George Hargreaves

James George Hargreaves (born 14 July 1957), known as George Hargreaves or J. G. Hargreaves, is an English religious minister, community worker, political campaigner, former politician, former music producer, songwriter, TV producer and currently working as a Christian movie promoter, screenwriter and missionary.

In 1973 the band were signed by M&W Music Productions, which was owned by Dave Myers and John Worsley, writers of the 1971 UK Eurovision Song Contest entry "Jack in The Box" sung by Clodagh Rodgers.

A single written by Myers and Worsley called "Cheat, Cheat" was released in 1974 on Cube Records.

Hargreaves and Ajai-Ajagbe developed their own songwriting skills and in 1977 they signed as Motown's Jobete Music's only UK based songwriting team.

Hargreaves and Ajai-Ajagbe soon moved into producing.

The song and the production of "Feels Like the First Time" was greatly influenced by Madonna's producer Steve Bray (writer and producer of Madonna's hit "Into The Groove". Bray also co-wrote and produced the song "Baby Love" with the US singer Regina who was signed to Hargreaves' US production company West 78th Street Records. Hargreaves worked on the mix of the "Baby Love" record and gained an insight into how to make 'Madonna sounding songs' and applied his new knowledge to Sinitta with "Feels Like the First Time". Regina's "Baby Love" reached number 9 on the US chart and was later covered by Dannii Minogue.

In the 1980s, Hargreaves and Ajai-Ajagbe negotiated a label deal with Michael Levy's Magnet Records.

Their label, Midas Records, was the first to release recordings by Sinitta, which Hargreaves and Ajai-Ajagbe wrote and produced.

They were also the first to record Yazz as a member of the pop group The Biz.

Hargreaves and Ajai-Ajagbe wrote the 1983 season theme tune for the BBC1 daily magazine show Pebble Mill at One and the theme tune for the BBC2 show 655 Special hosted by David Soul and Sally James.

Hargreaves and Ajai-Ajagbe also wrote the first single for Five Star.

called "Problematic".

Hargreaves used his influence with the music producer of Pebble Mill at One to get Five Star on the show, which launched their career.

The songwriting partnership between Hargreaves and Ajai-Ajagbe ended in 1983, shortly after they completed Sinitta's second single "Never Too Late".

which went to number 2 twice on the UK chart in 1986.

He told Scotland on Sunday that "So Macho" was intended "... for women to dance round their handbags to and for the gay scene to go mad to on poppers" and that "I was never gay, but I had a lot of lovely friends in the gay scene."

Cowell went on to describe Hargreaves as a "well known songwriter" in his autobiography I Don't Mean to be Rude, but....

Hargreaves topped the chart in Iceland with an Icelandic version of a Christmas song originally recorded, but never released, by Sinitta (with Simon Cowell singing Santa "Ho ho hoes" in the background vocals) The song "I Won't Be Lonely This Christmas" became "Heima Um Jólin" and was sung by Helga Möller.

Hargreaves' first Top 50 chart hit was "Feels Like The First Time", which reached number 45 on the UK chart in August 1986, but faded fast when "So Macho" entered the top 50 some seven month after its initial release.

"Feels Like the First Time" was however Sinitta's biggest hit in the US, going top ten in the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales chart.

In 1990 Hargreaves was ordained as a Pentecostal minister under the auspices of the International Ministerial Council of Great Britain and served as an associate pastor at Edmonton Temple church in North East London.

He taught New Testament Greek at Edmonton Temple's 'Word of Life' bible college.

He studied for a Diploma in Christian Ministry at the International Bible Institute of London, where he gained a Distinction.

He then obtained a BA Honours degree in Theology from London University's King's College and a Post-graduate Diploma in Theology from Oxford University.

He then went on to win the first Studentship Award for Oxford University's newly formed Centre for Christianity & Culture.

The award funded his studies for a master's degree in Anthropology.

As part of the conditions of the Studentship Award he also gave a series of lectures at the Centre for Christianity & Culture on the subject of the Black Majority Churches in Britain.

He was also a member of the Black Theology in Britain group with Professor Robert Beckford and other black leading theologians.

Hargreaves is an Associate of King's College (AKC).

In 1994 Hargreaves married Maxine Williams, the founder and pastor of Hephzibah Christian Centre in Hackney, and he joined his wife in Christian ministry as co-pastor of the church.

Tony Ajai-Ajagbe died of AIDS in 1995.

Hargreaves continued to write songs on his own.

He wrote and produced Simon Cowell's first hit with Sinitta, "So Macho".

He was also leader of the Christian Party, having founded it in 2004.

Of Trinidadian descent, Hargreaves grew up in Islington.

He is fifth out seven siblings.

His life was saved by a firefighter who rescued him from his burning house when he was a child.

He was educated at King's College London, the University of Oxford, and at the University of St Andrews.

Hargreaves attended Woolverstone Hall, a boarding school owned by the Inner London Education Authority.

While still at school, he formed a band named Snapp with Tony Ajai-Ajagbe and three other school friends.