Wayne Bickerton: Songwriter and producer who was behind the success of the Rubettes and their 70s No 1, Sugar Baby Love

Bickerton wrote Sugar Baby Love with Tony Waddington, and it was rejected by Showaddywaddy

Bickerton: he penned around 35 hits, as well as signing Slade and the New Seekers

"Pop songwriting is an art form," Dr Wayne Bickerton would say, "and the name of the game is to set the trend rather than follow it." Bickerton shared his experience with up-and-coming songwriters after writing around 35 hit records, notably for the Rubettes and the brother and sister act, Mac and Katie Kissoon.

Wayne Bickerton was born in Rhyl, north Wales, in wartime and then raised in Kirkdale, Liverpool. In the late 1950s, he shared his love of the new rock'n'roll music with Tony Waddington and they both took up guitar, although Bickerton soon switched to bass. They played in the Bobby Bell Rockers and became half of the Pete Best Four with the former Beatle.

They used the opportunity to write and record their own compositions, and after touring Germany and the US, the group disbanded in 1966. "I liked the band," Bickerton told me. "We had no problem with Pete as a drummer but I never thought we were good enough to make it."

Bickerton became label manager for Decca's new progressive outlet, Deram, which had hits with Procol Harum, the Moody Blues and the Move, with Bickerton persuading Cat Stevens that he would be better suited to an acoustic setting. Bickerton also produced Giles, Giles and Fripp, which developed into King Crimson. In 1968 he and Waddington had their first songwriting success with "Nothing But A Heartache" for the Flirtations, which became a Northern soul classic and was covered by Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes. In 1970 Tom Jones had a US hit with "Can't Stop Lovin' You", which Bickerton had written about his wife, Carole.

He moved to Polygram and signed Billy Connolly, the New Seekers and Slade, as well as re-establishing Neil Sedaka as a chart act. However, recording Billy J Kramer under his real name of William Howard Ashton was a mistake.

In 1974 he and Waddington felt that they had written a hit with the rock'n'roll pastiche, "Sugar Baby Love". As the song was rejected by Showaddywaddy, they put out their own version, with the Rubettes, formed from some of the recording's session musicians.

"We had Paul Da Vinci singing in that incredibly high falsetto voice," said Bickerton, "and then a vocal group sings 'bop-sho-waddy' over and over for about three minutes. Gerry Shory, who did the string arrangements, said, 'This is not going to work: you can't have a vocal group singing 'bop-sho-waddy' non-stop. A lot of people said the same thing to us and the more determined I became to release it. The record was dormant for six or seven weeks and then we got a break on Top Of The Pops and it took off like a rocket and sold six million copies worldwide."

Taking a lead from Gene Vincent's Blue Caps, the Rubettes wore white caps, and had white suits. "I think our image really sold that record," said guitarist TJ Thorpe, "and we were very lucky to get on Top Of The Pops. We were only at No 51, but the work permits for Sparks fell through and we got on in their place. Our hats became bigger than the band. If we turned up to a TV show without the hats, the producers would go crazy."

"Sugar Baby Love", which owed something to the Diamonds, the Four Seasons and Phil Spector's productions, was No 1 for four weeks, and they followed it with "Tonight" and "Juke Box Jive". At the same time Bickerton and Waddington had a Top 10 hit with "Sugar Candy Kisses" for Mac and Katie Kissoon. They won an Ivor Novello award as Songwriters of the Year.

In 1975 Bickerton and Waddington formed their own label, State, having further hits with the Rubettes and the Kissoons. "It wasn't difficult to write songs for a boy/girl duo," said Bickerton. "You just think of situations and once you have the storyline, you have the song."

In 1977, the duo wrote and produced "We Can Do It", a hit single for Liverpool FC, "We used the football team on the record," said Bickerton, "and that is why it is pretty much out of tune. When we were recording, a tile fell of the ceiling and hit Tommy Smith on the shoulder and it broke in half. He didn't bat an eyelid and everybody was on the floor laughing."

In 1979 they opened Odyssey Studios in London but Bickerton soon swopped songwriting for administrative roles. He became an executive of the Performing Rights Society, later becoming chairman and acting chief executive. He was deputy chairman of the Institute of Popular Music in Liverpool, loving the idea that popular music was being taken seriously and put on the university curriculum.

In 1997 he became the Chairman of SESAC International, a performing rights organisation. He also formed Reliable Source Music, making music for broadcasters. "We should thank the Beatles everyday," he said. "They made such an impact in America and the rest of the world that songwriting has become one of our biggest industries."

Arthur Wayne Bickerton, songwriter and producer: born Rhyl 11 July 1941; honorary doctorate, Liverpool University; married Carole; died 29 November 2015.