Brian Potter, a British songwriter and producer who collaborated with Dennis Lambert on Billy Jack Theme “One Tin Soldier” and “Ain’t No Woman (Like That Mine)” by the Four Tops and Glen Campbell Rhinestone CowboyHe died. He was 87 years old.
Potter died on June 30 at a Granada Hills nursing home, after suffering from vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s for several years, his daughter, Courtney Potter, announced.
Other hits written by Lambert and Potter included 1971’s “Don’t Pull Back Your Love” by Hamilton, Joe Frank and Reynolds, which reached number four on the Billboard Hot 100; 1971 “Two Divided by Love” from Grass Roots; 1974 “Dream In” by the Righteous Brothers; and Tavares’ 1975 film “It Only Takes a Minute,” which peaked at No. 10.
They also produced Dusty Springfield’s 1973 album, veil; The Righteous Brothers 1974 LP Give it to the people (featuring the No. 3 single “Rock & Roll Heaven”); The player’s 1977 debut album of the same name, which included the No. 1 single “Baby Come Back”; And Santana’s 1978 album, Inside secrets.
Lambert and Potter were honored with recent nominations to the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and their work has been a major part of the soundtrack of an entire generation.
Brian August Potter was born on May 25, 1939, in Billericay, Essex, England, in a pub run by his parents, Frederick and Carmen. He attended nearby Brentwood School with his younger brother Howard, and taught himself to play the drums as a teenager.
While writing music and touring around the UK and Europe – where he was drummer for Chuck Berry – he worked as an assistant to composer Lionel Bart, creator of the musical. Oliver!
In 1965, Potter had his first success as a songwriter, collaborating with Ian Samuel on the Small Faces’ “Whatcha Gonna Do About It.” It wasn’t long afterward that he met Brooklyn-born Lambert, a singer-songwriter who had been stationed overseas with the U.S. Army.
They decided to write and produce songs together, and once Lambert was released from the hospital, Potter migrated to California.
Their first big hit was 1969’s “One Tin Soldier” produced by Original Caste; The tune performed by Coven was used for the theme song, which became an unexpected success at the box office Billy Jack (1971), starring Tom Laughlin.
Also in 1971, they wrote the theme song for ABC’s fall television campaign, “This Is Where You Should Be,” and signed with ABC/Dunhill Records, where they would find success with the Four Tops, who had just left Motown.
They changed the group’s sound to a West Coast R&B style, and wrote and produced the 1972 album – with the help of frequent collaborator Steve Barry. Castle guardwhich included the No. 4 best-selling single “Ain’t No Woman (Like the One That I’ve Got).”
They continued with the albums Main Street people and Meeting of minds In 1973 and 1974, respectively. “Are you man enough?” from Main Street people became the subject of Shaft in Africa (1973), starring Richard Roundtree.
At Capitol Records in 1974, they began working with Campbell on a concept album chronicling the life of an over-the-hill country musician. 1975 LBP Rhinestone Cowboy The No. 1 single of the same name (written by Larry Weiss) revived the singer’s career.
At the 1976 Grammy Awards, the song was nominated for Record of the Year, and Lambert and Potter received the Producer of the Year award. Another song on the album, “Country Boy (You’ve Got Your Feet in LA),” written by them, went to number three on the country chart.
In the late 1970s, Lambert & Potter optioned the story of Abby Saperstein and the creation of the Harlem Globetrotters for a musical titled a resultwith a book written by WizWilliam F. Brown. (“Why do people fall in love,” he wrote to a resultrecorded by Tony Bennett in 1986.)
The pair parted amicably as the 1980s progressed, with Potter collaborating with other songwriters including Frank Wildhorn and John Lewis Parker before linking up with composer Wayne Green for another prolific partnership.
They wrote two songs for two musical theater productions through SGI-USA, the Buddhist organization of which they were long-time members, and for the Sanrio Puroland theme park in Japan that opened in 1990.
Also in the early 1990s, Potter consulted at Universal Studios Hollywood on various projects, including the original versions of Beetlejuice Rockin’ Graveyard Play and The Blues Brothers Show.
With Terry Lupton, he wrote the song “Christmas With You” for Stephanie Mills’ 1991 holiday album.
He also returned to collaborate with Parker on several tunes, including “It’s Gonna Be Rain,” which appeared on the 1992 soundtrack to the NBC Saturday morning sitcom. California dreams.
In 1992, Lambert and Potter were surprised when their song “It Only Takes a Minute” became the breakthrough single for boy band Take That.
Potter and Green worked simultaneously on several projects as the 1990s continued: two children’s music albums they wrote and produced for Hear We Go, Kids — Another new day and Vacation fun stuff – As well as the original musical Steps in time.
By the 2000s, Potter had dabbled in acting, appearing in a music video for Foo Fighters, in a Canadian beer commercial, and in a production 12 angry man At the Conejo Players Theater in Thousand Oaks.
His health began to deteriorate in 2021 after a fall.
In addition to his daughter and brother, survivors include his wife of 55 years, Karen; His stepdaughter, Maryam. his nephews Carrie and Gareth; and niece Nia.
A celebration of life will be held in the fall. Donations in his memory may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association or to the Motion Picture and Television Fund.
