A Gorleston woman who says she co-wrote a song for an American music star without ever making a penny from it has said her fight for recognition is ‘doing her in’.

Great Yarmouth Mercury: American singer Frankie Laine arriving at Heathrow Airport for his concert tour of Britain.American singer Frankie Laine arriving at Heathrow Airport for his concert tour of Britain. (Image: PA Archive/PA Images)

Pamela Kimberlin, 80, who lives in Gorleston, wrote the lyrics for the song ‘Butterfly’, recorded by the singer, songwriter and actor Frankie Laine and released on his album ‘New Directions’ in 1988.

However, the song is credited as being written by Bernie Lowe and Kal Mann.

Ms Kimberlin, also known under the pen name Pamela Parkins, wrote the song with American songwriter Buz Hart.

Mr Hart, a songwriter living in Texas, said he put music to Ms Kimberlin’s lyrics and helped her write the song.

He said he recorded a demo and sent it to Playback Records, a label based in Nashville, for one of its artists to record but that Frankie Laine heard the song and recorded it.

Mr Hart said he registered the song and copyrighted it with the Library of Congress Copyright Office in the USA.

The song was included on the 1997 re-release of the album by Prestige Records, a UK-based company, but not credited to Ms Parkins or Mr Hart.

Ms Kimberlin said she has been trying to fix the mistake for 15 years.

“Physically this has done me in,” she said.

“My friends have said to me, ‘This will put you in your grave, you’ll have to forget it’.”

But she cannot - and instead wants to see her name linked with the song she helped to write.

“I just want some answers about what happened,” she said.

Ms Kimberlin moved to Gorleston in the 1960s before relocating to Houston, Texas, where she lived until 1997, before returning to Norfolk.

It was while in the USA she began writing songs.

She said: “When I was off work, I was visiting a friend.

“She was in the kitchen cooking supper.

“I sat there, wondering what I can I do besides office work, and I said a prayer, ‘What else can I do?’

“Within 30 minutes after I had said the prayer I said to my friend, ‘Do you have a writing pad?’

“I said, ‘You know what I’m going to do, I’m going to be a songwriter’.

“Within an hour I wrote down my first two country and western songs.

“They just came flying out of my brain.”

Prestige Records has been contacted for comment.

“I wish I could give it up but I guess I’m just stubborn,” Ms Kimberlin said.

“It’s just wrong.”