Composer
Biography
English composer and writer of pop songs and musicals, born in 1930 and died in 1999. He is remembered above all as the sole author of the musical Oliver!, and he also wrote hit songs such as "Rock with the Caveman" for Tommy Steele. Working with director Joan Littlewood at Theatre Royal Stratford East, he helped establish a homegrown British musical theatre tradition that challenged the earlier dominance of American shows in the West End.