Mike Batt
Encyclopedia
Michael Philip "Mike" Batt (born 6 February 1949, Southampton
, England
) is a British
songwriter
, musician
, producer
and Deputy Chairman of the British Phonographic Industry
. He is best known for creating The Wombles
pop act, writing the chart-topping "Bright Eyes
," and discovering Katie Melua
.
School, which later became Peter Symonds College
, Winchester. His blog
on his official website
refers to his role as cadet Company Sergeant Major at the school .
Batt began his career in pop music
at the age of eighteen when he answered the same advertisement as Elton John
and Bernie Taupin
placed by Ray Williams
in the New Musical Express
by Liberty Records
. Batt became part of Liberty's production team, and in 1969 he took over production duties from Noel Walker, on McKenna Mendelson Mainline
's first release, Stink. Walker and Batt were credited on the album
only as "Liberty Staff". Also in 1969, Batt released as producer/artist
a Liberty single
, his cover version
of The Beatles
' "Your Mother Should Know". Batt subsequently became Head of A&R
for Liberty.
half of a rock
orchestra
l album that was never released, Batt was asked by the producers
of a new children's television program
me to write the theme music
. Instead of taking his £200 fee, Batt asked for the character rights for musical production. The choice produced his first hits
as a singer/songwriter/producer by The Wombles
, in 1974. The collaboration produced eight hit singles and four gold
albums.
Now financially successful, Batt moved on to work with various artists as a songwriter/producer, most successfully with Steeleye Span
and their most successful single and album All Around My Hat in 1975. Also in 1975, at the end of the summer, he entered the UK Singles Chart
with the only hit under his own name (credited alongside the New Edition) with "Summertime City", which reached number 4.
He produced the hit single "Lilac Wine
" for Elkie Brooks
in 1978. The song was a hit in the UK
and across Europe. He wrote the song "Bright Eyes
" for the animated
film
version of Watership Down
. Recorded by Art Garfunkel
, it reached number 1 in the UK Singles Chart.
Batt also wrote the scores for Caravans (1978 film)
). From these albums came the European hit songs "Railway Hotel", "Lady of the Dawn" and "The Ride to Agadir". A version of "Introduction (The Journey of a Fool)" from Tarot Suite was used as the theme for the Sydney
, Australia
radio station
, Triple M
, from its first broadcast in 1980 until well into the 1990s. Over the course of May 2010, this theme tune, still based on the main central riff from "Introduction (The Journey of a Fool)" was re-recorded by Slash
, former Guns'n'Roses guitarist, as a new theme to mark the 30th anniversary of Triple M
in Sydney
. This was released to air at the end of June 2010.
In 1980 Batt released his next album, entitled Waves (including the European hit "The Winds of Change"). In the same year, he went off with his family aboard his boat, 'Braemar', ending up in Australia
after two and a half years, travelling via France
, The West Indies, South America
, Central America
, Mexico
, Los Angeles
, Hawaii
and Fiji
. At the end of that journey, he wrote for the 50th anniversary of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
the musical Zero Zero.
Returning to the UK in 1983, Batt wrote and produced three more Top Ten hits, "Please Don't Fall In Love" (for Cliff Richard
), "A Winter's Tale
" (for David Essex
, with lyrics
co-written by Tim Rice
) and "I Feel Like Buddy Holly" (for Alvin Stardust
).In the same year, he helped write lyrics for Abbacadabra
.
The album The Hunting of the Snark
, based on Lewis Carroll
's poem
, was recorded in 1984.
Meanwhile, in the late 1980s, Batt also produced Justin Hayward
's album Classic Blue
and the music for The Dreamstone
, ITV
's fifty two part animated series, once again with the London Philharmonic Orchestra
. A number of stars performed for the Dreamstone soundtrack; notably Billy Connolly, Ozzy Osbourne
, former British heavyweight boxing champion Frank Bruno
(all of whom performed on "The War Song of the Urpneys"), Bonnie Tyler
(who sang a duet
with Batt entitled "Into the Sunset". It was not used on the show, but it was meant to be Dreamstone's official love song). Joe Brown
performed "The Vile Brothers Mountain Band" along with Gary Glitter
. Batt performed the theme song from the series "Better Than A Dream". The show was completed and finally aired in 1990.
by The Queen
, entitled "When Flags Fly Together". This was performed for the Queen and President Mitterrand
, along with many senior politician
s, by members of the choir of the Harvey Grammar School, Folkestone
.
Batt composed and produced the four million-selling album, The Violin Player, with classical violinist Vanessa-Mae
(EMI Classics, 1995) from which the Top Twenty single of J.S. Bach's "Toccata and Fugue" was taken.
In 1997 Batt produced an album for the soprano
, Anna Maria Kaufmann, with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
; an original dramatic song cycle called Blame It On The Moon, from which his song, "Running With A Dream" was taken as the theme for Germany
’s national football team at the World Cup
in June 1998.
Also in 1998, Batt produced, arranged and conducted the album, Philharmania
with the Royal Philharmonic and guest singers included Roger Daltrey
, Marc Almond
, Bonnie Tyler
, Status Quo, Huey Lewis
, Kim Wilde
, Justin Hayward
and others. Later the same year Batt relaunched The Wombles pop group, with two hits, "Remember You’re A Womble" (at number 13) and "The Wombling Song" (at number 27). In 2000 he collaborated with Roy Wood
for a single which combined new versions of previous Christmas hits by Wizzard
and The Wombles, released as "I Wish It Could Be a Wombling Merry Christmas" - UK number 22).
Later he would work on the music for the 1999 Watership Down
TV series, with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Art Garfunkel again performed a song for the TV soundtrack, "When You're Losing Your Way in The Rain" which was not used in the show. The song however originated from Batt's earlier album, Tarot Suite, and was originally performed by Colin Blunstone
of 60's group "The Zombies". "Bright Eyes" was instead performed by the former Boyzone
member Stephen Gately
, although the new version was not as successful as Garfunkel's original. Other stars who were featured on the soundtrack included Cerys Matthews
performing "Thank You Stars", (which would later be covered
by Katie Melua
on her album, Piece By Piece), Paul Carrack
who performed "Winter Song" and Gary Martin provided the narration for "Frith's Blessing". Batt also performed an original song, "A View From A Hill".
supporter, Batt was asked to write their 2001 UK General Election song "Heartland", thereby replacing Andrew Lloyd Webber
as the Conservatives' official composer.
After conceiving and co-creating the all-girl string quartet Bond
and producing their first single, he then created the eight piece classical crossover band, The Planets
. Their album Classical Graffiti was released in February 2002 and went straight to number one in the UK classical music chart on the day of release and remained there for three months.
Batt formed his own record label
Dramatico
in 2002, which has a small group of artists including Carla Bruni
. Since 2005, Dramatico has been one of the top three UK based indie labels
, based on official sales figures. Batt is presently dedicating most of his time to guiding the career of Katie Melua
, whom he discovered in 2002 while scouting for a jazz
musical project on which he was working. Melua's album Call Off The Search
(containing six of Batt's songs including "The Closest Thing to Crazy
") was released on Dramatico in November 2003. After six weeks at number one in the UK Albums Chart
, it sold six times platinum, over 1.8 million copies, in the UK and three million copies in total, making Melua the biggest selling UK female artist of 2004. Her second album, Piece by Piece (including Batt's song "Nine Million Bicycles
") was released in September 2005, and to date has sold 3.5 million copies in Europe, going to number one in the UK, The Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, and achieving top five chart positions in eight other countries.
In 2008, Batt started the year with one concert in Munich and a radio concert tour in Germany, to promote his new album, A Songwriter's Tale, a compilation album
of his hits, some sung by himself and most of them newly recorded with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Henry Spinetti
, Ray Cooper
, Chris Spedding
, Mitch Dalton and Tim Harries
.
His band toured with Spinetti (drums), Spedding (guitar), Harries (bass), Frank Gallagher (keyboards and violins), Luis Jardim
(percussion) and Florence Rawlings
(vocals and background vocals). After she completed her education, Batt signed Rawlings to Dramatico. He produced her album, A Fool In Love, and wrote six of its twelve songs ("The Only Woman In The World", "Jump On The Wagon", "Wolf Man", "Hard To Get", "Can't Hold Your Hand", and "Love Can Be A Battlefield").
The Wombles (1973–1978)
Mike Batt (Since 1973)
Compilations / Reissues
Musicals
Soundtracks
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
) is a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
and Deputy Chairman of the British Phonographic Industry
British Phonographic Industry
The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies...
. He is best known for creating The Wombles
The Wombles (band)
The Wombles are a British novelty pop group, featuring musicians dressed as the characters from children's TV show The Wombles, which in turn was based on the children's book series by Elisabeth Beresford. Songwriter and record producer, Mike Batt, wrote the series' theme tune, and went on to...
pop act, writing the chart-topping "Bright Eyes
Bright Eyes (Art Garfunkel song)
"Bright Eyes" is a song written by Mike Batt, and performed by Art Garfunkel. It was used in the soundtrack of the 1978 film Watership Down and as such is considered the theme song of the film and the later television series adaptations. The track also appears on Garfunkel's fourth studio album,...
," and discovering Katie Melua
Katie Melua
Ketevan "Katie" Melua is a British-Georgian singer, songwriter and musician. She moved to Northern Ireland at the age of eight and then to England at fourteen. Melua is signed to the small Dramatico record label, under the management of composer Mike Batt, and made her musical debut in 2003...
.
Early life and career
Mike Batt attended Peter SymondsPeter Symonds
Peter Symonds was a wealthy English merchant and benefactor, notable for the foundation of a number of almshouses in the South East of England. His most notable legacy is the foundation of an almshouse in Winchester which later developed into Peter Symonds College.-Family background:Symonds was...
School, which later became Peter Symonds College
Peter Symonds College
Peter Symonds College is a sixth form college in Winchester, Hampshire, in the south of England. It is one of the largest sixth form colleges in Britain.-Admissions:...
, Winchester. His blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
on his official website
Website
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
refers to his role as cadet Company Sergeant Major at the school .
Batt began his career in pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
at the age of eighteen when he answered the same advertisement as Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
and Bernie Taupin
Bernie Taupin
Bernard John "Bernie" Taupin is an English lyricist, poet, and singer, best known for his long-term collaboration with Elton John, writing the lyrics for the majority of the star's songs, making his lyrics some of the best known in pop-rock's history.In 1967, Taupin answered an advertisement in...
placed by Ray Williams
Ray Williams (producer)
Ray Williams, , is an A&R music producer/ publisher. He is best known as the man who discovered Elton John and introduced him to lyric writer Bernie Taupin...
in the New Musical Express
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
by Liberty Records
Liberty Records
Liberty Records was a United States-based record label. It was started by chairman Simon Waronker in 1955 with Al Bennett as president and Theodore Keep as chief engineer. It was reactivated in 2001 in the United Kingdom and had two previous revivals.-1950s:...
. Batt became part of Liberty's production team, and in 1969 he took over production duties from Noel Walker, on McKenna Mendelson Mainline
McKenna Mendelson Mainline
McKenna Mendelson Mainline is a seminal Canadian blues band, working the same English club circuit as the then up and coming bands Fleetwood Mac and Led Zeppelin...
's first release, Stink. Walker and Batt were credited on the album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
only as "Liberty Staff". Also in 1969, Batt released as producer/artist
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
a Liberty single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, his cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
' "Your Mother Should Know". Batt subsequently became Head of A&R
A&R
Artists and repertoire is the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists. It also acts as a liaison between artists and the record label.- Finding talent :...
for Liberty.
1970s
In the early 1970s, aged 23, married, with children, and having spent £11,000 recordingSound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
half of a rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
l album that was never released, Batt was asked by the producers
Television producer
The primary role of a television Producer is to allow all aspects of video production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking...
of a new children's television program
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
me to write the theme music
Theme music
Theme music is a piece that is often written specifically for a radio program, television program, video game or movie, and usually played during the title sequence and/or end credits...
. Instead of taking his £200 fee, Batt asked for the character rights for musical production. The choice produced his first hits
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
as a singer/songwriter/producer by The Wombles
The Wombles (band)
The Wombles are a British novelty pop group, featuring musicians dressed as the characters from children's TV show The Wombles, which in turn was based on the children's book series by Elisabeth Beresford. Songwriter and record producer, Mike Batt, wrote the series' theme tune, and went on to...
, in 1974. The collaboration produced eight hit singles and four gold
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
albums.
Now financially successful, Batt moved on to work with various artists as a songwriter/producer, most successfully with Steeleye Span
Steeleye Span
Steeleye Span are an English folk-rock band, formed in 1969 and remaining active today. Along with Fairport Convention they are amongst the best known acts of the British folk revival, and were among the most commercially successful, thanks to their hit singles "Gaudete" and "All Around My Hat"....
and their most successful single and album All Around My Hat in 1975. Also in 1975, at the end of the summer, he entered the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
with the only hit under his own name (credited alongside the New Edition) with "Summertime City", which reached number 4.
He produced the hit single "Lilac Wine
Lilac Wine
"Lilac Wine" is a song written by James Shelton in 1950. It was introduced by Hope Foye in the short-lived theater musical revue, "Dance Me a Song." It was covered by Eartha Kitt , by Judy Henske on her first, self-named album , by Nina Simone on her album Wild Is The Wind , was a solo hit by...
" for Elkie Brooks
Elkie Brooks
Elkie Brooks is an English singer, formerly a vocalist with Vinegar Joe, and later a solo artist. Elkie has been nominated twice for Brit Awards' top female singer. She is known for her powerful husky voice...
in 1978. The song was a hit in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and across Europe. He wrote the song "Bright Eyes
Bright Eyes (Art Garfunkel song)
"Bright Eyes" is a song written by Mike Batt, and performed by Art Garfunkel. It was used in the soundtrack of the 1978 film Watership Down and as such is considered the theme song of the film and the later television series adaptations. The track also appears on Garfunkel's fourth studio album,...
" for the animated
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
version of Watership Down
Watership Down (film)
Watership Down is a 1978 English adventure drama animated film written, produced and directed by Martin Rosen and based on the book by Richard Adams. It was financed by a consortium of British financial institutions...
. Recorded by Art Garfunkel
Art Garfunkel
Arthur Ira "Art" Garfunkel is an American singer-songwriter, poet, and actor, best known as being a member of the folk duo Simon & Garfunkel...
, it reached number 1 in the UK Singles Chart.
Batt also wrote the scores for Caravans (1978 film)
Caravans (1978 film)
Caravans is a 1978 Iranian-American film directed by James Fargo based on the novel by James A. Michener. Nancy Voyles Crawford wrote the screenplay. The movie was shot in Iran.-Plot:...
1980s
As a singer, his solo albums included Schizophonia and Tarot Suite (both with the London Symphony OrchestraLondon Symphony Orchestra
The London Symphony Orchestra is a major orchestra of the United Kingdom, as well as one of the best-known orchestras in the world. Since 1982, the LSO has been based in London's Barbican Centre.-History:...
). From these albums came the European hit songs "Railway Hotel", "Lady of the Dawn" and "The Ride to Agadir". A version of "Introduction (The Journey of a Fool)" from Tarot Suite was used as the theme for the Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
, Triple M
Triple M
The Triple M Network is an active rock radio network in Australia owned by media company Austereo, who also own the Today Network.- History :...
, from its first broadcast in 1980 until well into the 1990s. Over the course of May 2010, this theme tune, still based on the main central riff from "Introduction (The Journey of a Fool)" was re-recorded by Slash
Slash (musician)
Saul Hudson , known by his stage name Slash, is a British-American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the former lead guitarist of the American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. During his later years with Guns N'...
, former Guns'n'Roses guitarist, as a new theme to mark the 30th anniversary of Triple M
Triple M
The Triple M Network is an active rock radio network in Australia owned by media company Austereo, who also own the Today Network.- History :...
in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
. This was released to air at the end of June 2010.
In 1980 Batt released his next album, entitled Waves (including the European hit "The Winds of Change"). In the same year, he went off with his family aboard his boat, 'Braemar', ending up in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
after two and a half years, travelling via France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, The West Indies, South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
and Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
. At the end of that journey, he wrote for the 50th anniversary of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
the musical Zero Zero.
Returning to the UK in 1983, Batt wrote and produced three more Top Ten hits, "Please Don't Fall In Love" (for Cliff Richard
Cliff Richard
Sir Cliff Richard, OBE is a British pop singer, musician, performer, actor, and philanthropist who has sold over an estimated 250 million records worldwide....
), "A Winter's Tale
A Winter's Tale (David Essex song)
A Winter's Tale is a song by David Essex from the 1983 album The Whisper. First released as a single in 1982, it reached #2 in the UK singles chart in January 1983.-Production and release:...
" (for David Essex
David Essex
David Essex OBE is an English musician, singer-songwriter and actor. Since the 1970s, Essex has attained nineteen Top 40 singles in the UK , and sixteen Top 40 albums...
, with lyrics
Lyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
co-written by Tim Rice
Tim Rice
Sir Timothy Miles Bindon "Tim" Rice is an British lyricist and author.An Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, Tony Award and Grammy Award-winning lyricist, Rice is best known for his collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber, with whom he wrote Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus...
) and "I Feel Like Buddy Holly" (for Alvin Stardust
Alvin Stardust
Alvin Stardust is an English pop singer and stage actor.-Career:...
).In the same year, he helped write lyrics for Abbacadabra
Abbacadabra
Abbacadabra is the name of a French children's musical based on songs from the pop group ABBA, originally produced for French television in 1983 by Alain and Daniel Boublil, but which was later also transferred to an English stage version and two other television programs.-French television...
.
The album The Hunting of the Snark
The Hunting of the Snark (musical)
The Hunting of the Snark is a musical based on Lewis Carroll's poem "The Hunting of the Snark", written by composer Mike Batt.-History:The musical began life in 1984 as a costumed concert with the London Symphony Orchestra at the Barbican, conducted by Mike Batt and starring Paul Jones as the Baker...
, based on Lewis Carroll
Lewis Carroll
Charles Lutwidge Dodgson , better known by the pseudonym Lewis Carroll , was an English author, mathematician, logician, Anglican deacon and photographer. His most famous writings are Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking-Glass, as well as the poems "The Hunting of the...
's poem
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
, was recorded in 1984.
Meanwhile, in the late 1980s, Batt also produced Justin Hayward
Justin Hayward
Justin Hayward is an English musician, best known as singer, songwriter and guitarist in the rock band The Moody Blues.Hayward was born in Dean Street, Swindon, Wiltshire, England...
's album Classic Blue
Classic Blue
Classic Blue is the fourth solo studio album by The Moody Blues front-man Justin Hayward. Classic Blue was released in 1989 by Trax Records , and features Mike Batt, who also produced the album, and the London Philharmonic Orchestra...
and the music for The Dreamstone
The Dreamstone
The Dreamstone is a British animated television series that ran for 4 series of 13 episodes each between 1990 and 1995. The original concept and artwork were created by Michael Jupp. The series was animated by the FilmFair animation studio as a Central production for ITV...
, ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
's fifty two part animated series, once again with the London Philharmonic Orchestra
London Philharmonic Orchestra
The London Philharmonic Orchestra , based in London, is one of the major orchestras of the United Kingdom, and is based in the Royal Festival Hall. In addition, the LPO is the main resident orchestra of the Glyndebourne Festival Opera...
. A number of stars performed for the Dreamstone soundtrack; notably Billy Connolly, Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzy Osbourne
John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is an English vocalist, whose musical career has spanned over 40 years. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead singer of the pioneering English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, whose radically different, intentionally dark, harder sound helped spawn the heavy metal...
, former British heavyweight boxing champion Frank Bruno
Frank Bruno
Franklin Roy Bruno MBE is an English former boxer whose career highlight was winning the WBC Heavyweight championship in 1995. Altogether, he won 40 of his 45 contests...
(all of whom performed on "The War Song of the Urpneys"), Bonnie Tyler
Bonnie Tyler
Bonnie Tyler is a Welsh singer, most notable for her hits in the 1970s and 1980s including "It's a Heartache", "Holding Out for a Hero" and "Total Eclipse of the Heart".-Early life:...
(who sang a duet
Duet (music)
A duet is a musical composition for two performers. In classical music, the term is most often used for a composition for two singers or pianists; with other instruments, the word duo is also often used. A piece performed by two pianists performing together on the same piano is referred to as...
with Batt entitled "Into the Sunset". It was not used on the show, but it was meant to be Dreamstone's official love song). Joe Brown
Joe Brown (singer)
Joe Brown, MBE is an English entertainer.He has worked as a rock and roll singer and guitarist for more than five decades. He was a stage and television performer in the late 1950s and a UK recording star in the early 1960s...
performed "The Vile Brothers Mountain Band" along with Gary Glitter
Gary Glitter
Gary Glitter is an English former glam rock singer-songwriter and musician.Glitter first came to prominence in the glam rock era of the early 1970s...
. Batt performed the theme song from the series "Better Than A Dream". The show was completed and finally aired in 1990.
1990s
In 1995 he made a solo album for Sony Germany, entitled Arabesque. Batt was then commissioned to write the official anthem for the inauguration of the Channel TunnelChannel Tunnel
The Channel Tunnel is a undersea rail tunnel linking Folkestone, Kent in the United Kingdom with Coquelles, Pas-de-Calais near Calais in northern France beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover. At its lowest point, it is deep...
by The Queen
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
, entitled "When Flags Fly Together". This was performed for the Queen and President Mitterrand
François Mitterrand
François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand was the 21st President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra, serving from 1981 until 1995. He is the longest-serving President of France and, as leader of the Socialist Party, the only figure from the left so far elected President...
, along with many senior politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
s, by members of the choir of the Harvey Grammar School, Folkestone
Folkestone
Folkestone is the principal town in the Shepway District of Kent, England. Its original site was in a valley in the sea cliffs and it developed through fishing and its closeness to the Continent as a landing place and trading port. The coming of the railways, the building of a ferry port, and its...
.
Batt composed and produced the four million-selling album, The Violin Player, with classical violinist Vanessa-Mae
Vanessa-Mae
Vanessa-Mae Vanakorn Nicholson , known professionally as Vanessa-Mae , is an internationally known British violinist. Her music style is self-described as "violin techno-acoustic fusion", as several of her albums prominently feature the techno style...
(EMI Classics, 1995) from which the Top Twenty single of J.S. Bach's "Toccata and Fugue" was taken.
In 1997 Batt produced an album for the soprano
Soprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
, Anna Maria Kaufmann, with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra is a British orchestra based in London. It tours widely, and is sometimes referred to as "Britain's national orchestra"...
; an original dramatic song cycle called Blame It On The Moon, from which his song, "Running With A Dream" was taken as the theme for Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
’s national football team at the World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
in June 1998.
Also in 1998, Batt produced, arranged and conducted the album, Philharmania
Philharmania (album)
Philharmania is an album produced, arranged and conducted by Mike Batt in 1998. Performers included the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and guest singers including Roger Daltrey, Marc Almond, Bonnie Tyler, Status Quo, Huey Lewis, Kim Wilde, Justin Hayward and others...
with the Royal Philharmonic and guest singers included Roger Daltrey
Roger Daltrey
Roger Harry Daltrey, CBE , is an English singer and actor, best known as the founder and lead singer of English rock band The Who. He has maintained a musical career as a solo artist and has also worked in the film industry, acting in a large number of films, theatre and television roles and also...
, Marc Almond
Marc Almond
Marc Almond is an English singer-songwriter and musician, who originally found fame as half of the seminal synthpop/New Wave duo Soft Cell...
, Bonnie Tyler
Bonnie Tyler
Bonnie Tyler is a Welsh singer, most notable for her hits in the 1970s and 1980s including "It's a Heartache", "Holding Out for a Hero" and "Total Eclipse of the Heart".-Early life:...
, Status Quo, Huey Lewis
Huey Lewis
Huey Lewis is an American musician, songwriter and occasional actor.Lewis sings lead and plays harmonica for his band Huey Lewis and the News, in addition to writing or co-writing many of the band's songs...
, Kim Wilde
Kim Wilde
Kim Wilde is an English pop singer, author and television presenter who burst onto the music scene in 1981 with the number 2 UK Singles Chart new wave classic "Kids in America". In 1987 she had a major hit in the United States when her version of The Supremes' classic "You Keep Me Hangin' On"...
, Justin Hayward
Justin Hayward
Justin Hayward is an English musician, best known as singer, songwriter and guitarist in the rock band The Moody Blues.Hayward was born in Dean Street, Swindon, Wiltshire, England...
and others. Later the same year Batt relaunched The Wombles pop group, with two hits, "Remember You’re A Womble" (at number 13) and "The Wombling Song" (at number 27). In 2000 he collaborated with Roy Wood
Roy Wood
Roy Adrian Wood is an English singer-songwriter and musician. He was particularly successful in the 1960s and 1970s as member and co-founder of the bands The Move, Electric Light Orchestra, and Wizzard. As a songwriter, he contributed a number of hits to the repertoire of these bands.-Career:Wood...
for a single which combined new versions of previous Christmas hits by Wizzard
Wizzard
Wizzard was a Birmingham-based band formed by Roy Wood, former member of The Move and co-founder of Electric Light Orchestra. The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits states, "Wizzard was Roy Wood just as much as Wings were Paul McCartney."-Biography:...
and The Wombles, released as "I Wish It Could Be a Wombling Merry Christmas" - UK number 22).
Later he would work on the music for the 1999 Watership Down
Watership Down (TV series)
Watership Down is an animated television series, adapted from the novel of the same name by Richard Adams. It was a co-production of Alltime Entertainment of the United Kingdom and Decode Entertainment of Canada, and produced by Martin Rosen, the director of the 1978 feature film...
TV series, with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Art Garfunkel again performed a song for the TV soundtrack, "When You're Losing Your Way in The Rain" which was not used in the show. The song however originated from Batt's earlier album, Tarot Suite, and was originally performed by Colin Blunstone
Colin Blunstone
Colin Blunstone is an English pop singer-songwriter, best known as a member of the pop group The Zombies, and for his participation on various albums with The Alan Parsons Project.-Biography:...
of 60's group "The Zombies". "Bright Eyes" was instead performed by the former Boyzone
Boyzone
Boyzone are an Irish boy band comprising Keith Duffy, Mikey Graham, Ronan Keating,Shane Lynch, and formerly Stephen Gately. Boyzone have 19 singles in the top 40 UK charts and 21 singles in the Ire charts. The group currently have 6 UK number one singles and 9 number one singles in Ireland with 12...
member Stephen Gately
Stephen Gately
Stephen Patrick David Gately was an Irish pop singer–songwriter, actor, dancer, musician and author, who, with Ronan Keating, was one of two lead singers of the pop group Boyzone. All of Boyzone's studio albums hit number one in the United Kingdom, their third being their most successful...
, although the new version was not as successful as Garfunkel's original. Other stars who were featured on the soundtrack included Cerys Matthews
Cerys Matthews
Cerys Elizabeth Matthews is a Welsh singer and songwriter. She is known as the lead singer of the Welsh rock band Catatonia, her more recent bilingual solo career, and for a 1998 Christmas duet with Tom Jones.-Biography:...
performing "Thank You Stars", (which would later be covered
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
by Katie Melua
Katie Melua
Ketevan "Katie" Melua is a British-Georgian singer, songwriter and musician. She moved to Northern Ireland at the age of eight and then to England at fourteen. Melua is signed to the small Dramatico record label, under the management of composer Mike Batt, and made her musical debut in 2003...
on her album, Piece By Piece), Paul Carrack
Paul Carrack
Paul Carrack is an English singer, songwriter and musician. Carrack has been a member of several bands including Ace, Squeeze, Mike + The Mechanics, and Roxy Music, been a session and touring musician for several others including Nick Lowe, and has enjoyed success as a solo artist as well...
who performed "Winter Song" and Gary Martin provided the narration for "Frith's Blessing". Batt also performed an original song, "A View From A Hill".
2000s and current work
A Conservative PartyConservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
supporter, Batt was asked to write their 2001 UK General Election song "Heartland", thereby replacing Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber is an English composer of musical theatre.Lloyd Webber has achieved great popular success in musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 13 musicals, a song cycle, a set of...
as the Conservatives' official composer.
After conceiving and co-creating the all-girl string quartet Bond
Bond (band)
Bond is an Australian/British string quartet that specialises in classical crossover music...
and producing their first single, he then created the eight piece classical crossover band, The Planets
The Planets (band)
The Planets was a classical crossover music band formed by Mike Batt in 2001. The Planets made their public debut supporting Deep Purple's 2002 UK tour.The band was made of:*Ruth Miller *Ben Pugsley The Planets was a classical crossover music band formed by Mike Batt in 2001. The Planets made their...
. Their album Classical Graffiti was released in February 2002 and went straight to number one in the UK classical music chart on the day of release and remained there for three months.
Batt formed his own record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
Dramatico
Dramatico
Dramatico is a record label founded by Mike Batt, with its first success in 2003. Artists on the small label include Mike Batt, Robert Meadmore, Sarah Blasko and Katie Melua. It is run by Batt and his ten employees. Dramatico have also established a publishing company based in New York City, U.S.A...
in 2002, which has a small group of artists including Carla Bruni
Carla Bruni
Carla Bruni-Sarkozy is an Italian-French songwriter, singer, actress, and former model...
. Since 2005, Dramatico has been one of the top three UK based indie labels
Independent record label
An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...
, based on official sales figures. Batt is presently dedicating most of his time to guiding the career of Katie Melua
Katie Melua
Ketevan "Katie" Melua is a British-Georgian singer, songwriter and musician. She moved to Northern Ireland at the age of eight and then to England at fourteen. Melua is signed to the small Dramatico record label, under the management of composer Mike Batt, and made her musical debut in 2003...
, whom he discovered in 2002 while scouting for a jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
musical project on which he was working. Melua's album Call Off The Search
Call off the Search
The Japanese release has the extra track "Deep Purple".-Personnel:*Katie Melua - guitar, vocals*Mike Batt - organ, piano, conductor*Jim Cregan - guitar*Tim Harries - bass*The Irish Film Orchestra - orchestra*Michael Kruk - drums*Alan Smale - leader...
(containing six of Batt's songs including "The Closest Thing to Crazy
The Closest Thing to Crazy
"The Closest Thing to Crazy" is the debut single of Georgia-born songstress Katie Melua. It is featured on her hugely successful album, Call Off the Search...
") was released on Dramatico in November 2003. After six weeks at number one in the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
, it sold six times platinum, over 1.8 million copies, in the UK and three million copies in total, making Melua the biggest selling UK female artist of 2004. Her second album, Piece by Piece (including Batt's song "Nine Million Bicycles
Nine Million Bicycles
"Nine Million Bicycles" is a song written and produced by Mike Batt for the singer Katie Melua's second album, Piece by Piece. It was released as the album's first single in September 2005 and reached number five on the UK Singles Chart, becoming Melua's first top five hit as a solo artist...
") was released in September 2005, and to date has sold 3.5 million copies in Europe, going to number one in the UK, The Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, and achieving top five chart positions in eight other countries.
In 2008, Batt started the year with one concert in Munich and a radio concert tour in Germany, to promote his new album, A Songwriter's Tale, a compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
of his hits, some sung by himself and most of them newly recorded with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Henry Spinetti
Henry Spinetti
Henry Spinetti is a Welsh-born session drummer whose playing has featured on a large number of prominent rock and pop albums. He is the younger brother of the actor, Victor Spinetti.-Career:...
, Ray Cooper
Ray Cooper
Ray Cooper is an English musician. He is a session and road-tour percussionist, and occasional actor, who has worked with several musically diverse bands and artists including George Harrison, Billy Joel, Eric Clapton, and Elton John. Cooper is commonly regarded by music fans, critics and fellow...
, Chris Spedding
Chris Spedding
Chris Spedding is an English rock and roll and jazz guitarist, best known for his session work. Allmusic states - "Spedding is one of the UK's most versatile session guitarists, and has had a long career on two continents that saw him tackle nearly every style of rock and roll, as well as...
, Mitch Dalton and Tim Harries
Tim Harries
Tim Harries is a British bass player.Harries studied music at the University of York, graduating in 1981 before going on to study Double Bass with Tom Martin at the Guildhall School of Music...
.
His band toured with Spinetti (drums), Spedding (guitar), Harries (bass), Frank Gallagher (keyboards and violins), Luis Jardim
Luís Jardim
Luís Alberto Figueira Gonçalves Jardim is a Portuguese percussionist, born in the Madeira Island, best known for his work with producer Trevor Horn.-Family:Jardim is a cousin of Alberto João Jardim...
(percussion) and Florence Rawlings
Florence Rawlings
Florence Rawlings is a British singer from South London, England. Florence first met Dramatico Entertainment Chairman Mike Batt when she was 13 years old...
(vocals and background vocals). After she completed her education, Batt signed Rawlings to Dramatico. He produced her album, A Fool In Love, and wrote six of its twelve songs ("The Only Woman In The World", "Jump On The Wagon", "Wolf Man", "Hard To Get", "Can't Hold Your Hand", and "Love Can Be A Battlefield").
Discography
MBO – The Mike Batt Orchestra (1970–1972)- 1970: Batt Tracks
- 1971: Portrait of The Rolling Stones
- 1971: Portrait of Elton John
- 1971: Portrait of Simon & Garfunkel
- 1971: Portrait of Bob Dylan
- 1972: Portrait of Cat Stevens
- 1972: Portrait of George Harrison
- 1974: Portrait of Mike Batt (Sampler 1971–1972)
The Wombles (1973–1978)
- 1973: Wombling Songs
- 1974: Remember You’re A Womble
- 1974: Keep On Wombling
- 1975: Superwombling
- 1976: Womble Stories
- 1978: Wombling Free (Soundtrack)
Mike Batt (Since 1973)
- 1973: Yoga for Health
- 1973: Moog at the Movies
- 1974: Ye Olde Moog
- 1977: Schizophonia
- 1979: Tarot Suite
- 1980: Waves
- 1981: Six Days in Berlin
- 1988: Songs of Love and War
- 1995: Arabesque
Compilations / Reissues
- 1992: The Winds of Change: Mike Batt Greatest Hits
- 1999: The Ride to Agadir - Best (1977–1983)
- 2008: A Songwriter's Tale
- 2008: A Songwriter's Tale (Special Edition with DVD)
- 2009: Waves / Six Days in Berlin
- 2009: Songs of Love / Arabesque
- 2009: Schizophonia / Tarot Suite
- 2009: Zero Zero (Special Edition with DVD) (exclusive to the Mike Batt Music Cube as of 2011)
- 2009: Caravans / Watership Down Orchastrial Suite
- 2009: The Dreamstone / Rapid Eye Movement (exclusive to the Mike Batt Music Cube as of 2011)
- 2009: A Songwriter's Tale /The Orinoco Kid
Musicals
- 1982: Zero Zero (with Sydney Symphonic Orchestra)
- 1987: The Hunting of the Snark (with Friends and London Symphony Orchestra)
Soundtracks
- 1978: Wombling Free
- 1978: Caravans (with London Philharmonic Orchestra) - For the same titled filmCaravans (1978 film)Caravans is a 1978 Iranian-American film directed by James Fargo based on the novel by James A. Michener. Nancy Voyles Crawford wrote the screenplay. The movie was shot in Iran.-Plot:...
- 1985: Dragon Dance (Theme of The Dragon)
- 1990: The Dreamstone (with Friends and London Philharmonic Orchestra) - For the same titled animated seriesThe DreamstoneThe Dreamstone is a British animated television series that ran for 4 series of 13 episodes each between 1990 and 1995. The original concept and artwork were created by Michael Jupp. The series was animated by the FilmFair animation studio as a Central production for ITV...
- 1998: Keep the Aspidistra Flying (with London Philharmonic Orchestra) - - For the same titled filmKeep the Aspidistra Flying (film)Keep the Aspidistra Flying is a 1997 romance/comedy film directed by Robert Bierman and based on the comic novel by George Orwell. The screenplay was written by Alan Plater and was produced by Peter Shaw. The film stars Richard E...
- Known as A Merry War (in USA and New Zealand)
- 2000: Watership Down (with Friends and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra) - For the same titled animated seriesWatership Down (TV series)Watership Down is an animated television series, adapted from the novel of the same name by Richard Adams. It was a co-production of Alltime Entertainment of the United Kingdom and Decode Entertainment of Canada, and produced by Martin Rosen, the director of the 1978 feature film...
Mike Batt Productions
- 1995: The Violin PlayerThe Violin PlayerThe Violin Player was the first techno/pop album by classical and pop musician Vanessa-Mae, released in 1995 . It is also the first album Vanessa-Mae released on the EMI label....
- Vanessa Mae - 1998: PhilharmaniaPhilharmania (album)Philharmania is an album produced, arranged and conducted by Mike Batt in 1998. Performers included the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and guest singers including Roger Daltrey, Marc Almond, Bonnie Tyler, Status Quo, Huey Lewis, Kim Wilde, Justin Hayward and others...
- London Philharmonic Orchestra /Mike Batt - 2000: The Wombles Collection (34 track Double CD)
- 2002: The Classical Graffiti - The Planets
- 2002: Call Off the SearchCall off the SearchThe Japanese release has the extra track "Deep Purple".-Personnel:*Katie Melua - guitar, vocals*Mike Batt - organ, piano, conductor*Jim Cregan - guitar*Tim Harries - bass*The Irish Film Orchestra - orchestra*Michael Kruk - drums*Alan Smale - leader...
- Katie MeluaKatie MeluaKetevan "Katie" Melua is a British-Georgian singer, songwriter and musician. She moved to Northern Ireland at the age of eight and then to England at fourteen. Melua is signed to the small Dramatico record label, under the management of composer Mike Batt, and made her musical debut in 2003... - 2005: After a Dream - Robert MeadmoreRobert MeadmoreRobert Meadmore a musical theatre artist.-Theatre:He has starred in many of the biggest hit shows in London's West End which include Phantom of The Opera, Brigadoon, My Fair Lady, Bless the Bride, The Gondoliers, Oklahoma!, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Metropolitan Mikado and Camelot.In...
- 2005: Piece by Piece - Katie Melua
- 2007: PicturesPictures (Katie Melua album)-Variants:The iTunes release includes a bonus track, "Under the Cherry Moon".The Japanese release also contains extra tracks, "When You Taught Me How to Dance" and "Closest Thing to Crazy "....
- Katie Melua - 2008: The Katie Melua Collection - Katie Melua