sandie Shaw,[2] The Carpenters,[3] Elvis Presley,[4] Johnny Mathis,[5] Jessie J,[6] Barry Manilow[7] and many other musicians. Many of his early compositions were co-written by David Martin and/or Chris Arnold, with whom he also recorded, both as 'Arnold, Martin and Morrow' and under the group name of 'Butterscotch'.[8] Fellow songwriter and producer Phil Wainman played the drums for Butterscotch.
Geoff Morrow | |
---|---|
Birth name | Geoffrey Stanton Morrow |
Born | London, England | 16 May 1942
Occupation(s) | Songwriter |
Morrow and Arnold's first big songwriting success was "In Thoughts of You", taken to the top ten in the UK Singles Chart by Billy Fury in 1965.[9] All three songwriters composed "Annabella", originally recorded in the UK by Dave Dee without chart success,[10] but which reached the US charts via a cover version by Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds in 1971.[11] The writers themselves (as Butterscotch) scored another top twenty UK hit in 1970 with "Don't You Know (She Said Hello)".[12]
Arnold, Martin and Morrow went on to compose "Can't Smile Without You", made famous by Barry Manilow.[7] Morrow also co-wrote four songs for Elvis Presley, with whom he spent time, and Presley made the song "Let's Be Friends" the title track of an album.[13]
Morrow formed two record companies. One record company was sold to RCA and the other to EMI. In 1990, he bought the Manchester Opera House and Palace Theatre, Manchester, for £6 million and produced numerous shows there.[14] He was a director and major shareholder of Caesars Palace, Luton.[14] He wrote five musicals, which have been produced. His latest, A Legendary Romance,[15] produced by Laurence Myers, successfully "tried out" in New Hampshire.[16] He has also written several screenplays including Don't Go Breaking My Heart. Morrow collaborated with David Simmons to stage two plays. These were Obits, a series of sketches based on obituaries, featuring characters including, Enid Blyton, Ernie Wise and Hitler; and The Boy Who Was Woody Allen, which has been adapted into a full scale musical comedy, Being Woody Allen, and was produced by Michael Grade and Michael Linnit in 2017.[17]
Personal life
He and his wife Marilyn have six children.
References
- "Check Company : Geoffrey Stanton Morrow". Check Company. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
- "I Must Be Lucky – Sandie Shaw | Song Info". AllMusic. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
- "Can't Smile Without You – Carpenters | Song Info". AllMusic. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
- "Little Bit of Green – Elvis Presley | Song Info". AllMusic. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
- "You Saved My Life – Johnny Mathis | Song Info". AllMusic. 27 January 2015. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
- "Jessie J – Who You Are (CD, Album)". discogs. 24 July 2011. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
- Steve Huey. "Can't Smile Without You – Barry Manilow | Song Info". AllMusic. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
- "Butterscotch (2) Discography". discogs. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
- "Official Chart History". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
- "Dave Dee – Annabella / Kelly – Fontana – UK – 6007 021". 45cat. 14 January 2014. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
- "Annabella (song by Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds) • Music VF, US & UK hits charts". Musicvf.com. 28 August 1971. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
- "Official Chart History". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
- "Elvis Presley – Let's Be Friends (Vinyl, LP, Album)". discogs. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
- Foster, Geoff (10 March 2015). "MARKET REPORT: Gate Ventures' AIM float hits the right note as shares soar 55 per cent". This is Money. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
- "A Legendary Romance (New Musical)". Ron H. Stephenson. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
- "An Inside Look at New Hampshire's New London Barn Playhouse". Nhmagazine.com. 1 September 2015. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
- "Our Business – Gate Ventures". Gateplc.com. Retrieved 21 September 2018.