| Scott English | |
| Birth Name: | Sheldon David English |
| Birth Date: | 10 January 1937 |
| Birth Place: | Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Death Place: | London, England |
| Employer: | Warner Brothers, EMI |
| Notable Works: | "Hi Ho Silver Lining", "Brandy", "Bend Me, Shape Me", "Help Me Girl" |
| Style: | Pop |
| Spouses: | Jacquiline Tames, Elfie Redburn |
| Children: | 2 |
Sheldon David "Scott" English (January 10, 1937 - November 16, 2018) was an American songwriter, arranger and record producer. He is best known as the co-writer of "Brandy" which he wrote with Richard Kerr. The song became a No. 1 hit for Barry Manilow in 1974, with the title changed to "Mandy". English had also released a single of "Brandy" which reached No. 12 on the UK Singles Chart in November 1971,[1] and entered the US charts in March 1972.
English was born in Brooklyn, New York City.
In 1960, he released his first single, "4,000 Miles Away", on Dot Records. In 1964, English had a regional doo-wop hit called "High on a Hill",[2] written by Frank Cariola and A. Mangravito.[3] "High on a Hill" has consistently been voted an all-time top song on oldies radio stations in the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. It also reached No. 3 in popularity on the San Francisco Bay Area radio charts,[4] and peaked at #4 in Los Angeles (source: KRLA Top 30 Survey, Feb.-Mar. 1964).
With Larry Weiss, he wrote "Bend Me, Shape Me", which became a hit for the Chicago-based band the American Breed, reaching No. 5 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1968 and also becoming a hit in the UK for Amen Corner. The song had been recorded a year earlier by the Outsiders as an album track on In (1967).
English and Weiss, whom he met through arranger Claus Ogerman, became good friends.[5] Together, they penned "Help Me Girl" (1966), which was a hit for two acts in late 1966: Eric Burdon (solo for Decca, a UK No. 14 hit) and the Outsiders. They also penned Lynne Randell's "Ciao Baby" (1967) and Jeff Beck's hit "Hi Ho Silver Lining", originally recorded by English group the Attack in early 1967.
English produced the song "West Virginia" by the Elves in 1969 (a band later known as Elf) which featured Ronnie James Dio on bass and vocals. He later produced Thin Lizzy's eponymous debut album Thin Lizzy (1971).[6] [7] He co-wrote the song "Words Don't Mean a Thing" with Lynsey de Paul, who released her version of the song on her album Just a Little Time.[8] [9] The song was also featured on the 2008 album Songs from the British Academy, Vol. 1.[10] A Spanish version was released by Cadafal on their album En La Carretera.[11]
In 1998, English was credited as a co-writer with Simon Stirling and Phil Mankiza on the UK entry in the Eurovision Song Contest, "Where Are You?", performed by Imaani. In 2014, English appeared on BBC Radio London's Jo Good Show, debuting new song "Holla" which he wrote for WestWay Beats.[12]
English died in England on November 16, 2018, at the age of 81, due to complications of hip surgery.[13]