About Us

Loose Cannonz are David Martin & Julie Samuel

 

David Martin: Singer - Songwriter

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At the age of 17, David left school to join the family retail business. After four years of working in the retail trade, he simultaneously got married and entered the music business. During this period, David signed as a singer to Pye Records. After a couple of unmemorable recordings, he moved to EMI. Here he was approached to sing on a demo for a couple of songwriter friends, Chris Arnold and Geoff Morrow. This he did. He suggested a couple of alterations to the song, which ultimately became a successful recording by the legendary Billy Fury. The song “In Thoughts of You” reached the number 7 spot in the UK charts. The three men decided to team up together and became the celebrated song-writing trio, known throughout the music world as Arnold, Martin and Morrow.

This fruitful partnership lasted 15 years and achieved song covers by many major recording artists including “There’s A Whole Lot of Loving” (Guys and Dolls), “Let’s Be Friends”(Elvis Presley), “Don’t You Know” (Butterscotch), “The Right One Is Left” (Cilla Black), “So Long” (Cliff Richard), “Can’t You Hear The Song?” (Wayne Newton).

It was at this period that David wrote his first stand alone song “Can’t Smile Without You.” which has turned out to be a giant pop song standard of our time. This song was eventually recorded by Barry Manilow and in 1975 reached the number 1 spot in the USA. Since then it has been recorded by a host of familiar names including The Carpenters, Englebert Humperdinck and Boyzone, as well as being featured in the film “Four Weddings and a Funeral”.

In 1978 David formed a record company partnership, Hippodrome Records, with famous nightclub owner Peter Stringfellow. During this period, which lasted three years, he wrote for and produced the incomparable Motown singer Edwin Starr and the unforgettable Dusty Springfield.

After fifteen years, the Arnold-Martin-Morrow partnership ended amicably and from 1979 – 1982 David went on the road as a singer with the James Last Orchestra. He travelled the world with the band. He was the lead vocalist on two major hits, “Don’t You Know She Said Hello” in 1974 for Butterscotch and on the 1975 hit for Guys and Dolls “There’s A Whole Lot of Loving.”

In 2002, David wrote a new song, “Don’t Let Us Down Mr. Brown”, which was an appeal to the politician Gordon Brown to help the elderly citizens of Great Britain. The song was recorded and released on Twilight Records and distributed through Pinnacle Distribution. Around this time, David had lunch with a colleague who suggested that he try his hand at putting together a musical with melodies that people could not only enjoy but remember.

HIT SONGS SALES 26.5 MILLION WORLD WIDE

Elvis Presley
Cliff Richard
Barry Manilow
David Essex
The Carpenters
BBC Choir
Guys and Dolls
Butterscotch
Jack Jones
Mamma Cass
Englebert Humperdinck
Des O’Connor
The Shadows
Sue Pollard
Edwin Starr
Wayne Newton

 4 songs
2 songs
1 song
1 song
1 song
1 song
14 songs
10 songs
1 song
1 song
1 song
1 song
1 song
1 song
1 song
1 song

 

 

Julie Samuel

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As a child, Julie attended the Italia Conti School, making her professional acting debut at the age of twelve when she appeared on stage at the Victoria Palace Theatre. From the age of seventeen, she appeared in countless films, television series and programmes and with occasional performances in theatres in London and around the UK.

After marrying the well-known assistant film director Derek Cracknell and bringing up their daughter Sarah, Julie decided to resume her acting career. She attended the London Drama Studio, where under the guidance of Peter Layton she studied drama at an advanced level, and was soon back on the boards. She went on to appear in over one hundred television shows, playing leading roles. Amongst the television plays in which Julie starred were Love Story (playing opposite Malcolm McDowall) The Four Ages of Women, (opposite Ray Brooks) With the Cherry Blossom the Dawn with John Carson and Armchair Theatre productions, She also became a well known face of the Fairy Liquid Commercials and appeared in two directed by Tony and Ridley Scot

Television roles also included the part of Dawn in the series Honey Lane for a period of eighteen months. Julie was seen in six episodes of the series The Rag Trade and made guest appearances in Dixon of Dock Green, Z-Cars, Emergency Ward Ten and Coronation Street. Her film career included roles in The Long Ships, Dentist on the Job, the Seven Deadly Sins, The Day the Earth Caught Fire, Jigsaw, Deadline and the leading role in Ferry Cross the Mersey.

Julie moved into Music Management in 1983, managing daughter Sarah Cracknell as lead singer with the band St. Etienne, the rock band Mexico 70, solo artist and radio presenter Janey Lee Grace, dance duo Cola Boy and teenage duo Crush (Donna Air and Jayni Hoy.) During her years in the pop music industry, Julie released four singles and one album on 3-Bears Records, her own recording label and achieved a huge success with a record released in 1992 of “7 Ways To Love” by Cola Boy that went to Number 7 in the UK charts, and Number 1 in Europe. During this period Julie toured extensively, including nation wide tours of the US, with both Crush and Mexico 70, and South East Asia with Crush.

She joined Wild Thyme productions in 1999 as project manager and advisor on London showcase of Moses (a new musical), and then became associate producer on all its ventures, A Midsummer Nights Dream (tour to Germany), Romeo and Juliet, 10-week tour of the UK and Germany, an all-female adaptation of Hamlet, A Comedy Of Errors, The Merry Wives Of Windsor, and a showcase of a new Musical of Great Expectations.

At the beginning of 2006 Julie formed a new company Loose Cannonz Ltd with song writer David Martin, to promote new musical enterprises, including young musicians, songwriters and musical shows. The first venture is "A Slice Of Life" which they produced in Guildford and at the New End Theatre in 2008.

In the last two years Julie has also been involved in Thames Hospicecare charity and has produced two Opera concerts (see News page) and a Jazz concert with international Jazz pianist Ronnie Kole.