Mike Hawker
songwriter · lyricist
- November 29, 1936 · Bath
- May 4, 2014
- 77 years
About Mike Hawker
Mike Hawker, 77, English songwriter.
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Full Biography
|Michael Edwin Hawker (29 November 1936 – 4 May 2014) was an English songwriter.
Biography
Born in Bath, Somerset, Hawker lived as a child in Singapore, where his father was stationed in the Royal Air Force, before returning to settle with relatives in Barnsley, Yorkshire. After attending university, he spent time with the RAF in Europe, and started writing concert reviews of American jazz musicians, which he submitted to such magazines as the New Musical Express and Jazz Journal. He started working in the publicity department at EMI in the late 1950s, and then moved into promotion work with Larry Parnes.
He started writing songs circa 1960, and linked up with composer John Schroeder to write lyrics for producer Norrie Paramor's young protégée Helen Shapiro. Hawker wrote the lyrics for several songs recorded by Shapiro, including "Don't Treat Me Like a Child", "You Don't Know", and "Walkin' Back to Happiness", for which he won an Ivor Novello award. He also co-wrote "I Only Want to Be with You" recorded by Dusty Springfield.
Hawker married Jean Ryder of the Vernons Girls. He continued to write for many of the most successful girl singers of the early 1960s including Dusty Springfield, Susan Maughan and Jackie Trent with diminishing commercial success. In 1973, he co-wrote Cliff Richard's hit single "Help It Along", with Brian Bennett of the Shadows. He continued working in the London music business; among other successes discovering singer-songwriter Labi Siffre.
He died in 2014, after protracted poor health.
Content from Wikipedia — licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
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Articles & News
- "Mike Hawker: Songwriter who won an Ivor Novello for 'Walkin' Back To Happiness', and also wrote for Dusty Springfield — Obituary"independent.co.uk
- "Mike Hawker — Obituary"telegraph.co.uk
Reported coverage of Mike Hawker; each link opens the original article on the publisher's own site.
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Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Hawker_(songwriter)
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- View record
- September 30, 2026
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 16 questions
Questions drawn from Mike Hawker's archived record and the sources above.
1.In what city was Mike Hawker born?
- A.Bathcorrect
- B.Singapore
- C.London
- D.Barnsley
Mike Hawker was born in Bath, Somerset.
Source: Biography section
2.Where did Mike Hawker live as a child while his father was stationed in the Royal Air Force?
- A.Singaporecorrect
- B.England
- C.Germany
- D.France
Mike Hawker lived in Singapore as a child during his father's service in the Royal Air Force.
Source: Biography section
3.Which company did Mike Hawker work for in the publicity department during the late 1950s?
- A.Columbia
- B.EMIcorrect
- C.Decca
- D.Parlophone
Mike Hawker started working in the publicity department at EMI in the late 1950s.
Source: Biography section
4.What kind of writing did Mike Hawker perform before becoming a songwriter?
- A.Concert reviews of American jazz musicianscorrect
- B.Political editorials
- C.Historical biographies
- D.Sporting news articles
Mike Hawker started his career by writing concert reviews of American jazz musicians.
Source: Biography section
5.For which singer did Mike Hawker write the lyrics to the song 'Walkin' Back to Happiness'?
- A.Susan Maughan
- B.Dusty Springfield
- C.Helen Shapirocorrect
- D.Jackie Trent
Mike Hawker wrote the lyrics for Helen Shapiro's hit song 'Walkin' Back to Happiness'.
Source: Biography section
6.What award did Mike Hawker win for the song 'Walkin' Back to Happiness'?
- A.Grammy Award
- B.Brit Award
- C.Mercury Prize
- D.Ivor Novello awardcorrect
Mike Hawker won an Ivor Novello award for the song 'Walkin' Back to Happiness'.
Source: Biography section
7.Mike Hawker co-wrote the song 'I Only Want to Be with You' for which singer?
- A.Susan Maughan
- B.Jackie Trent
- C.Helen Shapiro
- D.Dusty Springfieldcorrect
Mike Hawker co-wrote the song 'I Only Want to Be with You' which was recorded by Dusty Springfield.
Source: Biography section
8.Who was the wife of Mike Hawker?
- A.Helen Shapiro
- B.Jean Rydercorrect
- C.Susan Maughan
- D.Jackie Trent
Mike Hawker was married to Jean Ryder, who was part of the Vernons Girls.
Source: Biography section
9.In 1973, Mike Hawker co-wrote a hit single for which artist?
- A.Brian Bennett
- B.Labi Siffre
- C.John Schroeder
- D.Cliff Richardcorrect
In 1973, Mike Hawker co-wrote the hit single 'Help It Along' for Cliff Richard.
Source: Biography section
10.Who did Mike Hawker help discover in the music business?
- A.Labi Siffrecorrect
- B.Brian Bennett
- C.Dusty Springfield
- D.Helen Shapiro
Mike Hawker is credited with discovering singer-songwriter Labi Siffre.
Source: Biography section
11.What was the date of Mike Hawker's death?
- A.29 November 1936
- B.4 May 2014correct
- C.15 August 2012
- D.1 January 2010
Mike Hawker passed away on 4 May 2014.
Source: Biography section
12.Before working for EMI, for whom did Mike Hawker perform promotion work?
- A.Brian Bennett
- B.Larry Parnescorrect
- C.Norrie Paramor
- D.John Schroeder
After his time at EMI, Mike Hawker moved into promotion work with Larry Parnes.
Source: Biography section
13.Mike Hawker attended university before joining which organization in Europe?
- A.EMI
- B.RAFcorrect
- C.New Musical Express
- D.Vernons Girls
After university, Mike Hawker spent time with the Royal Air Force in Europe.
Source: Biography section
14.What was the cause of Mike Hawker's death?
- A.Protracted poor healthcorrect
- B.A brief illness
- C.Old age
- D.A sudden accident
Mike Hawker died in 2014 following a period of protracted poor health.
Source: Biography section
15.With which composer did Mike Hawker link up to write lyrics for Helen Shapiro?
- A.Brian Bennett
- B.Labi Siffre
- C.Norrie Paramor
- D.John Schroedercorrect
Mike Hawker collaborated with composer John Schroeder to write for Helen Shapiro.
Source: Biography section
16.Where did Mike Hawker settle with relatives after returning from Singapore?
- A.Somerset
- B.London
- C.Bath
- D.Barnsleycorrect
After leaving Singapore, Mike Hawker returned to settle with relatives in Barnsley, Yorkshire.
Source: Biography section
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