Westlake was born in Wattsville, Monmouthshire, Wales, the son of a coal miner, and studied at the Trinity College of Music in London.
9 on the UK Singles Chart, in 1964 and 1966 respectively — and "I Close My Eyes and Count to Ten", which reached no.
4 hit in 1964 – and wrote songs recorded by Shirley Bassey, Vera Lynn, Elvis Presley, Petula Clark, Cilla Black, Tom Jones, Roger Whittaker, Crystal Gayle and others.
[4][5] One of his early efforts was a "B" side for Craig Douglas, "New Boy", issued on Top Rank.
His daughter Julia lives in Hamburg and is a well-known TV presenter and radio broadcaster in Germany.