Douglas Jackson Flett (13 October 1935 – 15 July 2019) was an Australian songwriter based in the UK, best known for his collaborations with longtime songwriting partner, Guy Fletcher. Collectively, the duo have also been known as Fletcher & Flett. Since the mid-1960s, they wrote and composed hit songs for many artists.
Doug Flett | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Douglas Jackson Flett |
| Born | 13 October 1935 Australia[1] |
| Origin | London, England |
| Died | 15 July 2019 (aged 83) |
| Genres | Pop |
| Occupation | Songwriter |
| Years active | 1965–2019 |
Career
editBefore moving to London in the early 1960s, Flett had worked in Sydney as a TV cameraman and in advertising. While in London, he was introduced to Guy Fletcher in 1965 by Shadows drummer Tony Meehan through a phone call, and the two met up. Since then, the duo wrote many songs for a wide number of artists including Elvis Presley, Ray Charles, Cliff Richard and Frankie Valli.[2]
In 2016, they were each awarded a Gold Disc for their song "Just Pretend" due to sales of the Elvis Presley & Royal Philharmonic Orchestra compilation album The Wonder of You; the song features twice on the album, including a duet version with Helene Fischer.[3]
It was announced that Flett had died on 15 July 2019 after a long illness.[4] His daughter is the journalist and broadcaster Kathryn Flett.[5][6]
References
edit- ^ "My Son John - THE REBELS (1969) - Pop Archives - Sources of Australian Pop Records from the 50s, 60s and 70s". Poparchives.com.au.
- ^ "PRS Chairman Celebrates 50 Years of Songwriting". M-magazine.co.uk. 6 November 2015. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
- ^ "PRS Chairman Receives Gold Disc". M-magazine.co.uk. 13 December 2016. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
- ^ Tributes paid to Doug Flett, 20 July 2019, Ivors Academy. Accessed 19 August 2019
- ^ "Doug Flett obituary". Thetimes.co.uk.
- ^ The International Who's Who of Women 2002 p. 179, ed. Elizabeth Sleeman.
External links
edit- Doug Flett discography at Discogs
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