Les Vandyke | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | John Worsley |
| Also known as | Johnny Worth Yannis Skordalides |
| Born | 21 June 1931 Battersea, London, England |
| Died | 6 August 2021 (aged 90) Consett, County Durham, England |
| Genres | Popular music |
| Occupation(s) | Songwriter, singer |
| Years active | 1951–2021 |
John Worsley (21 June 1931 – 6 August 2021), more widely known under the pseudonyms Les Vandyke and Johnny Worth, was an English popular music songwriter from the 1950s to the 1980s, who started his career as a singer.
As "Les Vandyke", he wrote the UK No.1 hits "What Do You Want?", "Poor Me" (both for Adam Faith), and "Well I Ask You" (for Eden Kane). He also wrote hit singles as "John Worth", notably "Gonna Make You an Offer You Can't Refuse" a number 8 UK hit in 1973 for Jimmy Helms and "To Have and To Hold", a #17 UK hit for Catherine Stock in 1986; and had notable industry success under his real name of John Worsley (especially with "Jack in the Box", a #4 UK hit for Clodagh Rodgers in 1971.) His songs were recorded by various artists, including Petula Clark, Vince Hill, Engelbert Humperdinck, Anthony Newley, Bobby Vee, Shirley Bassey, Herman's Hermits, Marty Wilde, Bobby Rydell, Cleo Laine, Barbra Streisand, Jimmy Justice, John Leyton, Freddie and the Dreamers, Sammy Davis Jr. and many more.[1]