Music with Eddie Rowley

FROM Elvis Presley to the Bay City Rollers, Sandy Shaw to Dana and The Dubliners to Joe Dolan and Waylon Jennings, Phil Coulter’s career in music spans over half a century and is truly amazing.

Along with his co-writing partner Bill Martin, Phil won the Eurovision Song Contest with Sandy Shaw’s ‘Puppet on a String’ and came second with ‘Congratulations’, sung by Cliff Richard.

In the 1970s, hit-maker Coulter dominated the pop scene with acts like the Bay City Rollers, whose chart smashes included ‘Shang-ALang’ and ‘All of Me Loves All of You’.

Coulter’s phenomenal talent was also evident in his work with Planxty as well as The Dubliners — he penned ‘Scorn Not His Simplicity’ and ‘The Town I Loved So Well’, which was made famous by Luke Kelly. On a wet Monday in 1974, Coulter wrote a song called ‘My Boy’ in the study of his then north London home.

Phil never imagined in his wildest dreams that ‘My Boy’ would go on to forever link him with ‘The King’, and give him an amazing slice of music history.

Elvis Presley scored a chartsmash with the song, making Phil the only non-American songwriter ever to have written a hit single for the legendary singer.

His work on Sinéad O’Connor’s Universal Mother album won him a nomination as Producer of the Year. And he composed the rugby anthem, ‘Ireland’s Call’.

His musical edge, his versatility and his commercial nose have combined to produce a track record that few in the music business can match.

Phil Coulter celebrates 52 years in music this year and fans around the country will have the opportunity to attend an evening in his company over the next two months as he embarks on a concert tour from next Sunday.