Lionel Bart Lyrics Follow

Lionel Bart (1 August 1930 – 3 April 1999) was a writer and composer of British pop music and musicals. He was largely responsible for the birth of British pop, his Tommy Steele hit "Rock with the Caveman" becoming the first British pop song to break into the American Top 40 and was the sole creator of the internationally acclaimed musical OLIVER! (1960). With Oliver! and his work alongside revolutionary theatre director Joan Littlewood at Theatre Royal, Stratford East, he played an instrumental role in the 1960's birth of the British musical theater scene after an era when American musicals had dominated the West End. Best known for creating the book, music and lyrics for the musical Oliver!, he was described by Andrew Lloyd Webber as "the father of the modern British musical". In 1963 he won the Tony Award for Best Original Score for Oliver!, and the 1968 film version of the musical won a total of 6 Academy Awards including the Academy Award for Best Picture. His other notable compositions include the theme song to the James Bond film From Russia with Love, and the hit songs "Living Doll" by Cliff Richard, "Far Away" by Shirley Bassey, "Do You Mind?" (recorded by both Anthony Newley and Andy Williams), "Big Time" (a 1961 cover by Jack Jones of his "Fings Ain't Wot They Used T'Be" show tune), "Easy Going Me" by Adam Faith, "Always You And Me" by Russ Conway, and several songs recorded by Tommy Steele ("Handful of Songs", "Butterfingers" and "Little White Bull"). By the mid 1960's he was as well known for his outlandish lifestyle, his celebrity friends, his excesses and his parties as he was for his work.

Source: Wikipedia