Robert Willis (25 January 1942 – 23 October 1999) was an English songwriter and talent manager who became the manager and eventually husband of singer

Cilla Black Priscilla Maria Veronica White (27 May 1943 – 1 August 2015), better known as Cilla Black, was an English singer and television presenter. Championed by her friends the Beatles, Black began her career as a singer in 1963. Her singles "A ...

Career

His first known recorded composition, "Shy of Love" was featured on the B-side of "

Love of the Loved "Love of the Loved" is a song written mainly by Paul McCartney, credited to Lennon–McCartney. It is one of his earliest compositions and featured in the Beatles live act in their early days. The group recorded the song at their 1962 audition ...

", the debut release of Cilla Black in September 1963. During the sixties he was to write many songs for his then girlfriend to record and perform. One of his most popular – "Is It Love?" – was featured in the beat film ''

Ferry Cross the Mersey "Ferry Cross the Mersey" is a song written by Gerry Marsden. It was first recorded by his band Gerry and the Pacemakers and released in late 1964 in the UK and in 1965 in the United States. It was a hit on both sides of the Atlantic, reaching ...

'' in 1965. He collaborated with Clive Westlake,

Kenny Lynch Kenneth Lynch, OBE (18 March 1938 – 18 December 2019) was an English singer, songwriter, entertainer, and actor. He appeared in many variety shows in the 1960s. At the time, he was among the few black singers in British pop music. He was app ...

and

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

' producer

George Martin Sir George Henry Martin (3 January 1926 – 8 March 2016) was an English record producer, arranger, composer, conductor, and musician. He was commonly referred to as the "fifth Beatle" because of his extensive involvement in each of the Beatle ...

on some songs. After the death of Black's manager,

Brian Epstein Brian Samuel Epstein ( ; 19 September 1934 – 27 August 1967) was an English music entrepreneur who managed the Beatles from 1961 until his death in 1967. Epstein was born into a family of successful retailers in Liverpool, who put hi ...

, Willis took over her management duties and over the next thirty years, developed her popularity with television family audiences, and helped Black to become the highest-paid female presenter on television.

Death

On 23 October 1999, aged 57, Willis died of lung and liver cancer at the

Royal Free Hospital The Royal Free Hospital (also known as the Royal Free) is a major teaching hospital in the Hampstead area of the London Borough of Camden. The hospital is part of the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, which also runs services at Barnet Ho ...

in London. His funeral service was held on 1 November at Saint Mary the Virgin Church in

Denham, Buckinghamshire Denham is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Buckinghamshire, England, approximately 17 mi from central London, 2 mi northwest of Uxbridge and just north of junction 1 of the M40 motorway. The name is derived from the Old En ...

. He was cremated.

Personal life

Willis had four brothers, named Albert, Ronnie, Bertie, and Kenneth. Willis married

on 25 January 1969, his 27th birthday, at

Marylebone Town Hall Marylebone Town Hall, also known as the Westminster Council House, is a municipal building on Marylebone Road in Marylebone, London. The complex includes the council chamber, the Westminster Register Office and an educational facility known as t ...

. To please her Catholic family, the couple were granted a dispensation to have their marriage blessed on 6 March 1969 at St Mary's Church in

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

Woolton Woolton (; ) is a suburb of Liverpool, in Merseyside, England. It is an area located southeast of the city and bordered by Allerton, Gateacre, Halewood, and Hunt's Cross. At the 2011 Census, the population was 12,921. Overview Originally a ...

suburb. (Willis was from an Anglican background.) They had three sons together: Robert (born 1970), Ben (born 1974), and Jack (born 1980). Their daughter Ellen (born 1975) lived for only two hours.

Discography

As songwriter

Singles

*"Shy of Love" (A-side "

") UK#35 September 1963 *"Just for You" (A-side " Anyone Who Had a Heart") UK#1 Jan. 1964 *"Suffer Now I Must" (A-side "

You're My World "You're My World" is a cover of Italian ballad originally recorded in 1963 as "Il mio mondo" ("My World") by Umberto Bindi, who co-wrote the original version with Gino Paoli. Subsequently, an English version was commissioned, and the lyrics wer ...

") UK#1 May 1964 *"He Won't Ask Me" (A-side "

It's for You English auxiliary verbs are a small set of English verbs, which include the English modal auxiliary verbs and a few others. Although the auxiliary verbs of English are widely believed to lack inherent semantic meaning and instead to modify the ...

") UK#7 July 1964 *"Is It Love?" (A-side "

You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' is a song by Phil Spector, Barry Mann, and Cynthia Weil, first recorded in 1964 by the American vocal duo the Righteous Brothers. This version, produced by Spector, is cited by some music critics as the ultimat ...

") UK#2 January 1965 *"I Don't Want to Know" (A-side "I've Been Wrong Before") UK#17 April 1965 *"Night Time Is Here" (A-side " Alfie") UK#9 March 1966 *"From Now On" (Bobby Willis/Clive Westlake) (A-side "I Only Live to Love You") UK#26 November 1967 *"I Couldn't Take My Eyes Off You" (Bobby Willis/Clive Westlake) (A-side "

Step Inside Love "Step Inside Love" is a song written by Paul McCartney (credited as "Lennon–McCartney") for Cilla Black in 1967 as a theme for her TV series ''Cilla (1968 TV series), Cilla'', which first aired on 30 January 1968. Background In late 1967 P ...

") UK#8 March 1968 *"London Bridge" (Bobby Willis/Clive Westlake) (A-side " Surround Yourself with Sorrow") UK#3 February 1969 *"That's Why I Love You" (Bobby Willis/Kenny Lynch) (A-side "Child of Mine") December 1970

Album tracks

*"Come to Me" (George Martin/Bobby Willis) ''Cilla'' January 1965 *"Our Brand New World" (Bobby Willis/Clive Westlake) ''Images'' May 1971

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Willis, Bobby Cilla Black English male songwriters English music managers 20th-century English musicians People from Woolton 1942 births 1999 deaths Deaths from liver cancer in England Deaths from lung cancer in England Musicians from Liverpool 20th-century English businesspeople