Geoff Morrow

For the actor, see Jeff Morrow.
Geoff Morrow
Birth name Geoffrey Stanton Morrow
Born (1942-05-16) 16 May 1942
London, England
Occupation(s) Songwriter

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 top artists. 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.

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 the worldwide standard, “Can't Smile Without You”, made famous by Barry Manilow,[7] and which received creditation from BMI for being one of only 20 songs to have had over three million airplays in the United States. Morrow also co-write 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 and had hits around the world, discovering and cultivating many artists. 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, recently successfully "tried out" in New Hampshire.[16] He has also written several screenplays, including one called Don't Go Breaking my Heart.

Personal life

He and his wife Marilyn have six children.

References

  1. ↑ "Check Company : Geoffrey Stanton Morrow". Check Company. Retrieved 2015-10-20.
  2. ↑ "I Must Be Lucky - Sandie Shaw | Song Info". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-10-20.
  3. ↑ "Can't Smile Without You - Carpenters | Song Info". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-10-20.
  4. ↑ "Little Bit of Green - Elvis Presley | Song Info". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-10-20.
  5. ↑ "You Saved My Life - Johnny Mathis | Song Info". AllMusic. 2015-01-27. Retrieved 2015-10-20.
  6. ↑ "Jessie J - Who You Are (CD, Album)". Discogs.com. 2011-07-24. Retrieved 2015-10-20.
  7. 1 2 Steve Huey. "Can't Smile Without You - Barry Manilow | Song Info". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-10-20.
  8. ↑ "Butterscotch (2) Discography". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2015-10-20.
  9. ↑ "Official Chart History". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 2015-10-20.
  10. ↑ "Dave Dee - Annabella / Kelly - Fontana - UK - 6007 021". 45cat. 2014-01-14. Retrieved 2015-10-20.
  11. ↑ "Annabella (song by Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds) ••• Music VF, US & UK hits charts". Musicvf.com. 1971-08-28. Retrieved 2015-10-20.
  12. ↑ "Official Chart History". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 2015-10-20.
  13. ↑ "Elvis Presley - Let's Be Friends (Vinyl, LP, Album)". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2015-10-20.
  14. 1 2 Foster, Geoff (2015-03-10). "MARKET REPORT: Gate Ventures' AIM float hits the right note as shares soar 55 per cent". This is Money. Retrieved 2015-10-20.
  15. ↑ "A Legendary Romance (New Musical)". Ron H. Stephenson. Retrieved 2015-10-20.
  16. ↑ "An Inside Look at New Hampshire's New London Barn Playhouse". Nhmagazine.com. 2015-09-01. Retrieved 2015-10-20.

External links


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