Scotland's superstar songwriter Bill Martin chats about his musical life
Latin. (n) ‘I believe’. A set of beliefs which influences the way you live. The winner of five Ivor Novello Awards, Scotland’s songwriter to the stars is a national treasure
I was born in a tenement in Govan in Glasgow – it’s still there and I’ve been to see the people who now live in my old flat.
Although I’m from Glasgow, I love Edinburgh too. Glasgow has a different atmosphere to Edinburgh – Edinburgh’s more genteel. I also love St Andrews and Nairn.
I spend as much time in Scotland as I can. I used to be a fanatical golfer, I’m not now.
For years I tried to persuade my wife to let me buy a place in Scotland but she’s not keen on the cold. We have a house in Portugal and she would rather I didn’t come back, but I will end up in Scotland. I love it.
I wasn’t a good pupil at school but my brother was.
We were all poor, but we didn’t know that at the time. Sir Alex Ferguson and Sir Billy Connolly went to the same school. I was told I had to be an engineer but I was no good at it. My brother was brilliant as a joiner and he was so clever they sent him to Gordonstoun to mature him into a proper person. But I got thrown out of the shipyard
– I got the red card.
I first realised I wanted to write songs when I was about eight.
My grandfather was Queen Victoria’s Gaelic poet and he lived on the Isle of Skye, so some of my talent must have come from him. My father was also a brilliant piano player.
I still have some of the songs I wrote when I was at school.
One was religious – Angels in the Sky and one was Rocking all the way to Heaven. They never went anywhere.
In those days the only way out of poverty was to be an actor, be a footballer or go in to the forces.
I went to South Africa and became a footballer there. Then I got my songs accepted by Adam Faith and I came back and wrote big hits.
I’ve had so many career highlights.
To win the Eurovision for the first time with Puppet on a String was fabulous. It was the first time Great Britain had won. Another one that was amazing, which they don’t like in Scotland, was that I promised the 1970 England World Cup squad Top of The Pops, a number one record and a gold record, and I got it.
I’ve met a lot of famous people and they’ve met me.
I love Billy Connolly, we used to work together. I love
Bob Hope, who was magical to meet and was wonderful to me. I loved Frank Sinatra – he was special. He had very pale blue eyes and he never shook your hand because he didn’t know where you’d been and didn’t want the germs to affect his singing. Such an amazing man.
If I wasn’t a songwriter I would need to be a bank robber, to make the money I make.
I couldn’t have imagined my life another way. I was a songwriter then a music publisher. I made the Bay City Rollers with so many hits. I’ve written for Midge Ure, B.A Robertson, Van Morrison and Elvis. I love it.
When I was into football, my hero was Denis Law.
He is very special to Scottish people. Song writing-wise, I like Lionel Bart who wrote Oliver! and Living Doll. He was great.
‘If I wasn’t a songwriter I would need to be a bank robber, to make the money I make’