I have always had a soft spot for Roger Whittaker, who left us last week at the tender age of 87. He was one of my Dad's favourite singers so we heard him a lot growing up, and Dad used to sing a few of Roger's songs on the rare occasions he could be persuaded to dig out his guitar.
It was pretty inevitable that Roger would feature at my Dad's funeral, the only unexpected element being that it wasn't "The Last Farewell". Instead we went for "You Are My Miracle", which he used to sing to my Mum much to her public embarrassment (but private delight).
While a lot of Roger's stuff was pretty bland he had many fine songs over the years. And as for the whistling - incredible. RIP Mr Whittaker.
"Steel Men" - Roger Whittaker
"The Book" - Roger Whittaker
"Swaggy (Australian Whistler)" - Roger Whittaker
I know someone in Portugal who is a big fan of Roger's whistling
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DeleteJo and I have been talking about Roger Whittaker. We thought he'd been dead for years, and we were also surprised he was only 87 as he seemed to be an old man in the 1970s. There's an interesting piece in The Guardian today about his fame in Germany. His fame does not seem to have spread over here, no mention in today's Correio da Manhã
ReplyDeleteThis week, I have very much enjoyed watching clips of Roger performing on Top of the Pops. It's great to watch the looks on the faces of the teenage dancers in the audience...
ReplyDeleteMy attempts to whistle (then and now) only served to highlight how the level and rarity of Roger's talent in that regard. No Whitaker wax in the Elder K household growing up but he was a ubiquitous presence on TV. Thanks for posting, Ernie.
ReplyDeleteLike George above I thought RW was long gone. I heard his obituary on Radio 4's Last Word and didn't realise that he wrote "The last farewell" a hit for Elvis ! And that Durham Town is apparently on the banks of the Tyne. Like you it brings back memories of parents and there musical tastes.
ReplyDeleteWhat it lacks in geographical accuracy it makes up for in sentiment.Although "Wear" isn't the hardest word to find a rhyme for you would think
DeleteAh yes, nice tribute to your dad there.
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