Gerald Masters

Gerald Masters born Gerald Watkiss (February 17, 1955 – February 5, 2007) was a musician, solo artist and songwriter, achieving fame during the late seventies and early eighties.

Gerald Masters
Gerald Masters' 1981 album
Background information
Birth name	Gerald Watkiss
Born	(1955-02-17)17 February 1955 Wolverhampton, England
Died	5 February 2007(2007-02-05) (aged 51) Shrewsbury, England
Genres	Pop
Occupation(s)	Musician, singer, recording artist, composer, producer.
Instrument(s)	Vocals, Piano
Years active	1977–2007
Labels	Pye, Handshake, Island
Website	http://www.geraldmasters.com

After releasing four albums, produced by Tony Atkins, as a solo artist between 1977 and 1983, he continued in the music business working as a producer/writer with Island, working with artists including Andy Gibb, Neville Staples and The Equators. Following this work, he struck up writing partnerships with Aziz Ibrahim (Ex-Simply Red, Stone Roses) and Paul Beard (James Blunt, Robbie Williams, Leona Lewis). In 2006, Masters decided to write and release his own material again, under the name Rescue Party, a collaboration with fellow co-writer and producer Gareth Rhys Jones.

Additionally, Masters was a writer for TV, most notably composing "A Handful of Smarties", which aired in the UK.