Tag Archives: Puppet on a string

BILL MARTIN DIED

ESC Covers wanted to write over the death of Bill Martin, a UK composer, but with the preparation for the 21 days of isolation, a lot of buying of stuff etc, we did not get to it. The times newspaper of the UK did the following article which we have copied.

Bill Martin, one of pop music’s most accomplished songwriters, has died aged 81, drawing tributes from across the industry.

A former shipyard worker who was born in Govan, Martin wrote top-ten hits for stars of the Sixties and Seventies, including Sandie Shaw and Cilla Black. He went on to write Back Home for the 1970 England World Cup squad, and Shang-a-lang for the Bay City Rollers, the sound of the title echoing the noises of the Clydeside yards.

He was behind two Eurovision Song Contest winners (ESC Covers feel this is a mistake as only Sandie was a Euroviion winner. Cliff came second) and in his later years his ring tone was Congratulations, the No 1 hit he wrote for Cliff Richard in 1968.

Phil Coulter, Martin’s songwriting partner, said his death was the end of an era.

ESC Covers favourite song by him is FOREVER AND EVER for the group Slik.

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