Russ Ballard

Few writers have shaped the sound of other people's records quite like Russ Ballard. Born Russell Glyn Ballard on 31 October 1945 in Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire, the English singer, guitarist and producer first gained attention fronting Argent, but by the late 1970s he had become a prolific songwriter and producer in his own right. His songs carry a hard-edged rock grain that suited a wide range of performers, from Rainbow to Hot Chocolate, and the catalogue he built is as much a study in craft as in fame.

The writing that followed produced a remarkable run of covers. Hello took "New York Groove" to No. 9 in the UK in 1975, and Ace Frehley's solo version reached No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1978. Santana scored a No. 17 hit with Ballard's "Winning" in 1981, while America's "You Can Do Magic" climbed to No. 8 in the US in 1982 and revived the band's fortunes. Elkie Brooks's "No More the Fool" reached number five in the UK in 1987, and in 2005 Ballard was credited with discovering Lauren Harris.