behest of Phil Spector. Sammes also provided the distinctive basso backing vocals on Olivia Newton-John's early country crossover hits, including "Banks of the Ohio", "Let Me Be There" and "If You Love Me (Let Me Know)". Despite this productivity, his group, the Mike Sammes Singers, have only one entry in The Guinness Book of British Hit Singles, for "Somewhere My Love" in July 1967. Sammes rewrote the song "Marianne" with Bill Owen to provide Cliff Richard with a minor hit in September 1968. The Mike Sammes Singers remained active into the 1970s, producing recordings for television (The Secret Service) and appearing on the small screen (the Val Doonican Show, 1971). By the mid-1970s, though, the demand for backing vocals had faded considerably, due to the introduction of multi-tracking and synthesizers. On "The Last of the Summer Wine", the Mike Sammes Singers contributed the "Summer Wine" song over the opening credits of the Christmas 1983 episode "Getting Sam Home". Sammes died at the age of 73 in May 2001, several months after a fall from which he never fully recovered. Jonny Trunk, of Trunk Records, was able to recover a number of reel-to-reel tapes from Sammes' house (despite it having been ransacked by house clearance), which he went on to compile as Music for Biscuits, so-named because it featured 1960s/1970s advertising jingles for Tuc biscuits, etc. The Michael Sammes Singers members included: Mike Sammes, John O'Neill, Irene King, Enid Hurd (Enid Heard), Mike Redway, Ross Gilmour, Valerie Bain, Marion Gay and Mel Todd. Works Johnny Kidd & the Pirates: HMV 45rpm 45-POP 978: 1962: accompanied 'Hurry on Back to Love', and 'I Want That'. The Young Ones (soundtrack, 1962) "I May Never Pass This Way Again" 1958, with Ronnie Hilton (UK #27) "Come prima" (1959) "Starry Eyed" January 1960 Supercar (TV series 1961) "When the Girl in Your Arms Is the Girl in Your Heart" (1961) Young, Willing and Eager 1961 Stork Talk (1962) 85 minute film Summer Holiday (1963) Here Come the Girls (TV series) 1963 "Crow on the Cradle" (1963) Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp (Cliff Richard and the Shadows album) (1964) Frank Ifield Sings (TV Series) 1965, as Mike Sammes Singers "A Windmill in Old Amsterdam" (1965 song) Presenting Johnny Mathis (TV Movie) 1965, as Mike Sammes Singers The Bed-Sit Girl (TV Series 1966) '"Careless Hands" (song 1967) Don't Lose Your Head (1967 film) The Benny Hill Show