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Guy Fletcher OBE (born St Albans, England) is an English songwriter who, in partnership with Doug Flett, wrote several hits for other artists. As a singer he had a small hit in the Netherlands and other European countries with the song "Mary in the Morning".
Guy Fletcher worked as a session singer for record producer Joe Meek, and as a jazz trumpet player. After deciding to turn to songwriting, he met lyricist Doug Flett in 1966 and their long partnership resulted in writing songs for several international artists. They were the first British writers to have a song recorded by Elvis Presley, when "The Fair's Movin' On" appeared on the B-side of his 1969 single "Clean Up Your Own Back Yard". Other Presley recordings followed, including "Wonderful World", the opening song in the film, Live a Little Love a Little and "Just Pretend", featured in That's The Way It Is.
Fletcher and Flett's first UK Top 10 success was with The Hollies' "I Can't Tell the Bottom from the Top" (1970), and they also had hits with songs performed by Cliff Richard, "With the Eyes of a Child", "Sing a Song of Freedom", "Baby You're Dynamite" and "Power to All Our Friends", which was the UK entry for the Eurovision Song Contest in 1973, achieving third place.
Their greatest international success was with "Save Me", a Billboard #1 country song by Louise Mandrell. "Save Me" was also a Billboard entry for three other American stars: Helen Reddy, Donna McDaniel and Merrilee Rush. Fletcher and Flett also wrote hits for Ray Charles, Tom Jones, Joe Cocker and the Bay City Rollers. Their song "Fallen Angel", a minor single for Frankie Valli in the 1970s, was featured in the Broadway show Jersey Boys. Fletcher and Flett also discovered and nurtured the talent of singer-songwriter Chris de Burgh.
In 1975 Fletcher, former Onyx guitarist Al Hodge and John Hodkinson formed the soft-rock trio, Rogue, who released several singles, including "Cool Clear Air", "Lay Me Down", "Lady Put The Light Out", "Too Much Too Soon", "One to One", and "Borderline", and three albums, before disbanding in 1979.
Fletcher is Chairman of the Performing Right Society where he has been a director since 1998, and is Chairman and Managing Director of the rights management company, Commercial Arts Ltd. He was for twelve years chairman of The British Academy of Songwriters Composers and Authors where he led several campaigns against the erosion of composers’ rights. He has won many awards including an ASCAP award in the USA and an Ivor Novello Award in the UK, and has also written TV music, songs, commercials and music for the stage.
In 2005 he was honoured in HM the Queen's birthday honours list with an OBE for services to British music.
Fletcher has a nephew, also called Guy Fletcher, who is a longtime co-worker with Mark Knopfler and Dire Straits.
His children are Justin Fletcher, the children's TV presenter, Amity Fletcher, the music promoter, Juliette Fletcher, ITV South News presenter and Liberty Fletcher, now in her final year at Oxford Brookes University where she is studying for a nursing degree.
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