The Hello again everyone it's Brian and Simon here to once again provide a window on the world of another

songwriting heavyweight and our guest for this episode is most certainly befitting

of such a title he's an exemplary lyricist of some 50 years standing an Oscar winner

a Tony winner and a songwriting Hall of Fame

member, it's the archetypal East End Boyme Good, Don Black OBE.

Yeah, we're very honored that Don agreed to do the show. He's a hugely significant and

respected figure in popular music and much like our recent guest Carol Bea

Sega has built his reputation on his wonderful way with words. From humble

beginnings, Don went on to become the

toast of the pop, film and musical theatre worlds for his lyrics and he's worked with

a host of venerable composers in the fields of film and theatre, John Barry, Quincy Jones, Henry Mancini, Elma Bernstein, and

Andrew Lloyd Weber among them.

Born in 1938 in Hackney, East London, Don's first exposure to the music business came when he began working as an

office boy at the then burgeoning New Musical Express, or the enemy, as it later became known.

While still in his late teens, he went on to become a record plugger on Denmark Street off

Tottenham Court Road Central London which was then the English equivalent of Tim Pan Alley

with a bustling row of music publishing houses and the many songwriters who frequented them.

At the suggestion of his friend, the singing bus driver himself,

Matt Monroe, he tried his hand at lyric writing and found he had the knack.

He actually managed Matt Monroe as well well for a stretch didn't he?

He did and he scored his first hit with the song Walk Away sung by Monroe

and was thus galvanized into becoming a full-time Wordsmith.

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