George Howe, as he was actually called, was born in Bromley, UK, in 1949 and played both guitar and organ as a child. Before embarking on a successful career as a film composer, he wanted to be a pop star.
In 1970, a cover of the Beatles song "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" reached number one on the Swedish Top Ten, a feat also noted by the British newspaper The Guardian.
As a film composer, he achieved great success, writing music for films by Stephen Frears, Ken Loach and Neil Jordan. He was nominated for an Oscar five times in total. He also composed music for "Monday All Day", "You've Got Mail" and "Sweet Home Alabama".
