Dave Mindel

In 1972 Mindel joined the Noel Gay Organisation as a record plugger and junior A&R person. The company also published Mindel's songs, and the first to be recorded was "Let Him Go Home" by Canadian artist Nanette Workman and then by Palk Salad in 1971. In 1972 David Ballantyne and Solitude recorded "Roof Above Our Head" on the Regal Zonophone label with another Mindel composition "Sad Song of a Sad Man" as the B-side. Later that year Ballantyne formed a studio band called Esprit de Corps with future BBC Radio 1 DJ Mike Read, which recorded the Mindel song "If (Would it Turn Out Wrong?)" for Dick James's Jam label. In 1974 Mindel teamed up with Noel Gay staff writer Gary Benson. Their first song, "Someday" of Long Live Love album,[1] was sung by Olivia Newton-John in heats for the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest.[2][3] The song was a hit in Hong Kong for Francis Yip and in Canada for Isabelle Aubret under the French title "Je Crois".[4] In 1975, Mindel and Benson had another entry in the Eurovision Song Contest, "Don't Throw It All Away" for Come on Over album performed by The Shadows, the single, released on the State Records label (State Records STAT10), reached No. 20 in the Record chart. The Nashville trio Dave and Sugar had a 1977 number 3 hit with it in the USA, while the soul singer Stacy Lattisaw hit number nine on the US R&B charts with her version in 1992 and Barrington Levy scored a huge hit with a reggae version.[5] It was also covered by artists as diverse as Gino Cunico, Ed Robinson, Fire and Rain, Carl Graves, The Delfonics, China Black, Lori Balmer, Helge Nielsens Orkester, Spectrum, Quench Aid, Barry Manilow and Jamie Sparks. To date, there are around 200 recordings of Mindel's songs.