Lionel Bart (1 August 1930 – 3 April 1999) was a British writer and composer.
Born in Stepney, London in 1930, Bart's parents were told by teachers he was a musical genius at the age of six. He was given a violin but did not apply himself and followed other ambitions of painting and screen printing. Although never learning to read or write musical notation, he began songwriting for theatre in 1952. Bart began gaining widespread recognition by writing songs such as "Living Doll" for Cliff Richard and multiple tracks for Tommy Steele.
Bart's success, unfortunately, began to decline in the mid-sixties. Depression and drug use took a serious toll on Bart's health for over 20 years before a resurgence in the late eighties with his song "Happy Endings."
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