Geoffrey Goddard (19 November 1937 – 15 May 2000) was an English songwriter, singer and instrumentalist. Working for Joe Meek in the early 1960s, he wrote songs for Heinz, Mike Berry, Gerry Temple, the Tornados, Kenny Hollywood, the Outlaws, Freddie Starr, Screaming Lord Sutch, the Ramblers and John Leyton. His song for Leyton, "Johnny Remember Me", reached number 1 in the UK Singles Chart. By the mid-1960s Goddard had fallen out with Meek. Disillusioned with the music industry, he withdrew from it to work in catering.

Early life

Goddard was born in Reading, Berkshire, England. He sang in choir in a local church before going on to study the viola and piano at the Royal Academy of Music in London.

Career

Following national service, Goddard sought to move into popular music, and met Meek. He initially attempted to establish himself as a Russ Conway/Liberace styled singer-pianist under the stage-name "Anton Hollywood". Meek promoted him, but he was unable to achieve success. Eventually Goddard released his solo records under his real name. He recorded four singles as solo artist, produced by Meek, on which he sang with his distinctive regional accent: The Oxford label CD also featured seven of the above named tracks ("Sky Men" being the exception), plus Goddard's demo of his song, "My Friend Bobby". Goddard's best known efforts were as a songwriter. The first project he worked on for Meek was the instrumental "Lone Riders" for the Flee-Rekkers. He then wrote "Johnny Remember Me" for John Leyton. It became a number one hit single in the UK Singles Chart. Goddard also played keyboards on various of Meek's productions, most notably another chart-topper, the Tornados' "Telstar", and wrote and performed on the hit single's flip side, "Jungle Fever." Despite his track record as a songwriter, Goddard withdrew from the music industry after falling out with Meek. He brought a breach of copyright case in 1965 against Meek concerning the Honeycombs' hit "Have I The Right?", written by Ken Howard and Alan Blaikley. Goddard said that it borrowed from his earlier song "Give Me The Chance". Goddard was unwilling to testify personally and lost the case. Subsequently, Goddard returned to his home town and worked for 20 years in the catering department of the University of Reading. In 1985, the royalties and the platinum disc from the Marc Almond/Bronski Beat cover version of "Johnny Remember Me", having sold over 300,000 copies, came as a complete surprise to him.

Death

Goddard died from a heart attack in May 2000, at the age of 62. In the film Telstar: The Joe Meek Story (2008), Goddard was portrayed by Tom Burke. A memorial plaque was unveiled in 2013 at Park House on the University of Reading campus by John Leyton, actor and musician.

Releases as songwriter (RGM productions)