Bob Montgomery: Songwriter best known for his work with Buddy Holly but who also wrote for Billy Fury and Cliff Richard

Buddy and Bob supported Elvis Presley at the Cotton Club in Lubbock in 1955

Montgomery: ‘When it comes to Buddy Holly British fans are the best in the world,’ he said (Picasa)

Through performing with Buddy Holly, writing "Heartbeat" and "Misty Blue", producing "Honey" and publishing "Behind Closed Doors" and "The Wind Beneath My Wings", Bob Montgomery was a significant personality in the American music industry.

He was born in Lampasas, Texas in 1937 and his father was a construction worker who worked in different places, moving to Lubbock when Montgomery was 12. He met Buddy Holly at school, and they were both learning instruments. Montgomery told me in 2002, "When we started out, Buddy played banjo and mandolin. There were a lot of duet harmony records we liked, bluegrass stuff. We started playing those songs in school talent shows and we eventually had our own little radio show on KDAV."

When they had earned a little money they recorded demonstration records in Wichita Falls and at Norman Petty's studio in Clovis, New Mexico. These recordings were issued, sometimes with additional accompaniment, after Holly's death in 1959. "Quite frankly, the songs aren't that good," Montgomery admitted, "Even when I was in music publishing, I never thought of passing them to other artists. I was doing the lead vocals but the best thing about the tracks are Buddy Holly's harmonies. He was a great singer even then."

Buddy and Bob, as they were called, supported Elvis Presley at the Cotton Club in Lubbock in October 1955. Elvis recommended them to the Louisiana Hayride radio show but the programme director told them that Elvis didn't run the programme and they returned home dejected.

Following a request from the Everly Brothers for songs, they wrote "Wishing" and "Love's Made A Fool Of You", but the Everlys' manager, Wesley Rose vetoed the songs as he didn't have the publishing. Montgomery wrote the Latin-flavoured "Heartbeat", a Holly single and later an ITV theme and a UK No 2 for Nick Berry. "That's got Norman Petty down as a co-writer and he wrote 'Why does a love kiss stay in my memory'. It was a kinda dipshit line, but what the hell, if it got the song recorded, let it go."

At the time of his death, Holly wanted Montgomery to come to New York to form a publishing company with him. After his death, Montgomery moved to Nashville and was to set up his own successful company, House of Gold. He wrote "Back In Baby's Arms" for Patsy Cline and "Two Of A Kind" for Sue Thompson, but Brenda Lee turned down "Misty Blue". It became a country hit for Wilma Burgess and then an international success for Dorothy Moore in 1976, which led to over 200 recordings of the song. He wrote two hits for British artists: "Somebody Else's Girl" (Billy Fury, 1963) and "Wind Me Up (Let Me Go)" (Cliff Richard, 1965).

Montgomery produced and published "Honey" for Bobby Goldsboro, which was written by Bobby Russell. He said, "That was a very emotional record and the critics who said it was too syrupy were wrong. That record really touched people and sold eight million copies." He published "Behind Closed Doors" by Kenny O'Dell and "The Wind Beneath My Wings" by Larry Henley and Jeff Silbar. "Kenny Rogers turned down 'The Wind Beneath My Wings' and I knew he was making a mistake – his career was in a lull and that song would have put him right back on top. The lyrics demanded that an artist with name power should record it and after Gladys Knight and the Pips did it, it became huge."

He often produced country artists, including Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard and Marty Robbins. "I always wanted to get big hits on Buddy Knox. I thought he had one of the most pleasant, listenable voices in the whole world," said Montgomery.

His son, Kevin became a singer and songwriter who recorded a duet of "Wishing" with Mary Chapin Carpenter, produced by his father, for a Buddy Holly tribute album. In 1980 Paul McCartney invited Bob Montgomery to perform at his Buddy Holly week at the Odeon, Hammersmith. "I loved it," said Montgomery, "When it comes to Buddy Holly, the British fans are the best in the world."

SPENCER LEIGH

Bobby LaRoy Montgomery, songwriter and producer: born Lampasas, Texas 12 May 1937; married twice (two daughters, one son); died Lee's Summit, Missouri 4 December 2014.