Geoff Goddard
| Geoff Goddard | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Geoffrey Goddard |
| Born |
19 November 1937 Reading, Berkshire, England |
| Died | 15 May 2000 (aged 62) |
| Genres | Pop music |
| Occupation(s) | Songwriter, singer, musician |
| Years active | 1960s |
| Associated acts | Joe Meek |
Geoff Goddard (19 November 1937 – 15 May 2000) was an English songwriter, singer and instrumentalist. Working for Joe Meek in the early 1960s, he wrote songs for Heinz, Mike Berry, Gerry Temple, The Tornados, Kenny Hollywood, The Outlaws, Freddie Starr, Screaming Lord Sutch, The Ramblers and John Leyton. His song for Leyton, "Johnny Remember Me", reached number 1 in the UK Singles Chart.
By the mid-1960s he had fallen out with Meek. Disillusioned with the music industry, he withdrew from it to work in catering.
Goddard was born in Reading, Berkshire, England. He sang in choir in a local church before going on to study the viola and piano at the Royal Academy of Music in London. Following national service, he sought to move into popular music, and met Meek. He initially attempted to establish himself as a Russ Conway/Liberace styled singer-pianist under the stage-name "Anton Hollywood". Meek promoted him, but he was unable to achieve success.
Eventually he released his solo records under his real name. He recorded four singles as solo artist, produced by Meek, on which he sang with his distinctive regional accent:
It is probable that a fifth single "Don't You Make My Baby Cry", credited to Percy Evanston, was a Goddard single released, for reasons unknown, under an assumed name. This US record is rare but can be heard on The Exceptional Joe Meek – The Missing Recordings & Rarities – There's Lots More Where This Came From album. The Oxford label CD also featured seven of the above named tracks ("Sky Men" being the exception) plus Goddard's demo of his song, "My Friend Bobby".
His best known efforts were as a songwriter. His first work for Meek was the instrumental "Lone Riders" for The Flee-Rekkers. He then penned "Johnny Remember Me" for John Leyton. It became a number one hit single in the UK Singles Chart. Goddard also played keyboards on various of Meek's productions, most notably another chart-topper, The Tornados', "Telstar", and wrote and performed on the hit single's flip side, "Jungle Fever."
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