R.I.P. Roger Whittaker

[John]

The death of Roger Whittaker has jus been announced. He passed away in the early hours of 13th September.

My personal connection to him is that he was a teacher at my school in Kenya. Although not my teacher, he was there at the same time. He sang around the local venues as Hank Whittaker., before he found fame as Roger.

I met with him once when he was at the height of his fame and gave him a lot of photos from the schooldays.

He wrote a lot of great songs, including The Last Farewell, which Elvis recorded.

R.I.P. Roger.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKdRpDpIR70

[Yin Yang]

At hospital radio in 1969 one of his songs was our signature tune.

[AndresVanKujik]

I once saw a Roger Whittaker box set and in the booklet he had written his own life story. In it was the quote "at the time I was busy becoming the new Elvis Presley..."

[John]

I once saw a Roger Whittaker box set and in the booklet he had written his own life story. In it was the quote "at the time I was busy becoming the new Elvis Presley..."

That was probably every singer's ambition back in the day.

[HillbillyCat]

He wrote a lot of great songs, including The Last Farewell, which Elvis recorded.

Instead of "The Last Farewell" I might have preferred "New World In The Morning" from the same album, if only so Elvis could have sung the line "Don't they know: tomorrow never comes" as a cool in-joke.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RwZr44Ojh0

Roger was one of my mother's favorite singers. And in fact I still kept one of the albums she bought: a professional recording of a live concert from 1976. Rest in Peace, Mr. Whittaker!