Mitch Murray
Encyclopedia
Mitch Murray is an English
songwriter
, record producer
and author
.
" It was picked up by producer
George Martin
, who insisted that The Beatles
record
it as their follow-up to "Love Me Do
." Their lack of enthusiasm was clear in the recording, which remained officially unreleased until it appeared on Anthology 1
in 1995. Martin let them release a rearranged version of "Please Please Me
" as a single instead, passing "How Do You Do It?" to another young Liverpool
based group
, Gerry & The Pacemakers
. Their version—essentially a copy of The Beatles
' recording—launched their career with a UK No. 1 single the following spring. Thus encouraged, Murray sent them another of his songs, "I Like It", which became their second single and also topped the UK Singles Chart
.
He had further success throughout the next ten years, writing "You Were Made For Me" and "I’m Telling You Now" for Freddie and the Dreamers
, the latter in collaboration with their frontman, Freddie Garrity
. Murray's 1964 book
, How To Write A Hit Song, famously inspired Sting - then a 12-year-old schoolboy - to start writing songs. Sting now refers to Mitch Murray as 'My Mentor' and wrote the foreword to 'Mitch Murray's Handbook For The Terrified Speaker (Valium In A Volume)', published by Foulsham.
Most of Murray's subsequent hits were written with Peter Callander
, among them "Even The Bad Times Are Good" (The Tremeloes
), "The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde
" (Georgie Fame
), "Goodbye Sam, Hello Samantha" (Cliff Richard
), "Ragamuffin Man" (Manfred Mann
), "Hitchin’ a Ride" (Vanity Fare), and "Avenues And Alleyways", "Las Vegas", and "I Did What I Did for Maria
" for (Tony Christie
).
Murray and Callander were also Tony Christie's producers, and produced "Is This the Way to Amarillo
?" (written by Neil Sedaka
and Howard Greenfield
).
After writing many hits for other people, in October 1965 Murray had a hit single as a performer himself, with his humorous composition "Down Came The Rain", issued on Fontana Records
under the moniker "Mr. Murray", with "Whatever Happened To Music" on the B side. It failed to chart. An Italian version of "Down Came The Rain", under the name Una ragazza in due (A girl for two), has been performed by various artists, among them I Giganti
and Mina
. Murray also wrote "My Brother" which became a children's favourite recorded by Terry Scott.
In 1971, Murray conceived and founded the Society Of Distinguished Songwriters (SODS). Current members include Sir Tim Rice
, Les Reed
, Guy Chambers
, Gary Barlow
, David Arnold
, Mike Batt
, Justin Hayward
, Don Black, and more than thirty others.
Later Murray and Callander formed their own record label
, Bus Stop, through which they launched the career of Paper Lace
. Their first two singles, released in 1974, were both written by Murray and Callander, "Billy Don't Be a Hero
" (No. 1 UK
, with a cover version
by Bo Donaldson & the Heywoods reaching No. 1 in the U.S.
), and "The Night Chicago Died
" (No. 1 U.S.). Another song Murray was involved in was "Sing Me", a UK Top Ten hit for one-hit wonders, The Brothers
, in 1977.
Since his own outrageous single, "Down Came The Rain", Murray has built up a reputation for comedy
in many areas, including voice characterisation for movies
and radio
commercials, as well as for after dinner speaking.
s, and has written several best-selling books on the subject including Mitch Murray's One-Liners For Weddings (1994), Mitch Murray's One-Liners For Business and Mitch Murray's One-Liners for Speeches on Special Occasions (1997).
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
and author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
.
Musical career
Murray’s first major songwriting success was "How Do You Do It?How Do You Do It?
"How Do You Do It?" was the debut single by Liverpudlian band Gerry & the Pacemakers. The song was number one in the UK Singles Chart on 11 April 1963, where it stayed for three weeks.-History:The song was written by Mitch Murray...
" It was picked up by producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
George Martin
George Martin
Sir George Henry Martin CBE is an English record producer, arranger, composer and musician. He is sometimes referred to as "the Fifth Beatle"— a title that he often describes as "nonsense," but the fact remains that he served as producer on all but one of The Beatles' original albums...
, who insisted that The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
record
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
it as their follow-up to "Love Me Do
Love Me Do
"Love Me Do" is The Beatles' first single, backed by "P.S. I Love You" and released on 5 October 1962. When the single was originally released in the United Kingdom, it peaked at number seventeen; in 1982 it was re-issued and reached number four...
." Their lack of enthusiasm was clear in the recording, which remained officially unreleased until it appeared on Anthology 1
Anthology 1
Anthology 1 is a compilation album by The Beatles, released by Apple Records in November 1995. It was released as the first part of the Anthology trilogy of albums with Anthology 2 and Anthology 3, all of which tie-in with the televised special The Beatles Anthology. It contains "Free as a Bird",...
in 1995. Martin let them release a rearranged version of "Please Please Me
Please Please Me (song)
"Please Please Me" is a song and the second single released by The Beatles in the United Kingdom, and the first to be issued in the United States. It was also the title track of their first LP, which was recorded to capitalise on the success of the single...
" as a single instead, passing "How Do You Do It?" to another young Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
based group
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...
, Gerry & The Pacemakers
Gerry & the Pacemakers
Gerry and the Pacemakers were a British beat music group prominent during the 1960s. In common with The Beatles, they came from Liverpool, were managed by Brian Epstein and recorded by George Martin. They are most remembered for being the first act to reach number one in the UK Singles Chart with...
. Their version—essentially a copy of The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
' recording—launched their career with a UK No. 1 single the following spring. Thus encouraged, Murray sent them another of his songs, "I Like It", which became their second single and also topped the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
.
He had further success throughout the next ten years, writing "You Were Made For Me" and "I’m Telling You Now" for Freddie and the Dreamers
Freddie and the Dreamers
Freddie and the Dreamers were an English band who had a number of hit records between May 1963 and November 1965. Their stage act was based around the comic antics of the 5-foot-3-inch-tall Freddie Garrity, who would bounce around the stage with arms and legs flying. The group remained active...
, the latter in collaboration with their frontman, Freddie Garrity
Freddie Garrity
Freddie Garrity was a singer and actor who was frontman and comical element in the 1960s pop band, Freddie and the Dreamers.-Biography:...
. Murray's 1964 book
Book
A book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of hot lava, paper, parchment, or other materials, usually fastened together to hinge at one side. A single sheet within a book is called a leaf or leaflet, and each side of a leaf is called a page...
, How To Write A Hit Song, famously inspired Sting - then a 12-year-old schoolboy - to start writing songs. Sting now refers to Mitch Murray as 'My Mentor' and wrote the foreword to 'Mitch Murray's Handbook For The Terrified Speaker (Valium In A Volume)', published by Foulsham.
Most of Murray's subsequent hits were written with Peter Callander
Peter Callander
Peter Callander is a British songwriter and record producer.-Career:Active from the 1960s to the present day, Callander has written or co-written songs that have been performed by recording artists such as Cilla Black, Tom Jones, Cliff Richard, Shirley Bassey, and The Tremeloes, among many...
, among them "Even The Bad Times Are Good" (The Tremeloes
The Tremeloes
The Tremeloes are an English beat group founded in 1958 in Dagenham, Essex, and still active today.-Career:They formed as Brian Poole and the Tremoloes influenced by Buddy Holly and The Crickets...
), "The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde
The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde
"The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde" is a song recorded by the English R&B singer Georgie Fame. Released as a single, the song reached number one in the UK Singles Chart on 24 January 1968, remaining for one week...
" (Georgie Fame
Georgie Fame
Georgie Fame is a British rhythm and blues and jazz singer and keyboard player. The one-time rock and roll tour musician, who had a string of 1960s hits, is still a popular performer, often working with contemporaries such as Van Morrison and Bill Wyman.-Early life:Fame took piano lessons from the...
), "Goodbye Sam, Hello Samantha" (Cliff Richard
Cliff Richard
Sir Cliff Richard, OBE is a British pop singer, musician, performer, actor, and philanthropist who has sold over an estimated 250 million records worldwide....
), "Ragamuffin Man" (Manfred Mann
Manfred Mann
Manfred Mann was a British beat, rhythm and blues and pop band of the 1960s, named after their South African keyboardist, Manfred Mann, who later led the successful 1970s group Manfred Mann's Earth Band...
), "Hitchin’ a Ride" (Vanity Fare), and "Avenues And Alleyways", "Las Vegas", and "I Did What I Did for Maria
I Did What I Did for Maria
I Did What I Did For Maria was a Top 20 hit in 1971 for Tony Christie. It was written and produced by Mitch Murray and Peter Callander, who were also responsible for Christie's 'Las Vegas' and 'Avenues And Alleyways'. The song is about a widower who, on the eve of his execution, recalls how he...
" for (Tony Christie
Tony Christie
Tony Christie is an English musician, singer and actor. He is best known for his track, "Is This The Way To Amarillo", a double UK chart success.-Career:Tony Christie has sold over 10 million albums Worldwide...
).
Murray and Callander were also Tony Christie's producers, and produced "Is This the Way to Amarillo
Is This the Way to Amarillo
In the United States, a version by the writer of the song Neil Sedaka made to number 44 in the Billboard charts in 1977, and the title was shortened to "Amarillo".-Tony Christie featuring Peter Kay version:...
?" (written by Neil Sedaka
Neil Sedaka
Neil Sedaka is an American pop/rock singer, pianist, and composer. His career has spanned nearly 55 years, during which time he has sold millions of records as an artist and has written or co-written over 500 songs for himself and other artists, collaborating mostly with lyricists Howard...
and Howard Greenfield
Howard Greenfield
Howard Greenfield was an American lyricist and songwriter, who for several years in the 1960s worked out of the famous Brill Building...
).
After writing many hits for other people, in October 1965 Murray had a hit single as a performer himself, with his humorous composition "Down Came The Rain", issued on Fontana Records
Fontana Records
Fontana Records is a record label which was started in the 1950s as a subsidiary of the Dutch Philips Records; when Philips restructured its music operations it dropped Fontana in favor of Vertigo Records. In the seventies PolyGram acquired the dormant label....
under the moniker "Mr. Murray", with "Whatever Happened To Music" on the B side. It failed to chart. An Italian version of "Down Came The Rain", under the name Una ragazza in due (A girl for two), has been performed by various artists, among them I Giganti
I Giganti
I Giganti are an Italian band founded in 1964.In the 1960s, they released a number of hits. After this, they released a seminal concept album of Italian progressive rock in 1971, called Terra in bocca.I Giganti have released three full albums....
and Mina
Mina (singer)
Anna Maria Quaini, Grand Officer , known as Mina, is an Italian pop singer. She was a staple of Italian television variety shows and a dominant figure in Italian pop music from the mid-1960s to mid-1970s known for her three-octave vocal range, the agility of her soprano voice, and her image as an...
. Murray also wrote "My Brother" which became a children's favourite recorded by Terry Scott.
In 1971, Murray conceived and founded the Society Of Distinguished Songwriters (SODS). Current members include Sir Tim Rice
Tim Rice
Sir Timothy Miles Bindon "Tim" Rice is an British lyricist and author.An Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, Tony Award and Grammy Award-winning lyricist, Rice is best known for his collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber, with whom he wrote Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus...
, Les Reed
Les Reed
Les Reed O.B.E. is an English songwriter, musician and light orchestra leader.-Career:...
, Guy Chambers
Guy Chambers
Guy Chambers is an English songwriter and record producer, perhaps best known for his long partnership with Robbie Williams.- Biography :...
, Gary Barlow
Gary Barlow
Gary Barlow is an English singer-songwriter, pianist and record producer. He is frontman and lead vocalist of pop group Take That and is currently the head judge on the eighth series of The X Factor. Barlow is one of Britain's most successful songwriters...
, David Arnold
David Arnold
David Arnold is an English film composer best known for scoring five James Bond films, the 1994 film Stargate, the 1996 film Independence Day, and the television series Little Britain.-Film and television career:...
, Mike Batt
Mike Batt
Michael Philip "Mike" Batt is a British songwriter, musician, producer and Deputy Chairman of the British Phonographic Industry...
, Justin Hayward
Justin Hayward
Justin Hayward is an English musician, best known as singer, songwriter and guitarist in the rock band The Moody Blues.Hayward was born in Dean Street, Swindon, Wiltshire, England...
, Don Black, and more than thirty others.
Later Murray and Callander formed their own record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
, Bus Stop, through which they launched the career of Paper Lace
Paper Lace
Paper Lace are a Nottingham based pop group, formed in 1969. They are known to Americans as a one-hit wonder; however, in the UK they were a "classic two and a half hit wonder".-History:...
. Their first two singles, released in 1974, were both written by Murray and Callander, "Billy Don't Be a Hero
Billy Don't Be a Hero
"Billy Don't Be A Hero" is a 1974 anti-war pop song by Paper Lace and was also recorded by Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods. It was written by Mitch Murray and Peter Callander....
" (No. 1 UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, with a cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
by Bo Donaldson & the Heywoods reaching No. 1 in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
), and "The Night Chicago Died
The Night Chicago Died
"The Night Chicago Died" is a song by the British group Paper Lace, written by Peter Callander and Mitch Murray. The song reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for one week in 1974, reached number 3 in the UK charts, and number 2 in Canada. It is about a fictional shoot-out in Chicago...
" (No. 1 U.S.). Another song Murray was involved in was "Sing Me", a UK Top Ten hit for one-hit wonders, The Brothers
The Brothers (band)
The Brothers were a UK-based band that scored a top ten hit on the British chart with the song, "Sing Me." The sprightly, reggae-inflected song reached number 8 on the UK Singles Chart in the Spring of 1977.The Brothers recorded for Bus Stop, a UK record label founded by Mitch Murray and Peter...
, in 1977.
Comedy
In the mid-1980s, just before the privatisation of British Telecom, Murray wrote and starred in a series of comedy programmes, The Telefun Show, which were only available for listening via the telephone (by dialling 01-246 8070 in the UK) in a similar way to the contemporary Dial-A-Disc service, which he also presented and which attracted up to 400,000 calls per day.Since his own outrageous single, "Down Came The Rain", Murray has built up a reputation for comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
in many areas, including voice characterisation for movies
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
and radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
commercials, as well as for after dinner speaking.
Author and speechwriter
Murray is now regarded as one of Britain’s leading professional humorous speechwriterSpeechwriter
A speechwriter is a person who is hired to prepare and write speeches that will be delivered by another person. Speechwriters are used by many senior-level elected officials and executives in the government and private sectors.-Skills and training:...
s, and has written several best-selling books on the subject including Mitch Murray's One-Liners For Weddings (1994), Mitch Murray's One-Liners For Business and Mitch Murray's One-Liners for Speeches on Special Occasions (1997).