My Personal Heroes (Part One)

John Carter - Songwriter/ Singer...Genius

John Carter

My hometown hero John was born John Sheakspeare in Birmingham 1942. He teamed up with fellow Brummie Ken Lewis (Hawker)(they loved their writing pseudonyms in those days!) in the 50’s forming a skiffle band and they started writing songs inspired by the likes of Buddy Holly.

With a move to London a brief stint as Carter-Lewis And The Southerners which although uncharted, demonstrated their excellent songwriting skills, having a initial success with Mike Stearn’s ‘Will I What’ featuring 60’s blue eyed soul girl Billie Davis.

The combination of strong close harmonies honed through their experience as singers and amazingly commercial writing of pop songs soon got them noticed and they began writing. Despite having Jimmy Page as their guitarist for a short time, the success never happened in mainstream. In 1964 they met Perry Ford (Bryan Pugh) who worked as a sound engineer in a studio in Denmark Street. This added a third harmony and they started writing and recording demo’s which resulted in a single for PYE Records “What more do you want’ under the name of the newly formed Ivy League.

Their break came when Herman’s Hermits recorded ‘Can’t You Hear My Heartbeat?’ giving them a number 1 billboard hit in the US (A smaller hit in the UK recorded by Goldie & The Gingerbreads).

Their harmonies were also in demand providing backing vocals on ‘I Can’t Explain’ by The Who.

Their second release  "Funny How Love Can Be", became a UK Top 10 hit. Further hits followed, including "That's Why I'm Crying" and "Tossing and Turning", which reached #3 in the UK chart in1965.

The original trio released just one album, 1965's This is the Ivy League – panned in the music press as disappointing, with its excessively wide spread of musical styles and material but demonstrating the creative skills as writers – before both Carter and Lewis left the group. Carter departed in January 1966, with Lewis leaving about one year later. The duo then set up a production company called Sunny Records

Following the release of their fifth single, John Carter was replaced by friend Tony Burrows (later of Edison Lighthouse, White Plains, Brotherhood Of Man and the Pipkins) other members of the band Neil Landon went on from the Flowerpot Men to join 'Fat Mattress (Noel Redding’s outfit formed post Jimi Hendrix Experience).

The Ivy League had one further hit without their two accomplished songwriters before being transformed into the 'Flowerpot Men' hitting #4 in the UK with its single "Let's Go To San Francisco" & ‘summer of love’ in 1967 with messrs Carter and Lewis fulfilling the roles of songwriter/ managers but little interest in touring again.

The New Vaudeville Band was a group created by songwriter Geoff Stephens in 1966 to record hisnovelty composition "Winchester Cathedral", a song inspired by the dance bands of the 1920s and aRudy Vallee megaphone style vocal. To his surprise, the song became a transatlantic hit that autumn, reaching the Top 10 in the UK and rising to #1 in the U.S. Global sales of the single were over three million, with the RIAA certification of gold disc status. The track also won a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Song in 1967. The lead vocal was sung by John Carter who had sung on the demo of the record, which Stephens decided to keep for the commercial release. An initial long play Album was also issued in late 1966 by Fontana Records titled: Winchester Cathedral. The band were managed by Peter Grant (Later to manage Led Zeppelin).

In 1968 they featured in a cameo appearance in one of my all time favourite films ‘The Bliss of Mrs. Blossom’’ starring Shirley MacLaine and Richard Attenborough (Also featuring a wealth of British character actors and those destines to become legends in their own right such as Barry Humphries & John Cleese)

Starting early 1968 Carter's writing output under a variety of names, styles and recording project names with changing line ups became more and more confusing. Songs intended for The Flower Pot Men were released as Friends, Haystack and Dawn Chorus, only to be re-released in this century as The Flower Pot Men.

The 1970s saw Mary Hopkins became runner-up in the Eurovision Song Contest with "Knock Knock Who's There", which Carter had written with Stephens. Under the name John Shakespeare.

In the following years Carter released records under many names: Stamford Bridge (# 48 with "Chelsea"), Kincade, Scarecrow and Stormy Petrel. He also released a single as The Ohio Express, an American bubblegum group renowned for not playing or singing on most of their records. The hit came with "Beach Baby" by First Class in 1974.

After two First Class albums Carter started concentrating on writing advertising jingles. Among his work are commercials which demonstrate their genius, for the generation who grew up with them in the 70’s, by the ability to sing along to them after hearing them for the first time in 30 years. His Advertising jingles formed the backdrop of my youth with British adverts for Vauxhall, British Caledonian and Rowntree. (remember rowntrees tots?) and Birds Dream Topping are instantly recalled.

His TV writing credits span the mainstay of family entertainment from the 70’s providing memorable themes. See the huge list on IMDB

His last shot at a hit single was in 1979 as Starbreaker with "Sound of Summer".

In more recent times Carter has been managing the marketing of his back catalogue through Sunny Records, releasing many songs that were never released at the time of recording.

John – If you are ever available for an interview or back in Birmingham, let me know. You are my hero!

Buy an excellent John Carter compilation here