Brian Potter, one of the most versatile and successful British producers and songwriters of his generation, has died aged 87. His daughter confirmed the death to Billboard and said he had been living with Alzheimer's disease in recent years.

Working with his American songwriting partner Dennis Lambert, the Essex-born Potter built a catalog of 1970s hits that crossed pop, soul, soft rock and country. The list is long and varied.

Glen Campbell took Potter's "Rhinestone Cowboy" to US No 1 in 1975. Player's smooth "Baby Come Back" also reached the top of the US chart. "Ain't No Woman (Like the One I've Got)" became one of the biggest hits for the Four Tops. "It Only Takes a Minute," a disco staple for Tavares, found a second life when Take That recorded it decades later.

Few British writers of his era placed songs with such a spread of American acts, across genres that rarely shared songwriters. Potter did it repeatedly, working from partnership with Lambert rather than as a solo name — a fact that kept his public profile lower than his chart presence warranted.

The songs endure. "Rhinestone Cowboy" remains one of the defining singles of Campbell's career. "It Only Takes a Minute" bookends two eras of British pop, from Tavares' disco-era version to Take That's early-1990s cover. The Four Tops' recording of "Ain't No Woman" stands among the Motown group's signature later hits.

Potter's death closes a chapter on a songwriting partnership that shaped the sound of 1970s radio on both sides of the Atlantic, and his catalog seems certain to keep circulating through covers and reissues for years to come.