Roger Whittaker
| Roger Whittaker | |
|---|---|
Whittaker in 1976
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| Background information | |
| Born |
22 March 1936 Nairobi, British Kenya |
| Genres | Pop, schlager |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, singer-songwriter, teacher |
| Instruments | Guitar, puccalo, vocals |
| Years active | 1962–present |
| Website | www |
Roger Whittaker (born 22 March 1936) is a Kenyan/British singer-songwriter and musician, who was born in Nairobi. His music is an eclectic mix of folk music and popular songs in addition to radio airplay hits. He is best known for his baritone singing voice and trademark whistling ability as well as his guitar skills.
He is widely known for his songs "The Wind Beneath My Wings", "Durham Town (The Leavin')" (1969) and "I Don't Believe in 'If' Anymore" (1970). American audiences are most familiar with his 1970 hit "New World in the Morning" and his 1975 hit "The Last Farewell", the latter of which is his only single to hit the Billboard Hot 100 (it made the Top 20) and also hit No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart. His final top-charting hit was "Albany", which scored No. 1 in West Germany in 1982.
Whittaker's parents, Edward and Vi Whittaker, were from Staffordshire, England, where they owned and operated a grocery shop. His father was injured in a motorcycle accident and the family moved to a farm near Thika, Kenya, because of its warmer climate. His grandfather sang in various clubs and his father played the violin. Roger learned to play the guitar.
Whittaker was called up for national service and spent two years in the Kenya Regiment. In 1956 he was demobilized and decided on a career in medicine. He enrolled at the University of Cape Town in South Africa. However, he left after 18 months and joined the civil service education department as a teacher, following in his mother's footsteps.
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Wikipedia