Brian Potter, one of Britain’s most successful names in music production and songwriting, has died at the age of 87.
His daughter confirmed the news to Billboard, explaining that he had suffered from Alzheimer’s disease for years.
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Potter passed away on June 30 at a nursing home in Granada Hills, Los Angeles, leaving behind a distinguished legacy in the music industry.
Together with Dennis Lambert, his American songwriting partner, he signed off on a string of hits that left their mark on pop, soul, country and soft rock during the 1970s. Among these songs were Glen Campbell’s “Rhinestone Cowboy,” which reached No. 1 in the US in 1975, “It Only Takes a Minute,” which first became a hit for Tavares and was later successfully revived by Take That, “Baby Come Back” by the group Player, as well as “Ain’t No Woman (Like the One I’ve Got),” one of Four Tops’ most successful songs.
Born and raised in Essex, England, Brian Potter studied music and first became known as a drummer.
He achieved his first major success as a lyricist in 1965, when he co-wrote Small Faces’ hit “Whatcha Gonna Do About It.”
Later, during one of Dennis Lambert’s visits to London, he met him and later moved to the United States, where the two built one of the most successful partnerships in American music.
In 1971, Potter achieved another major success with “Don’t Pull Your Love,” performed by Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds, which climbed to No. 4 in the US and was later also recorded by Glen Campbell.
His role also proved decisive in Four Tops’ return to the music scene. In 1973, he and Lambert helped the group change artistic direction after leaving Motown Records by producing “Ain’t No Woman (Like the One I’ve Got),” a song that returned them to the top five of the American charts for the first time since 1967.
During his career, Potter also worked with Universal Studios on projects such as “Rockin’ Graveyard Revue” and “The Blues Brothers Show.” In the late 1970s he produced Player’s album “Baby Come Back,” which stayed at No. 1 in the US for three weeks, as well as Santana’s album “Inner Secrets.”
With Brian Potter’s passing, the music industry loses one of the songwriters and producers who left a deep mark on the history of modern music.
