You may not have heard of Albert Hammond, but you are sure to have heard his music.

The prolific composer has been writing hits for more than 40 years, including When I Need You, made famous by Leo Sayer, The Hollies’ The Air That I Breathe, Tina Turner’s I Don’t Wanna Lose You and Julio Iglesias’ To All the Girls I’ve Loved Before.

Albert also won an Emmy for co-writing One Moment in Time, the theme song for the 1988 Olympic Games performed by Whitney Houston, and was nominated for an Oscar, Golden Globe and Grammy for co-writing Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now, performed by Starship.

What sets Albert apart, earning him induction into the Songwriters’ Hall of Fame in 2008, is that he doesn’t just write hits, he writes classics.

Born in London and raised in Gibraltar, he found his first success in the late 1960s with songwriting partner Mike Hazlewood.

The pair’s hits included Gimme Dat Ding recorded by The Pipkins and Good Morning Freedom sung by Blue Mink. Albert then achieved solo success in 1972 with his self-performed song It Never Rains in Southern California, and has since built a multi-faceted career as an artist, songwriter and producer.

Extra time

Albert Hammond is bilingual as a result of growing up in Gibraltar and has recorded and written several Spanish-language albums

The Queen recognised him for his musical achievement with an OBE in 2000

He co-wrote and produced Welsh artist Duffy’s 2010 album Endlessly

His son Albert Hammond Jr is the guitarist for indie-rock heavyweights The Strokes

Several of his songs have been hits more than once, including The Air That I Breathe (The Hollies, Simply Red); Don’t Turn Around (Aswad, Ace of Base) and When You Tell Me That You Love Me (Diana Ross, and then a duet by Westlife and Diana Ross)

See him at Folkestone’s Tower Theatre on Wednesday, April 24. Tickets £17.50. Call 01303 223925.