Richard Myhill | |
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Birth name | Richard Myhill Yarrow [1] |
Born | November 1946 Chorleywood, Hertfordshire |
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Occupations |
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Instrument(s) | Vocals, keyboard, percussion |
Years active | 1973–present |
Richard Myhill is a British singer-songwriter, musician, composer, producer and arranger, who had a top 20 single in the UK singles charts in 1978, and who worked on Duran Duran tracks in the early 1980s.
Myhill was the son of a jazz keyboardist, who would sometimes accompany his father in amateur shows, playing a small piano while wearing a Cub Scout uniform. After studying graphics and commercial art at college, he worked producing television adverts, until signed to EMI Records in 1973 as a songwriter, and he released his debut album 21 Days In Soho in 1975. He then left EMI and returned to advertising as a jingle writer, until, in 1977, producer Phil Wainman signed Myhill up to his new Mercury Records sub-label, Utopia. [2]
His first single on Utopia, "It Takes Two To Tango", reached number 17 in the UK singles chart; as of 2025, it is his only chart success, [3] and also earned him a place on the 30 March 1978 edition of Top Of The Pops, which featured him dancing with a dummy. [4] The 7" single was an early example of innovative vinyl, being available in a square format. [5]
In 1981, producer Colin Thurston requested Myhill work on string arrangements for the Duran Duran track "Tel Aviv", which was the first time the band used an orchestra for their recordings. [6] This was followed by string arrangements on the single version of "My Own Way", which also made the UK charts, and some other tracks. [7]
Myhill has been credited on many film and TV soundtracks, including one of the themes for The Chart Show (also used in the NBA Furious Finishes video cassette), [8] and his track "Trans Am Highway" being used as a theme for World Championship Wrestling's television shows in the late 1980s. [9] He has also been the director of his publishing company, Mysongs Limited, since 1973. [10]
Albums: [11]
Singles & EPs:
Soundtracks: