Ian Ralph Samwell English musician, songwriter and record producer Date of Birth: 19.01.1937 Country: Great Britain

1. Ian Samwell: The Man Behind the British Rock 'n' Roll Classic
2. Early Career and "Move It"
3. Songwriting Success
4. Production Work and "Horse With No Name"
5. Later Years and Legacy

Ian Samwell: The Man Behind the British Rock 'n' Roll Classic

Ian Ralph "Sammy" Samwell (January 19, 1937 - March 13, 2003) was an English musician, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known for writing Cliff Richard's debut hit "Move It" and his collaboration with the rock band America, for whom he penned their most popular and commercially successful song, "Horse With No Name."

Early Career and "Move It"

In 1958, Samwell heard Harry Webb playing at a coffee shop in Soho. Impressed by the guitarist's talent, he joined Webb's band as a rhythm guitarist. The band was soon renamed "Cliff Richards and The Drifters" and then "Cliff Richards and The Shadows." When the band signed with Columbia Records, Samwell wrote a new song for them, "Move It." Inspired by Chuck Berry's music, the song was originally intended as the B-side of their debut single, "Schoolboy Crush." However, Jack Good persuaded the band that the new composition deserved to be the A-side. The band heeded his advice and the single reached number two on the UK charts. Many consider the song to be the first true British rock 'n' roll record.

Songwriting Success

Samwell played rhythm guitar on "Move It," but with the addition of Hank Marvin and Jet Harris to the band's lineup, he decided to leave. He was then offered a songwriting contract and went on to pen Richard's second hit, "High Class Baby," as well as a number of less well-known but still notable songs, including "Dynamite."

Production Work and "Horse With No Name"

In 1959, Samwell's "Say You Love Me Too" was recorded and released by The Isley Brothers, marking the first time a British songwriter wrote an explicitly American R&B song. In 1961, Samwell organized dance classes at a London college, teaching students how to dance to his collection of black R&B. Renowned music historian Dave Godin later described these classes as the first discotheque.

Samwell later went on to work as a staff producer for Warner Bros. Records' London office, where he worked with numerous notable musicians. It was Samwell who "discovered" America and helped them release their self-titled debut album. He encouraged Dewey Bunnell to change the title of his track "Desert Song" to "A Horse With No Name," which would eventually become an international hit.

Later Years and Legacy

In 1974, Samwell released the first of three albums with Hummingbird, which featured Bobby Tench and several other former members of Jeff Beck's second band. Heart problems in the 1990s led Samwell to undergo a transplant operation. He passed away on March 13, 2003, at the age of 66.