Tony Hatch
Tony Hatch (actually Anthony Peter Hatch; * June 30, 1939 ) is a British composer, songwriter, pianist, record producer and arranger.
Life
Encouraged by the musical abilities of the little Tony wrote his mother - in the London Choir School in Bexley, Kent, when he was ten - also a pianist. But rather than continue his studies at the Royal Academy of Music, Tony left school in 1955 and took a job rather at the Robert Mellin Music Publisher in London.
It was not long before he wrote songs and made in the board industry a name. When he was drafted for military service, he was able to hire themselves out at the chapel of the Coldstream Guards. When he was finished, he found a part-time job at Pye Records. 1959 Hatch began his own recording career with a cover version of Russ Conway Piano Instrumentalhit Side Saddle.
In 1960, Tony's composition Look for a star in the film Circus of Horrors (English title: "The red shadow ") is used; Garry Mills ' recording of the song became a top ten hit in the UK; simultaneously in the United States were four versions of the song in the charts. In Pye, he assisted his mentor, music producer Alan Freeman, in the recording of "Sailor", a number 1 hit for Petula Clark.
Hatch continued to write songs for Pye artists, sometimes under the pseudonym Mark Anthony. In 1963 teen idol Bobby Rydell with " Forget Him ", written and produced by Hatch, in the charts. Hatch produced, arranged and composed in the following years to other U.S. stars such as Keely Smith, Connie Francis and Pat Boone.
The first Tony Hatch composition, which started Petula Clark, was "Valentino". From there he became her constant producer. They worked together on a series of recordings in French for Disques Vogue. ( Petula Clark's husband was French, she spoke fluent French and made with songs in English, French, German and other languages a remarkable career in Europe. ) Hatch was one of their master composer and wrote English lyrics for the songs that they with French had written copywriters.
1964 Hatch visited for the first time to search New York new material for Petula. The trip inspired him to write the song " Downtown ", which he wanted to give the Drifters. As Petula heard the tune, she told him that if he could write a great text to the song, then they would accept him as their next single.
The release of " Downtown" Petula Clark made a major international star. The song climbed in 1965 in all over the world on the top of the charts and paved the way Petula on the U.S. record market. Clark and Hatch also co-wrote " You're the One ", a hit of the Vogues. Tony Hatch and Petula Clark were established in the States as the British equivalent to Burt Bacharach and Dionne Warwick.
With the Tony Hatch song "I Love the Little Things " reached Matt Monro at the Euro Vision Song Contest 1964 second place. 1964 Hatch was also hired to write his first television theme music - for the British soap opera Crossroads. Soon this would, at least in the UK, its most famous melody. When they Hatch asked, a song for the television series "It 's Dark Outside" to write, he delivered " Where Are You Now ( My Love )? ", With a text and voice of the recently commissioned by Pye signed singer Jackie Trent. The single took the number 1 position in the UK charts in May 1965. In 1965, Tony Hatch and his first album out, " The Downtown Sound of Tony Hatch ," with instrumental versions of some of his best known songs and new compositions.
Petula Clark's string of hits with songs Hatch continued: " My Love ", "A Sign of the Times ", "? Who Am I", " Colour My World" and " I Could not Live Without Your Love" ( engl. "I could not live without your love " ), inspired by the affair of the still married Hatch Jackie Trent, with whom he wrote songs together more often. Hatch and Trent were married in 1966. Their duet " The Two of Us" was number one in Australia, and the two came the desire for concerts and performances by. She quickly got the nickname " Mr. & Mrs. Music ".
Hatch's compositions for The Doctors, Codename, Back to the Land, The Champions, Hadleigh and Who- Dun -It established him as the undisputed number one in the world of television theme songs.
In the 1970s, Hatch and Trent made a detour into the world of musicals. Their first project, " The Card ", based on a novel by Arnold Bennett and was performed in London's West End with Jim Dale and Millicent Martin in the lead roles. (Incidentally, Petula Clark had in 1952 in the film version with Alec Guinness starred. ) An album with the stage version was published in 1975. A rewritten version of the show, with Peter Duncan and Hayley Mills in the lead roles, was given theater in the 1990s at the Regent 's Park Open Air and also released as an album. The second Hatch / Trent musical was "Rock Nativity ", with libretto and lyrics by David Wood. It was first produced in Newcastle; 1976 was a revised version, which was also recorded for television, toured Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
1978 attracted Hatch and Trent to Dublin and stayed there for four years. They hosted the television series " Words and Music " and " It's A Musical World". Hatch continued to produce themes music for television series such as " Seagull Iceland " and " Airline" before the two moved to Australia in 1982. There, the pair wrote one of his most famous compositions, the theme of the television soap opera Neighbours ( Neighbours ). Trent and Hatch separated in 1995 and divorced in 2002. With the blessing of Hatch and Clark - - 2003 Disco Remix the band OUTpsiDER of "Downtown" was released in Australia and a hit.
Hatch has two daughters from his first marriage to Jean, and a son and a daughter from his marriage to Jackie Trent. He lives with his third wife, Maggie, in Menorca, Spain.