Mark Lui Chung-tak's thank you retrospective concert

stars get all the glory, but behind every hit song is a great songwriter. And one of the very best is Mark Lui Chung-tak, who has penned a catalogue of chart-toppers since the mid-1990s as well as presided over the success of superstars Leon Lai Ming and Kelly Chen Wai-lam, and newer talents Janice Vidal, Justin Lo Ting-wai and RubberBand.

Lui's contribution to the music industry will be celebrated this month with the three-night Mark Lui Thank You Concert series at the Coliseum, a retrospective of his 20-years in the game.

Since Lui's first works were published in 1992, the composer, arranger and producer has composed more than 600 songs, earning a reputation as the most productive songwriter in the city.

A-list Canto-pop stars such as Lai, Chen, Andy Hui Chi-on, Joey Yung Jo-yee, Aaron Kwok Fu-shing, Eason Chan Yik-shun, Sandy Lam Yik-lin and veteran Deanie Ip Tak-han will be performing Lui's music. "About 70 per cent of the city's top singers will be there - and they are all very good. I hope to make it a showcase of Hong Kong music," says Lui, who has won best composer at Commercial Radio's Ultimate Song Chart Awards for 11 years running.

"I'll make sure that all the songs featured are the audience's favourites. And I'll try to make them even better, not just by simply rearranging them."

Lui launched his music career with the song, Let's Hug (performed by Vivian Chow Wai-man) and two songs (performed by Hacken Lee Hak-kan and Sam Hui Koon-kit) that he co-wrote with friend C.Y. Kong while they were studying in England. "C.Y. returned [to Hong Kong] a year earlier than me. He took my demos with him and played them to people such as Vivian Chow's producer. In the meantime, I worked on a range of film scores with Uncle Jim [lyricist James Wong Jim]. This was how I started," he says.