Norman Newell
| Norman Newell | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Norman Newell |
| Also known as | David West |
| Born |
25 January 1919 Plaistow, Essex, England |
| Died | 1 December 2004 (aged 85) Sussex, England |
| Genres | Popular music |
| Occupation(s) | Record producer, songwriter, lyricist |
| Years active | 1945–2001 |
Norman Newell OBE (25 January 1919 – 1 December 2004) was an Golden Globe award winning English record producer, mainly active in the 1950s and 1960s, as well as co-writer of many notable songs. As an A&R manager for EMI he worked with musicians such as Shirley Bassey, Claude François, Vera Lynn, Russ Conway, Bette Midler, Judy Garland, Petula Clark, Jake Thackray, Malcolm Roberts, Bobby Crush and Peter and Gordon. Newell was particularly known for his recorded productions of West End musicals.
During his career, won a Grammy, an Emmy and three Ivor Novello Awards for his contribution to the entertainment industry, as well as six British Music Industry Awards.
Newell was born in Plaistow, Essex (now Greater London). His career as a songwriter for a London-based music publishing company, commenced straight after World War II.
He was the head of EMI's Columbia label for many of the label's most successful years. He was also a highly sought after lyricist, sometimes writing under the pen-name, David West, responsible for co-writing songs that included "My Thanks To You" (music by Noel Gay) and "Portrait of My Love" (music by Cyril Ornadel), a hit for Matt Monro. In addition, he provided the English lyrics for "More", (the theme from the film Mondo Cane). Newell also wrote the English lyrics of Shirley Bassey's 1961 number one hit "Reach for the Stars", (composed by Nini Oliviero and Riz Ortolani); "This Is My Life" ("La vita", written by Antonio Amurri and Bruno Canfora); "The Importance of Your Love" ("Important C'est La Rose", by Gilbert Bécaud); "Monday Morning Again" ("Le lundi au soleil", by Claude François) and "Never, Never, Never" ("Grande, Grande Grande"). He also wrote with the composer, Philip Green, the United Kingdom's 1963 Eurovision Song Contest entry, "Say Wonderful Things", recorded by Ronnie Carroll. The song was later recorded in the United States by Patti Page.
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