Clive Westlake
Gerald Clive Westlake (25 December 1932 – 17 June 2000)[1] was a British songwriter.
Clive Westlake | |
---|---|
Birth name | Gerald Clive Westlake |
Born | Wattsville, Monmouthshire, Wales | 25 December 1932
Died | 17 June 2000 67) Pegram, Tennessee, US | (aged
Occupation(s) | Songwriter |
Years active | 1960s–1990s |
Early life
Westlake was born in Wattsville, Monmouthshire, Wales, the son of a coal miner, and studied at the Trinity College of Music in London. He worked as music teacher at Robert Richardson Grammar School, Ryhope, near Sunderland, between 1956 and 1959, before working as a songwriter with music publishers Carlin Music.[2]
Career
Westlake is most associated with songs written for Dusty Springfield, including "Losing You" (co-written with Tom Springfield) and "All I See Is You" (co-written with Ben Weisman) — both of which peaked at no. 9 on the UK Singles Chart, in 1964 and 1966 respectively — and "I Close My Eyes and Count to Ten", which reached no. 4 in the UK in 1968.[3] He also co-wrote "Here I Go Again" with Mort Shuman for The Hollies – a UK no. 4 hit in 1964 – and wrote songs recorded by Shirley Bassey, Vera Lynn, Elvis Presley, Petula Clark, Cilla Black, Tom Jones, Roger Whittaker, Crystal Gayle and others.[4][5] One of his early efforts was a "B" side for Craig Douglas, "New Boy", issued on Top Rank.
Personal life and death
He moved to Nashville in the 1980s. He died at his home in Pegram, Tennessee, at the age of 67.[4]
He has four children; Christopher, Andrew, Julia and Annika. His daughter Julia lives in Hamburg and is a well-known TV presenter and radio broadcaster in Germany.[6]
References
- Clive Westlake at FindaGrave.com. Retrieved 26 November 2013
- Chris Cordner, "Music teacher who triggered a passion for classical sounds", Sunderland Echo, 9 August 2016. Retrieved 4 January 2022
- Clive Westlake at MusicVF.com. Retrieved 26 November 2013
- "Gifted Songwriter Clive Westlake Dies At Age 67", June 2000 Archived 2015-09-23 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 26 November 2013
- Clive Westlake at Carlin Music. Retrieved 26 November 2013
- Julia Westlake at Leibnitz-University Hanover Archived 2014-04-19 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 17 April 2014