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Geoff Morrow

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Geoff Morrow
Born
Geoffrey Stanton Morrow

(1942-05-16) 16 May 1942 (age 84)
London, England
OccupationsSongwriter, producer
Years active1964–present
Formerly of

Geoffrey Stanton "Geoff" Morrow (born 16 May 1942) is a British songwriter, composer and businessman.[1] He began his songwriting career in the 1960s and worked with Chris Arnold and David Martin as part of the songwriting and production partnership Arnold, Martin and Morrow. His compositions have been recorded by artists including Cliff Richard, The Carpenters, Elvis Presley, Johnny Mathis, Jessie J and Barry Manilow.[2][3][4][5][6][7]

Songwriting career

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Morrow and Chris Arnold had their first major songwriting success with "In Thoughts of You", recorded by Billy Fury and released in 1965. The song was written by Arnold and Morrow and reached the top ten of the UK singles chart.[8]

The duo then teamed up with singer David Martin, forming the songwriting and production partnership known as Arnold, Martin and Morrow.[9] The partnership wrote songs recorded by a number of British performers, including Cliff Richard, the Shadows, Frank Ifield and Cilla Black, plus a follow-up with Billy Fury called “I’ll Never Quite Get Over You”.[10]

Among their compositions was "Annabella", which was recorded by Dave Dee in the United Kingdom and later recorded by Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds. The latter version reached number 46 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1971.[11][12]

Arnold, Martin and Morrow also wrote several songs recorded by Elvis Presley. "Let's Be Friends", written by the three songwriters, was recorded by Presley in 1969 and released on the 1970 album Let's Be Friends. Another of their Presley recordings was "A Little Bit of Green".[13]

In 1975, the partnership wrote and produced "There's a Whole Lot of Loving", recorded by Guys 'n' Dolls. The song reached number two in the United Kingdom. The song was released in Ireland in 2002 by the band Six, a group formed from Ireland's first-ever Popstars television talent show.[14]

Arnold, Martin and Morrow also wrote "Can't Smile Without You". The song was first recorded by David Martin in 1975 and was recorded by The Carpenters and Barry Manilow. Manilow's recording, released in 1978, became the best-known version of the song. The song was listed by BMI among its three-million-performance songs in the United States.[15]

Butterscotch

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In 1970, Morrow, Arnold and Martin recorded and performed together under the name Butterscotch. Their single "Don't You Know (She Said Hello)", released on RCA Victor, was written and produced by the three members. The song reached number 17 on the UK Singles Chart and number 18 in Ireland.[16][17]

Business career

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Morrow was an Executive Director of Vista Entertainments plc which in 1990 acquired the Manchester Opera House and the Palace Theatre, Manchester for £5.7 million.[18][19][20]

Morrow was also a director and major shareholder of Caesars Palace in Luton.[19][20]

He was appointed a director of Entertainment Now plc in January 2001. The company acquired the exclusive Rights from Granada to the stage version of their hugely successful “STARS IN THEIR EYES”. The live show, hosted by Bradley Walsh, toured the UK, in particular securing a contract with Butlins. The company is now dissolved.[19]

In 2015, Morrow joined the board of Gate Ventures plc, an entertainment and media investment company.[20] The company invested in theatre productions including Sunset Boulevard and 42nd Street. Companies House records identify Morrow as a director of Gate Ventures plc from January 2015.[21]

Theatre

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Morrow wrote the music and lyrics for the musical Spin of the Wheel, with a book by Timothy Prager.[22] The production was staged at the Palace Theatre in Watford in March 1987 before transferring to the Comedy Theatre in London's West End the following month.[23][24]

Morrow and Prager later collaborated on the musical A Legendary Romance, for which Morrow wrote the music and lyrics and Prager wrote the book.[25] The musical received its world premiere at the New London Barn Playhouse in New Hampshire in 2013.[26] Morrow and Prager were named finalists for Best Original Playwright – Professional at the New Hampshire Theatre Awards for the production.[27]

A revised production was staged on the Main Stage at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in Massachusetts from August 3 to 20, 2017, directed by Lonny Price.[28][29]

Film and television

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Morrow wrote the screenplay for the 1999 British romantic comedy film Don't Go Breaking My Heart, directed by Willi Patterson and starring Jenny Seagrove, Anthony Edwards and Charles Dance.[19][30]

Generation Films was involved in the production of the documentary Theodor Herzl: The Man Behind Israel, directed by James Dann and Dominic Howlett and presented by David Baddiel, with Stephen Fry appearing in the film. Morrow was credited as one of its producers. The film was described by the London-based Leo Baeck Institute as a 2025 British documentary, with Morrow and Sir Bernard Zissman among its producers.[31][32][33][34][35]

Personal life

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Morrow is married with six children.[19]

See also

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References

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  1. ↑ "Check Company : Geoffrey Stanton Morrow". Check Company. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
  2. ↑ "I Must Be Lucky – Sandie Shaw | Song Info". AllMusic. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
  3. ↑ "Can't Smile Without You – Carpenters | Song Info". AllMusic. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
  4. ↑ "Little Bit of Green – Elvis Presley | Song Info". AllMusic. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
  5. ↑ "You Saved My Life – Johnny Mathis | Song Info". AllMusic. 27 January 2015. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
  6. ↑ "Jessie J – Who You Are (CD, Album)". discogs. 24 July 2011. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
  7. ↑ Steve Huey. "Can't Smile Without You – Barry Manilow | Song Info". AllMusic. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
  8. ↑ "Official Chart History". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
  9. ↑ "Episode #736 – David Martin – THE PAUL LESLIE HOUR". Retrieved 29 July 2025.
  10. ↑ "Dave Dee – Annabella / Kelly – Fontana – UK – 6007 021". 45cat. 14 January 2014. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
  11. ↑ "Annabella (song by Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds) • Music VF, US & UK hits charts". Musicvf.com. 28 August 1971. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
  12. ↑ Billboard, June 13, 1970, page 4 / retrieved 21 August 2026
  13. ↑ "The Irish Charts - All there is to know". irishcharts.ie. Retrieved 29 July 2025.
  14. ↑ "Elvis Presley – Let's Be Friends (Vinyl, LP, Album)". discogs. 26 October 1970. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
  15. ↑ "Song written for Elvis recorded". 20 June 2005. Retrieved 22 August 2026.
  16. ↑ "Butterscotch (2) Discography". discogs. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
  17. ↑ "BUTTERSCOTCH". Official Charts. 2 May 1970. Retrieved 29 July 2025.
  18. ↑ Geoff Morrow Music, Open corporation 15 December 2020
  19. 1 2 3 4 5 "Geoff Morrow - United Agents". www.unitedagents.co.uk. Retrieved 22 August 2026.
  20. 1 2 3 Foster, Geoff. "Gate Ventures' float hits the right note as shares soar 55 per cent". This is Money. Retrieved 22 August 2026.
  21. ↑ Geoffrey Stanton Morrow, FortmationDate / retrieved 22 August 2026
  22. ↑ "Tim Prager". Sayle Screen. Retrieved 4 October 2026.
  23. ↑ "'Spin of the Wheel' by Timothy Prager". Bridgeman Images. 9 March 1987. Retrieved 4 October 2026.
  24. ↑ "Programme – Spin of the Wheel, Comedy Theatre, London". University of Bristol Theatre Collection. 7 April 1987. Retrieved 4 October 2026.
  25. ↑ "A Legendary Romance". Williamstown Theatre Festival. Retrieved 4 October 2026.
  26. ↑ "An Inside Look at New Hampshire's New London Barn Playhouse". New Hampshire Magazine. 20 May 2014. Retrieved 4 October 2026.
  27. ↑ "New Hampshire Theatre Awards Announces Finalists". BroadwayWorld. 13 January 2014. Retrieved 4 October 2026.
  28. ↑ "A Legendary Romance". Williamstown Theatre Festival. 2017. Retrieved 4 October 2026.
  29. ↑ "Williamstown Theatre Festival Announces 2017 Season". American Theatre. 10 February 2017. Retrieved 4 October 2026.
  30. ↑ "Post-millennium, football's jukebox of songs has steadily wind down, FourFourTwo revisits the history of the beautiful game's relationship with music". FourFourTwo. 18 May 2025. Retrieved 22 August 2026.
  31. ↑ "A Legendary Romance (New Musical)". Ron H. Stephenson. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
  32. ↑ "An Inside Look at New Hampshire's New London Barn Playhouse". Nhmagazine.com. 1 September 2015. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
  33. ↑ "Take a Look at the World-Premiere Musical A Legendary Romance at Williamstown". Playbill. Retrieved 22 August 2026.
  34. ↑ "A Legendary Romance | 2017". Williamstown Theatre Festival. Retrieved 22 August 2026.
  35. ↑ "A Legendary Romance | a Curtainup Berkshire Review". www.curtainup.com. Retrieved 22 August 2026.
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