Roger Whittaker
Roger Whittaker | |
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RCA Victor (US releases) | |
Website | rogerwhittaker |
Roger Henry Brough Whittaker (22 March 1936 – 13 September 2023) was a Kenyan-born British singer-songwriter and musician.
The Times observed that "[s]ome pop singers define the zeitgeist and many more follow it. A much rarer number of them defy it and Roger Whittaker counted himself proudly and unapologetically among them".[4] Despite not obtaining sustained chart success, he gained a large international following through TV appearances and live performances, with fan clubs in at least 12 countries (including Australia, Canada, Great Britain, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United States). One admirer was US president George H. W. Bush, at whose home he was invited to perform.[5][6]
Whittaker is best known internationally for his 1971 single "
Early life and education
Whittaker was born in
Upon completing his primary education, Whittaker was admitted to Prince of Wales School (now
Whittaker moved to Britain in September 1959 to continue his teaching career.[15] For the next three years, he studied zoology, biochemistry and marine biology at University College of North Wales and earned a Bachelor of Science degree while singing in local clubs[15] and releasing songs on flexi discs included with the campus newspaper, the Bangor University Rag.[16] Reflecting upon this time in his life, he said later that "I guess I was an entertainer who was a biochemist for a while, rather than the other way around".[8]
Recording and concert career
Whittaker was shortly signed to
In 1966, Whittaker switched from Fontana to
In the early 1970s, Whittaker took interest in the Nordic countries when he recorded the single "Where the Angels Tread" (Änglamarken) to the music of Evert Taube in 1972.
In 1974 he performed at the Finnish
In 1975, EMI released "
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Whittaker had success in Germany, with German-language songs produced by Nick Munro. Unable to speak German, Whittaker sang the songs phonetically. His biggest hits in Germany included "Du Warst Mein Schönster Traum" (a rerecording of "The Last Farewell") and "Abschied ist ein Scharfes Schwert" ("parting is a sharp sword"). He appeared regularly on the TV series ZDF-Hitparade, received numerous awards, and was West Germany's bestselling artist of 1977, when he completed a 41-concert tour of the country.[20] Whittaker's German-language songs were not initially well received by some critics, who derided the songs as "meaningless folk music". Notwithstanding this, Whittaker released 25 albums in Germany and gained a considerable fan base in that country; he felt his most loyal fans were there, saying at one point: "The past few decades have been wonderful … My relationship with the German fans is great."[21]
In March 2006, Whittaker announced on his website that a 2007 Germany tour would be his last, and that he would limit future performances to "occasional concerts". Now more fluent in German, he was seen singing and was interviewed in German on Danish television in November 2008. In a 2014 interview, Whittaker reiterated that he had retired from touring in 2013, but said that he had written 18 new songs for an album and said "I still whistle very well".[13]
Personal life and death
Whittaker married Natalie O'Brien on 15 August 1964.[22] They had two sons and three daughters: Emily, Lauren, Jessica (who became a presenter on VH1), Guy (bassist with the singer Fink), and Alexander,[23] 12 grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. In 1986, he published his autobiography, So Far, So Good, co-written with his wife,[13] who became his manager in 1989.[13]
Whittaker's father never forgave his son for abandoning a medical career, and their differences were never resolved. His parents attended none of their son's concerts and refused to participate in the episode of This Is Your Life when he was the subject.[24] Still living in Nairobi, they were the victims of a robbery on 1 April 1989 in which a small gang of men killed Whittaker’s father and left his mother, who freed herself some hours later, tied up in the bathroom.[25][26] The perpetrators were never caught,[27] and Whittaker's mother returned to England where she died in 1996. Whittaker said of the incident: "It will affect me for the rest of my life, but I believe we should all live without hate if we can".[13]
Whittaker was involved in efforts to save the black rhino, donating recording royalties and money from concert program sales to create sanctuaries for the species in Kenya.[28]
After living in Ireland for some years, he retired with his wife to France in 2012, ending his final tour in 2013.[29] He died in a hospital near Toulouse on 13 September 2023, aged 87.[2][7]
Tours
In 1976, Whittaker undertook his first tour of the United States. In 2003, he again toured Germany. After recovering from heart problems at the end of 2004, he started touring in Germany in 2005, and then in the UK from May to July.[30]
Awards
During his career, Whittaker earned over 250 silver, gold, and platinum awards.[9] With his song "The Mexican Whistler", he was part of a successful British team that won the 1967 Knokke Music Festival in Belgium,[31][32] when he received the Press Prize as the personality of the festival.[citation needed] He was awarded a 'Gold Badge Award', from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors (BASCA) in 1988[33] and earned a Goldene Stimmgabel ("Golden Tuning Fork") in Germany in 1986, based on record sales and TV viewer votes.[34]
Whittaker was the subject of This Is Your Life in 1982 when he was surprised by Eamonn Andrews at RAF Northolt.[35]
Discography
Albums
- New World in the Morning (1971)[36]
- The Magical World of Roger Whittaker (1975)[37]
- The Roger Whittaker Christmas Album (1978)[31]
- Roger Whittaker in Kenya: A Musical Safari (1984)
- Greatest Hits (1994)[31]
In popular culture
An unidentified cassette tape by Whittaker features in the Stephen King novella Secret Window, Secret Garden (1990), which references a line from "The Last Farewell".[38]
References
- ^ a b "Roger Whittaker Discography All Countries – Gallery – 45cat". 45cat.com. Retrieved 30 April 2017.
- ^ a b Smith, Harrison (19 September 2023). "Roger Whittaker, whistling balladeer who found global fame, dies at 87". The Washington Post. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
- ^ Ruhlmann, William. "About Roger Whittaker". CMT. Archived from the original on 15 December 2016. Retrieved 23 December 2013.
- ^ a b "Folk singer Roger Whittaker dies aged 87". The Times. London. 20 September 2023. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
- ISBN 9780446579902.
- ISBN 9781510724648 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ a b c Sweeting, Adam (20 September 2023). "Roger Whittaker obituary". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
- ^ a b c Rea, Steven X. (21 May 1983). "Roger Whittaker: International Singing Sensation". The Chronicle-Telegram. Elyria, OH. p. 5.
- ^ a b Lewis, Isobel (20 September 2023). "Roger Whittaker, 'Durham Town' singer and folk legend, dies aged 87". The Independent. London. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
- ^ Whittaker, Roger (1980). "The Early Years". The Roger Whittaker International Fan Club Magazine. No. 1. London: Tembo. pp. 4–7.
- ^ ISSN 0006-2510.
- ^ Kiereini, Douglas (28 December 2017). "Through thick and thin, the Kenyan spirit remains ever resilient". Business Daily Africa. Nation Media Group. Retrieved 28 December 2017.
- ^ a b c d e Robertson, Peter (3 May 2014). "What happened to Roger Whittaker singer of Durham Town and The Last Farewell". Express.co.uk. Retrieved 7 September 2015.
- ^ Ruhlmann, William (22 March 1936). "Roger Whittaker | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 19 March 2017.
- ^ ISBN 9780195313734– via Internet Archive.
- ^ McFadden, Robert D. (19 September 2023). "Roger Whittaker, Balladeer With an International Reach, Dies at 87". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
- ^ "TV-arkiston viisut 2/2" (in Finnish). Suomen yleisradio. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
- ^ "An episode of Pata Kakkonen in Youtube ("Cooked badger")". YouTube (in Finnish).
- ISBN 0898201004– via Internet Archive.
- ^ Connolly, Kate (19 September 2023). "Tributes paid to Germany's 'favourite Englishman' Roger Whittaker". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
- ^ Glaubitz, Sabine (22 March 2016). "Roger Whittaker: Die letzten Jahrzehnte waren wunderbar". Berliner Morgenpost (in German). Berlin. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
- ^ Whittaker & Whittaker (1986), pp. 100–103.
- ^ "Roger Whittaker: Children disinherited! His 5 children get nothing from his fortune". Law & Lawyers Journal. 24 April 2020. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
- ISSN 0832-1299.
- ^ "Gang murders star singer's father". The Journal. No. 44377. Newcastle upon Tyne. 4 April 1989. p. 3.
- ^ Bond, Catherine (4 April 1989). "Singer's father dies in robbery". The Daily Telegraph. No. 41609. London. p. 3.
- ^ "What happened to Roger Whittaker's parents? Murder of dad and torture of mom explained". ghanafuo.com. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
- ^ Morris, Betty & Hickman, Breuse (9 March 1990). "Roger Whittaker's 'Farewell' tour stops at King center". TGIF. Florida Today. p. 9.
- ^ "The Official Roger Whittaker Website". Rogerwhittaker.com. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
- ^ "Roger Whittaker-When I Fall in Love – Vocal – HD-Mastering CD – ABC(Int'l)Records". Abcrecord.com. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
- ^ ISBN 1578590485– via Internet Archive.
- ISBN 0233997482– via Internet Archive.
- ^ "Gold Badge Awards 1988: Recipients". The Ivors Academy. London. 7 October 1988. Archived from the original on 27 June 2022. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
- ^ Haefs, Hanswilhelm, ed. (1987). Der Fischer Weltalmanach 1988 [The Fischer World Almanac 1988] (in German). Frankfurt: Fischer Taschenbuch Verlag. p. 977 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ Whittaker & Whittaker (1986), pp. 248–267.
- ^ McAleer, Dave (2005). Roberts, David (ed.). British Hit Singles and Albums (18th ed.). London: Guinness World Records. p. 546 – via Internet Archive.
- ISBN 0851127274– via Internet Archive.
- ISBN 0670835382.
Sources
- Whittaker, Roger & Whittaker, Natalie (1986). So Far, So Good: The Autobiography of a Wandering Minstrel. New York: Tembo Publications. ISBN 0938177001– via Internet Archive.
External links
- Official website
- Roger Whittaker at IMDb
- Roger Whittaker discography at Discogs