Peter Robin Callander
British songwriter and music producer
Melinda C. Shepherd
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Alternative Title: Peter Robin Callander
Peter Robin Callander, British songwriter and music producer (born Oct. 10, 1939, Lyndhurst, Hampshire, Eng.—died Feb. 25, 2014, Haresfield, Middlesex, Eng.), provided the lyrics for numerous successful pop songs in the 1960s and '70s, most notably in collaboration with composer Mitch Murray, with whom he worked from 1966. Callander's lyrics, which often told a story, contributed to hit records by such performers as Cliff Richard ("All My Love" and "Goodbye Sam, Hello Samantha"), Tony Christie ("I Did What I Did for Maria"), Paper Lace ("Billy, Don't Be a Hero"), Georgie Fame ("The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde"), Adam Faith ("Walking Tall"), Sandie Shaw ("Tell the Boys"), and Tom Jones ("Once There Was a Time"). Hits in the U.S. included Wayne Newton's rendition of "Daddy Don't You Walk So Fast," Paper Lace's recording of "The Night Chicago Died," and Vanity Fare's catchy "Hitchin' a Ride." Callander also translated Italian pop songs into English, notably Cilla Black's "A Fool Am I" and Dusty Springfield's "Give Me Time." Callander and Murray were co-owners of the music publishing business Intune and the Bus Stop label and cofounders (1971) of the Society of Distinguished Songwriters.
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Lyndhurst, England
February 25, 2014 (aged 74)
Haresfield, England