Born in Bedford, Bedfordshire, England on December 14, 1944, Richard Kerr was a musician, songwriter, and composer best known for hits that were covered by pop superstars like Barry Manilow (“Mandy,” “Looks Like We Made It,” and “Somewhere in the Night.”) and Dionne Warwick (“I’ll Never Love This Way Again”). He first became interested in music while attending Bedford School and was drawn to songwriting. He collaborated with several musicians and songwriters including Peter Green, Don Partridge, and Scott English and achieved his first success as a writer when Don Partridge’s “Blue Eyes” became a hit in 1968. Richard Kerr released his debut album, From Now Until Then, in 1973, which was followed by the album Reflections of Richard Kerr (1974). However, his first massive worldwide hit was the song “Brandy,” which he had co-written with Scott English. In order to avoid confusion with Looking Glass’ hit single “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)”, the song’s title was changed to “Mandy” and became a hit for Barry Manilow in 1974. Richard Kerr’s next major hit was “Looks Like We Made It,” co-written with Will Jennings and recorded by Barry Manilow and originally released on Manilow’s album This One’s For You (1976). Richard Kerr’s third solo album was released in 1976 and was self-titled in some territories and called Somewhere in the Night in others. Richard Kerr and Will Jennings’ next international songwriting success was “I’ll Never Love This Way Again,” a hit for Dionne Warwick in 1978. That same year, Richard Kerr released his fourth solo album, Welcome to the Club. The album, like his first three, was not a commercial success. Richard Kerr and Jennings songwriting partnership scored another success when Barry Manilow released his version of “Somewhere in the Night” in 1978. Richard Kerr released his final solo album, No Looking Back, in 1982. While he wrote successful songs for other artists including Jennifer Warnes, John Denver, Natalie Cole, Frankie Valli, and others, nothing matched the international impact of those Manilow and Warwick hits. Richard Kerr continued to pen songs with other writers including Don Black, who co-wrote “You Stayed Away Too Long,” which was performed by Joanne May on The Great British Song Contest in 1997. Richard Kerr died on December 8, 2023, at the age of 78.
