Norman Newell was an English record producer, who was mainly active in the 1950s and 1960s.
19 Facts About Norman Newell
1.
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Norman Newell's songs have been covered by Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra, Celine Dion and Aretha Franklin.
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Norman Newell was born in Plaistow, Essex to a poor family.
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Norman Newell aspired to be an actor, but expected to work for London Transport.
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Norman Newell began his career as a songwriter for the London-based publisher.
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Norman Newell joined EMI's Columbia label as a staff producer in 1949, and was head of the label for its most successful years.
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Norman Newell discovered the singer Steve Conway, who recorded Newell's "My Thanks To You".
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In 1953, Norman Newell moved to the new Philips record label, and produced their first release by a British artist, Johnny Brandon.
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Norman Newell asked Geoff Love to arrange the song, and this marked the start of their professional relationship, in which Love's albums as Manuel and his Music of the Mountains would be produced by Norman Newell.
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Norman Newell used Trevor Stanford as a rehearsal pianist, and began recording with him in 1957, under the name Russ Conway, the surname being a tribute to Steve Conway, who had died in 1952.
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Norman Newell went freelance in 1965, and was then put under contract with EMI, where he produced the top selling single of 1965, "Tears", by comedian Ken Dodd.
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Norman Newell was a much sought-after lyricist, sometimes writing under the pen-name David West, and responsible for co-writing songs that included "Portrait of My Love", a UK Singles Chart hit for Matt Monro.
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Norman Newell wrote the English lyrics of Shirley Bassey's 1961 No 1 hit "Reach for the Stars", and Bassey's "This Is My Life".
14.
Norman Newell wrote the English lyrics to the German song "Sailor", a number one UK hit for Petula Clark and a top ten hit for Anne Shelton in 1961.
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In 1964, Norman Newell produced Peter and Gordon's number one UK hit "A World Without Love", which topped the charts in the United States and several other countries.
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Norman Newell wrote English-language lyrics to "The White Rose of Athens" for Nana Mouskouri, and Vicky Leandros's 1972 Eurovision Song Contest winning entry, "Apres toi".
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Norman Newell wrote the lyrics for the West End musical Mister Venus, but the show was not a success.
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Norman Newell continued working as a producer into the 1980s, including on Shirley Bassey's Gold selling album I Am What I Am, recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra.
19.
Norman Newell wrote the English lyrics for the 1983 Julio Iglesias recording of "Hey", which featured in the Platinum selling album Julio.