Brilliant songwriter of many chart hits to get long overdue recognition 

Sometimes the writers of a great song don't get enough recognition. That’s especially the case when it’s not a song written by the artists themselves. Even if it goes on to be a chart-topping hit, people will remember the song and the artists but will be oblivious to who actually wrote it. 

Take Graham Lyle for example. Who you might ask? Well, some people might recall him as part of a talented duo alongside Benny Gallacher in the 1970s. Gallagher & Lyle had several hits then from their own songs, many coming from their superb 1976 album Breakaway. “I Wanna Stay With You” and” Heart on My Sleeve” were top ten hits in the UK and had modest chart success in the US too. The title track from the album was a hit single for Art Garfunkel too. 

Before their own success, the pair had been signed up by The Beatles as songwriters for their  Apple Records label. They also formed McGuinness Flint, writing that band’s 1970 hit “When I’m Dead and Gone." That's a great early start to songwriting.

An impressive songwriting career with many chart hits

After Gallagher & Lyle went their own ways in 1980, Lyle carried on writing songs. He’s got an impressive list of artists for whom he has written. Others, like Garfunkel, Bryan Ferry, and Don Williams, have made covers of Gallagher & Lyle tracks. 

His top three songs in terms of chart success and scale were for Tina Turner. He co-wrote “What’s Love Got to Do With It?”,  “We Don’t Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)” and “Typical Male” with Terry Britten. All three were, of course, huge hits in the 1980s for Turner. Lyle wrote several other songs for her too. 

His songwriting credits go on to include plenty more chart hits. Like “I Should Have Known Better” with Jim Diamond, Wet Wet Wet’s UK top ten single “If I Never See You Again," and four US Hot Country number one’s for Don Williams, Crystal Gayle, The Judds, and Eddy Raven. The list of other artists he’s written for includes Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Etta James, Rod Stewart, and Patti Labelle, to name just a few.

Deserved recognition for Graham Lyle

That’s an extensive list for a songwriter that has been somewhat under the radar. Even those who recall his songs and time with Gallagher & Lyle might not be aware of his songwriting roll of honor. It seems only right that Lyle gets wider recognition and that’s about to come.

Next month, at the 2024 BMI London Awards in the Savoy Hotel,  Lyle will be presented with their prestigious BMI Icon Award in recognition of his songwriting. Perhaps that will help more people realize the extent of his great work and many hit songs over the years. It’s certainly well deserved and a great reminder to go and listen to a few of those hits or perhaps that Breakaway album.

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