Birmingham songwriter Chris Porter gets a Hollywood break

Jan 4 2008 By Andy Coleman, Birmingham Mail

FROM the Bullring to Closing The Ring - a Birmingham city council worker is enjoying showbiz success thanks to one of his songs being featured in a new movie directed by Lord Attenborough.

Closing The Ring is a romantic tale spanning 50 years, with the song, Lost Without Your Love, playing over the end credits.

The track was penned by Bullring-based City Centre Management department worker and part-time song-writer Chris Porter.

It is sung by Birmingham-born Amy Pearson, now a rising star living in Australia.

"I've been writing earnestly for 18 years but this is the first time I've had anything recorded and released," said 38-year-old Chris who lives in Worcester with his wife, actress Kate Benedict, and two children.

Chris attended last week's film's premiere in Belfast and walked the red carpet with Lord Attenborough and Amy Pearson. But he revealed that the song, an Irish-flavoured emotional ballad, nearly missed out on being in the film, which stars Shirley McClaine and Mischa Barton.

"The senior vice president of Sony BMG, Chris Craker, heard the track and recommended it to Closing The Ring producer Jo Gilbert who agreed to use it in the film. But a couple of months later I was told there was not enough finance to include it.

"I would have given up there and then but my wife said that if I really believed in the song I should fight for it. I sent Jo an e-mail telling her she was missing out on something big if the song was dropped."

The decision was then reversed.

n Closing The Ring opens today at Birmingham MAC cinema. The single Lost Without Your Love is released on Monday and will also be included on the soundtrack album and Amy Pearson's debut album.