Post by wingsj0 on Apr 30, 2006 10:15:51 GMT
Official Tony Hatch Site
Tony Hatch was born on the 30th of June 1939, and grew up in Pinner, Middlesex where he spent the early years of his childhood in the family home at Eastcote Road, Ruislip. “Like many homes in the forties we had a piano and both my parents played it, from an early age so did I. My parents enjoyed a variety of music from classics to music hall and light opera. I recall being taken to see such gems as ‘Lilac Time’ and ‘The Dancing Years’ shortly after the war ended. My family encouraged me especially my mother since I hardly saw my father during the war years. My mum literally pushed me into the local church choir when signs of a reasonable voice began to appear. At the age of ten she then tried to get me into one of the big choir schools such as St Paul’s or Winchester. I finally passed an audition for The London Choir School which, in fact, proved to be of great value to me since the school of 60 choristers not only provided choirs for important London churches but also choristers for TV, concerts and popular recordings. Hence, I sang in a choir on a Max Bygraves record, played a singing page boy in a TV drama, and performed Christmas carols at a Royal Gala at The Savoy Hotel. I also learned a great deal about the theory of music, harmony and composition and could read music without even thinking about it.”
Whilst studying at The London Choir School Tony learnt the art of composition and wrote his first pieces of music there. “I became Head Chorister of All Souls, Langham Place and wrote hymn tunes and short anthems which the organist/choirmaster was happy to include in the evening service. I probably wrote everything at the piano although I was learning the organ at the time.”
In 1955 he found a job with Robert Mellin Music in London’s Tin Pan Alley. “My voice broke at the age of fourteen which of course ended my days as a chorister but the school appointed me as an Assistant Choir Master. As the school was in Bexley, Kent, this was convenient for the choirmasters in London who would send me the list of hymns, psalms, and anthems their choirs needed for the following weekend. At the age of sixteen I had the choice of going to Music College or getting a job. By then I had become attracted to pop and light orchestral music so a job in London’s Tin Pan Alley (Denmark Street) seemed the best idea and would also save my parents money. I ran the errands, did the filing, and made the tea but most importantly, I played the piano and could transpose at sight for the many singers that visited the office looking for new songs. I was also in the thick of the music business and I loved it”.
It wasn’t long before Tony Hatch was writing songs and making a name for him as an established composer throughout the industry. Then National Service caught up with him. He applied to join the The Band of The Coldstream Guards and served for three years as a pianist/arranger and music copyist. As the band was based in London he was able to work part-time for Pye Records the company he joined full time on leaving the Army.
“I probably had the best days of my life at Pye simply because they gave me every opportunity to discover & nurture my own abilities. ”Working at Pye, Hatch was responsible for producing some of the music industries influential female artistes of all time. One of the most important to walk through the door was a young singer named Petula Clark. Tony Hatch assisted Alan Freeman during the recording of Petula's Clark’s first hit, ‘Sailor,’ which went to number 1 in the UK charts, and from that session the ‘Hatch and Clark,’ working relationship grew & became a successful one. A string of hits and number one’s followed including the most famous one ‘Downtown.’the story is as follows:
During 1964, Hatch visited New York City in search of new material for Petula Clark, and while he was there he was inspired to write, and ‘Downtown’ was born. “Downtown, was just a little idea that was taking shape when I played it to Petula, it was her encouragement and enthusiasm that gave it life. Even on the session I knew we were creating something different but never dreamed that Pet’s record would sell 3 million worldwide, and that the song would become a standard.” The release of
Downtown,’ made Petula Clark a truly International recording artist and the song introduced her to the American market and placed Tony Hatch on the International/US map as one of the UK’s most influential composures. His work got known throughout the US and it wasn’t long before superstars Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jnr and Dolly Parton, wanted to record Tony Hatch compositions or have him score their music to suit their voices. “In the past I would write specifically for my own artist but now I’m quite happy to submit songs to new and established artistes.” said Tony.
At Pye he became a producer for some of the UK’s most popular female singers of all time, and wrote and recorded for artistes such as Kathy Kirby & Jackie Trent. Julie Grant was another artist he tried his best to help. Hatch could see she had something special, her vocals were exceptional, and he truly believed in her but sadly she never got the public recognition she truly deserved. “I thought Julie Grant was great and I’m sorry I never managed to help her achieve her full potential. No doubt I was producing too many artistes at this time, especially girls. In those years, in-house producers often faced this problem and I could never give her the attention she deserved.” Another important artiste to walk through the doors at Pye was, as mentioned, a singer called Jackie Trent, who became the first Mrs Hatch. The couple married in 1966 and became known as the ‘Mr and Mrs,’ of the music industry because their song ‘The Two of Us,’ went to number 1 in Australia.
Hatch continued to produce hit after hit, one of them was ‘Sugar and Spice’ for The Searchers, composed under the name of ‘Fred Nightingale.’ I thought they wouldn’t even look at a song written by Tony Hatch so I submitted it under a false name although they say now they always knew I’d written it. It was a deliberate follow-up to ‘Sweets for my Sweet,’ and since The Searchers were so hot I knew it would go at least top five.”
Throughout the years Tony Hatch has written for the cream of the crop when it comes to popular artistes and one artiste to use a Hatch composition on his album was the ex- Beatle himself (Sir) Paul McCartney and his band Wings. Hatch explains how the idea came about: “Actually, I always thought the Crossroads theme was woven into ‘Lonely Old People,’ on the ‘Venus and Mars’ album because Paul mistakenly thought that only ‘lonely old people’ watched the programme. Whatever, it was his idea and I was delighted
.‘Crossroads,’ was the start because he continued to write TV theme tunes for UK television, which included. ‘Emmerdale,’ ‘The Sweeney’, Airline,’ but Hatch’s most famous TV theme has to be ‘Australia’s top soap –' Neighbours.’ Hatch says: “Emmerdale is my personal favourite and perfectly evokes the Yorkshire countryside. The newest arrangement (not by me) is sensational. I also love' Crossroads 'because it was my first TV theme and, of course ‘Neighbours,’ is still >going strong because the programme is good and the latest version of the theme is great. I never dreamed that the three serials would run so long.”
In the 70’s Tony earned himself the reputation as the ‘Hatchet Man’ on the long running UK version of Australia’s ‘New Faces’. (He told it like it is!) Long before Simon Cowell Tony Hatch was the man who the viewers, artiste and press had a love hate relationship with: “Simon Cowell is the Tony Hatch of the new millennium and would probably acknowledge that. New Faces is so different to X Factor because it featured performers across the board of entertainment. Not just singers. The best performers I recall from New Faces are ‘Lenny Henry,’ ‘Jim Davidson,’ ‘Victoria Wood,’ and ‘Sweet Sensation.’ The worst was ‘Harry Dickman and The Heart Family
“
2005 saw Sanctuary Record Group Ltd release a new ‘Tony Hatch’ C.D. box set, which is simply the work of a music genius: “I made a load of albums for Pye throughout the 60s and there are 6 of them. Each has been remastered for CD and has a miniature version of the original sleeve. It’s a mix of Latin and pop arrangements. I’m very proud of the set. Sanctuary Records do so well with the back catalogue. I’m big in Japan you know.”
What advice can Tony Hatch the legendary producer and song-writer offer to up and coming musicians and bands today wanting to make it big within the music industry? Hatch tells us: “Study the craft of song writing. Listen to as many records as possible. Create something fresh and original. Set aside a few hours each day and just write. Even if you have no inspiration don’t give up. Start again the following day”. Tony continued to tell us if given a choice which artist from today he would choose to write a song for it would be Robbie Williams .A loose cannon but one of the greatest entertainers and singers of the decade.”
If you were asked to describe the musical career of Tony Hatch in a musical history book how would you word it?
Modest version:" A working musician who had the good luck to be in the right place at the right time."
Big Headed version:" Composer, music arranger, record producer, pianist and orchestra- conductor. Made his name with songs like ‘Downtown,’ ‘Call Me,’ and British TV themes of the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s such as ‘Emmerdale,’ Crossroads,’ and ‘Neighbours.’"
I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Tony Hatch for taking the time out of his busy schedule to answer my questions, and for the support he’s given to our fanzine.
Jo Rishton With
Tony Hatch
Official Site: www.tonyhatch.com
This interview has been approved by Tony Hatch.
Please note all articles on this site are (C) to The Beat Goes On And On Fanzine and may not be used without permission.
Petula Clark: Downtown was released late 1964.
Tony Hatch was born on the 30th of June 1939, and grew up in Pinner, Middlesex where he spent the early years of his childhood in the family home at Eastcote Road, Ruislip. “Like many homes in the forties we had a piano and both my parents played it, from an early age so did I. My parents enjoyed a variety of music from classics to music hall and light opera. I recall being taken to see such gems as ‘Lilac Time’ and ‘The Dancing Years’ shortly after the war ended. My family encouraged me especially my mother since I hardly saw my father during the war years. My mum literally pushed me into the local church choir when signs of a reasonable voice began to appear. At the age of ten she then tried to get me into one of the big choir schools such as St Paul’s or Winchester. I finally passed an audition for The London Choir School which, in fact, proved to be of great value to me since the school of 60 choristers not only provided choirs for important London churches but also choristers for TV, concerts and popular recordings. Hence, I sang in a choir on a Max Bygraves record, played a singing page boy in a TV drama, and performed Christmas carols at a Royal Gala at The Savoy Hotel. I also learned a great deal about the theory of music, harmony and composition and could read music without even thinking about it.”
Whilst studying at The London Choir School Tony learnt the art of composition and wrote his first pieces of music there. “I became Head Chorister of All Souls, Langham Place and wrote hymn tunes and short anthems which the organist/choirmaster was happy to include in the evening service. I probably wrote everything at the piano although I was learning the organ at the time.”
In 1955 he found a job with Robert Mellin Music in London’s Tin Pan Alley. “My voice broke at the age of fourteen which of course ended my days as a chorister but the school appointed me as an Assistant Choir Master. As the school was in Bexley, Kent, this was convenient for the choirmasters in London who would send me the list of hymns, psalms, and anthems their choirs needed for the following weekend. At the age of sixteen I had the choice of going to Music College or getting a job. By then I had become attracted to pop and light orchestral music so a job in London’s Tin Pan Alley (Denmark Street) seemed the best idea and would also save my parents money. I ran the errands, did the filing, and made the tea but most importantly, I played the piano and could transpose at sight for the many singers that visited the office looking for new songs. I was also in the thick of the music business and I loved it”.
It wasn’t long before Tony Hatch was writing songs and making a name for him as an established composer throughout the industry. Then National Service caught up with him. He applied to join the The Band of The Coldstream Guards and served for three years as a pianist/arranger and music copyist. As the band was based in London he was able to work part-time for Pye Records the company he joined full time on leaving the Army.
“I probably had the best days of my life at Pye simply because they gave me every opportunity to discover & nurture my own abilities. ”Working at Pye, Hatch was responsible for producing some of the music industries influential female artistes of all time. One of the most important to walk through the door was a young singer named Petula Clark. Tony Hatch assisted Alan Freeman during the recording of Petula's Clark’s first hit, ‘Sailor,’ which went to number 1 in the UK charts, and from that session the ‘Hatch and Clark,’ working relationship grew & became a successful one. A string of hits and number one’s followed including the most famous one ‘Downtown.’the story is as follows:
During 1964, Hatch visited New York City in search of new material for Petula Clark, and while he was there he was inspired to write, and ‘Downtown’ was born. “Downtown, was just a little idea that was taking shape when I played it to Petula, it was her encouragement and enthusiasm that gave it life. Even on the session I knew we were creating something different but never dreamed that Pet’s record would sell 3 million worldwide, and that the song would become a standard.” The release of
Downtown,’ made Petula Clark a truly International recording artist and the song introduced her to the American market and placed Tony Hatch on the International/US map as one of the UK’s most influential composures. His work got known throughout the US and it wasn’t long before superstars Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jnr and Dolly Parton, wanted to record Tony Hatch compositions or have him score their music to suit their voices. “In the past I would write specifically for my own artist but now I’m quite happy to submit songs to new and established artistes.” said Tony.
At Pye he became a producer for some of the UK’s most popular female singers of all time, and wrote and recorded for artistes such as Kathy Kirby & Jackie Trent. Julie Grant was another artist he tried his best to help. Hatch could see she had something special, her vocals were exceptional, and he truly believed in her but sadly she never got the public recognition she truly deserved. “I thought Julie Grant was great and I’m sorry I never managed to help her achieve her full potential. No doubt I was producing too many artistes at this time, especially girls. In those years, in-house producers often faced this problem and I could never give her the attention she deserved.” Another important artiste to walk through the doors at Pye was, as mentioned, a singer called Jackie Trent, who became the first Mrs Hatch. The couple married in 1966 and became known as the ‘Mr and Mrs,’ of the music industry because their song ‘The Two of Us,’ went to number 1 in Australia.
Hatch continued to produce hit after hit, one of them was ‘Sugar and Spice’ for The Searchers, composed under the name of ‘Fred Nightingale.’ I thought they wouldn’t even look at a song written by Tony Hatch so I submitted it under a false name although they say now they always knew I’d written it. It was a deliberate follow-up to ‘Sweets for my Sweet,’ and since The Searchers were so hot I knew it would go at least top five.”
Throughout the years Tony Hatch has written for the cream of the crop when it comes to popular artistes and one artiste to use a Hatch composition on his album was the ex- Beatle himself (Sir) Paul McCartney and his band Wings. Hatch explains how the idea came about: “Actually, I always thought the Crossroads theme was woven into ‘Lonely Old People,’ on the ‘Venus and Mars’ album because Paul mistakenly thought that only ‘lonely old people’ watched the programme. Whatever, it was his idea and I was delighted
.‘Crossroads,’ was the start because he continued to write TV theme tunes for UK television, which included. ‘Emmerdale,’ ‘The Sweeney’, Airline,’ but Hatch’s most famous TV theme has to be ‘Australia’s top soap –' Neighbours.’ Hatch says: “Emmerdale is my personal favourite and perfectly evokes the Yorkshire countryside. The newest arrangement (not by me) is sensational. I also love' Crossroads 'because it was my first TV theme and, of course ‘Neighbours,’ is still >going strong because the programme is good and the latest version of the theme is great. I never dreamed that the three serials would run so long.”
In the 70’s Tony earned himself the reputation as the ‘Hatchet Man’ on the long running UK version of Australia’s ‘New Faces’. (He told it like it is!) Long before Simon Cowell Tony Hatch was the man who the viewers, artiste and press had a love hate relationship with: “Simon Cowell is the Tony Hatch of the new millennium and would probably acknowledge that. New Faces is so different to X Factor because it featured performers across the board of entertainment. Not just singers. The best performers I recall from New Faces are ‘Lenny Henry,’ ‘Jim Davidson,’ ‘Victoria Wood,’ and ‘Sweet Sensation.’ The worst was ‘Harry Dickman and The Heart Family
“
2005 saw Sanctuary Record Group Ltd release a new ‘Tony Hatch’ C.D. box set, which is simply the work of a music genius: “I made a load of albums for Pye throughout the 60s and there are 6 of them. Each has been remastered for CD and has a miniature version of the original sleeve. It’s a mix of Latin and pop arrangements. I’m very proud of the set. Sanctuary Records do so well with the back catalogue. I’m big in Japan you know.”
What advice can Tony Hatch the legendary producer and song-writer offer to up and coming musicians and bands today wanting to make it big within the music industry? Hatch tells us: “Study the craft of song writing. Listen to as many records as possible. Create something fresh and original. Set aside a few hours each day and just write. Even if you have no inspiration don’t give up. Start again the following day”. Tony continued to tell us if given a choice which artist from today he would choose to write a song for it would be Robbie Williams .A loose cannon but one of the greatest entertainers and singers of the decade.”
If you were asked to describe the musical career of Tony Hatch in a musical history book how would you word it?
Modest version:" A working musician who had the good luck to be in the right place at the right time."
Big Headed version:" Composer, music arranger, record producer, pianist and orchestra- conductor. Made his name with songs like ‘Downtown,’ ‘Call Me,’ and British TV themes of the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s such as ‘Emmerdale,’ Crossroads,’ and ‘Neighbours.’"
I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Tony Hatch for taking the time out of his busy schedule to answer my questions, and for the support he’s given to our fanzine.
Jo Rishton With
Tony Hatch
Official Site: www.tonyhatch.com
This interview has been approved by Tony Hatch.
Please note all articles on this site are (C) to The Beat Goes On And On Fanzine and may not be used without permission.
Petula Clark: Downtown was released late 1964.