Onchan resident Mitch Murray has been awarded a CBE.

Mr Murray rose to fame as a songwriter, record producer and author and has been awarded his CBE for services to music.

In his career, Mr Murray wrote five UK and three US chart-topping records, including How Do You Do It? which launched Gerry and the Pacemakers to number one in April 1963, where it stayed for three weeks.

Mr Murray later wrote I Like It for the band, which stayed at number one for four weeks.

He also wrote hits for Tony Christie, Freddie and the Dreamers, The Dave Clark Five and Paper Lace.

Mr Murray told the Examiner he doesn’t have a stand out song, saying: ’They’re all like my babies, I can’t have a favourite.’

He only found out about the CBE three weeks ago as he had been out of the country and the letter had remained unopened at home, meaning the Cabinet Office in the UK had to find him and check he would accept an award.

Coming from an age where popular musicians weren’t recognised by the awards system, he joked that classic musical musicians were ’given awards instead of money’.

Mr Murray added: ’The Beatles were the first ones to get MBEs, and a lot of military veterans sent theirs back in protest, but that was the beginning of popular music being recognised.

’Guys who went into the industry after I did have been given OBEs and other recognitions so my CBE came as a bit of a surprise.’

Mr Murray’s father was awarded an MBE for his service during the war which he said gives it a family feel, but he was quick to jokingly add: ’I do now outrank him.’