roger whittaker biography

Folk singer Roger Whittaker, best known for hits 'Durham Town' and 'The Last Farewell,' dies at 87

Folk singer Roger Whittaker , known for hits "Durham Town" and "The Last Farewell ," has died. He was 87.

"It is with great sadness we share the news of Roger's passing at age 87. His life, artistry and legacy has meant so much to so many all over the world," reads a statement that his friend, Jesse Waggoner, posted on Whittaker's Facebook page on Monday. "We are thankful that the gift of his music remains with us."

USA TODAY has reached out to a representative for Whittaker for more information.

A photo on the singer's website pays tribute to Whittaker, who was born in Nairobi, Kenya, to parents who hailed from Staffordshire, England, in 1936. The multi-lingual musician was known for his whistling and cultivated a passionate fanbase in Germany over the course of his career after performing there in 1976, according to his website. He sang German, learning the language phonetically.

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Roger Whittaker initially 'didn't have any faith' in his most popular song, 'Durham Town'

After serving in the Kenya Regiment, Whittaker went into teaching in the '50s and sang in local clubs during that time. By the time he moved to the U.K. to study zoology, biochemistry and marine biology at the University of Bangor in Wales, he started writing his own songs.

"Faced with the dilemma of which career to choose, Roger sought the advice from his professor," reads Whittaker's bio on his website. "'Take your chance,' he was advised. 'Have a try in show business and if you haven't made it in ten years, come back here and teach. I shall always have a place at the university for you.'"

In the fall of 1969, Whittaker's record company released his song "The Leavin' (Durham Town)," and it soon climbed the music charts. "I just didn't have any faith in that song at all," Whittaker recalled. "Far from promoting the single in Britain, I went off to Finland for a cabaret season and television appearances."

By the time he returned in November, "Durham Town" was rapidly climbing the British charts.

In 1971, Whittaker recorded one of his more popular songs, "The Last Farewell." The song, written by a silversmith from Birmingham, England, "broke down the barriers to success in America for Whittaker and opened up a vast new country for his music to explore," per his website.

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Roger Whittaker, Balladeer With an International Reach, Dies at 87

A Briton with a rich baritone, he charmed audiences, mostly in Europe and America, with sentimental songs, like his signature hit, “The Last Farewell.”

By Robert D. McFadden

Roger Whittaker, a British singer whose easy-listening ballads and folk songs caught the sentiments of perfect summer days and last farewells, touching the hearts of mainly older fans across Europe and America for four decades, died on Sep. 12 in a hospital near Toulouse, in the south of France. He was 87.

His longtime publicist Howard Elson said the cause was “complications following a long illness.” Mr. Whittaker had retired to the region.

Born to British parents in Nairobi, Kenya, Mr. Whittaker grew up there with the infectious rhythms of East African music in his bloodstream. His grandfather had been a club singer in England, and his father, a Staffordshire grocer who played the violin, had been disabled in a motorcycle crash and moved his family to Kenya for the warm climate.

Roger learned to play the guitar at 7 and developed a rich baritone in school choirs, where he sometimes sang in Swahili. At 18, he was drafted into the British colonial Kenya Regiment, and for two years he fought Mau Mau rebels in the struggle that led to Kenyan independence. He then studied medicine in South Africa and science in Wales, intending to become a teacher.

But music intervened. He had played club dates to pay for college, and he also recorded songs on flexible discs distributed with the campus newspaper, The Bangor University Rag. A record company liked them and in 1962 released his first professional singles, including “ Steel Men,” his cover of a Jimmy Dean hit about bridge builders.

“Steel Men” leaped onto the British charts, the opening wedge in a career of international tours and record albums that celebrated ethnic and working-class pride, the passing seasons and family gatherings at Christmas. Over the years Mr. Whittaker recorded for various labels, including EMI, RCA Victor and his own Tembo (Swahili for elephant) Records.

Tours took him repeatedly to Ireland, Germany, Scandinavia, Belgium, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States, a concert grind that often exceeded 100 gigs a year and outlasted the millennium. He learned to fly small planes and sometimes used them on his tours.

He wrote much of the music he performed, made a documentary film about Kenya, wrote an autobiography, appeared frequently on television and radio and sold a reported 60 million albums worldwide. One of them, “‘The Last Farewell’ and Other Hits,” recorded in 1971 and forgotten, became a sensation later, reaching No. 1 on the pop charts in 11 countries and eventually selling 11 million copies.

“‘The Last Farewell’ is an ersatz show tune about a British man-of-war, love, heartache and heroism,” Henry Edwards wrote in The New York Times in 1975 . “Released four years ago, the tune was discovered by an Atlanta disc jockey while idly going through a pile of discarded LPs. He liked the song, played it on the air, and soon Atlanta was liking it too. That affection soon spread to Nashville, then to the entire country-music market, then to the pop audience at large.” It became Mr. Whittaker’s signature song.

In 1980, Mr. Whittaker invited children to submit lyrics and poems about peace for a songwriting contest. It drew a million entries from 57 countries. He wrote and recorded music for the winning entry, written by Odina Batnag, 13, of Manila. She was flown to New York and introduced, with her song, “I Am But a Small Voice,” at Radio City Music Hall. Proceeds went to a UNESCO program for disabled children.

By the 1980s Mr. Whittaker was performing in 50 to 70 American cities regularly. Boston was a stronghold.

In addition to singing, he whistled, yodeled and had audiences sing along. Critics called it schmaltzy, but crowds loved it and joined in, especially on hits like “Durham Town (The Leavin’)” (1969) and covers of Little Richard’s “Long Tall Sally” and Jethro Tull’s “Too Old to Rock ’n’ Roll, Too Young to Die.”

“Whittaker’s audience is mostly white and middle-class, probably daytime TV watchers who enjoy the kind of plain, folksy charm he projects,” Thomas Sabulis wrote in The Boston Globe. “He’s no great singer or songwriter; he doesn’t have Neil Diamond’s talent, Tom Jones’s sex appeal or Barry Manilow’s knack for milking the obvious. What he does have is a steady, unspectacular baritone and an avuncular, almost evangelical tone as comforting as it is mediocre.”

Tragedy struck in 1989. Mr. Whittaker’s parents, still living in Kenya, were victims of a brutal home invasion by four robbers. His mother was tortured for eight hours and his father murdered. The killers were never caught. His mother moved back to England.

“It will affect me for the rest of my life,” Mr. Whittaker told reporters, “but I believe we should all live without hate if we can.”

After a period of mourning, Mr. Whittaker resumed recording and touring. In 1995, he sang at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville at a 50th-anniversary party for former President George Bush and his wife, Barbara, who were fans. In 1997, despite a surgical knee replacement, he kept some 100 concert dates in Europe and America.

He stopped touring in 2013, at 77, and retired to the south of France after years living in England and Ireland.

Roger Henry Brough Whittaker was born in Nairobi on March 22, 1936, to Edward and Viola (Showan) Whittaker, who, after his motorcycle accident in 1930, had settled on a farm in Thika, outside Nairobi. His father recovered and became a successful builder and businessman in Kenya. His mother managed theaters.

After graduating from the Prince of Wales School in Nairobi in 1954 and finishing military service in 1956, Roger began premedical studies at the University of Cape Town, but he dropped out after 18 months. He became an apprentice teacher but, needing more education, enrolled in 1959 at University College of North Wales (now Bangor University), and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in 1962.

Still uncertain about his future, he consulted a faculty adviser, who, he later recalled, told him, “Have a try in show business and if you haven’t made it in 10 years, come back here and teach.” Mr. Whittaker soon landed a singing job at a resort in Northern Ireland and began his career.

In 1964, he married Natalie O’Brien, who became his manager and co-author of his 1986 memoir, “So Far, So Good.” She survives him, as do their five children, Emily Kennedy and Lauren, Jessica, Guy and Alexander Whittaker; 12 grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and an elder sister.

A documentary film, “Roger Whittaker in Kenya: A Musical Safari,” which related a history of Kenya and revisited settings of the singer’s early life there, was released in 1982.

Mr. Whittaker found his greatest European success in Germany. While he admitted he could not speak German at first, he sang and recorded in German “phonetically,” as he put it, until he became more fluent. He matured into one of Germany’s favorite singers, selling 10 million albums there.

He also had a devoted following in the United States, where he was best known for “I Don’t Believe in ‘If’ Anymore” (1970); his version of “Wind Beneath My Wings” (1982); and “New World in the Morning” (1971), the title track of an album that also included “The Last Farewell” and “A Special Kind of Man.”

“Women do not throw underclothes or room keys onstage at his concerts,” Diane White said in a sweet-and-sour appreciation in The Boston Globe. “No one gets high. No one gets hysterical with excitement. And yet Roger Whittaker is one of the most popular entertainers in the world.”

Alex Marshall contributed reporting.

Robert D. McFadden is a senior writer on the Obituaries desk and the winner of the 1996 Pulitzer Prize for spot news reporting. He joined The Times in May 1961 and is also the co-author of two books. More about Robert D. McFadden

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Roger Whittaker, folk singer famous for Durham Town, dies aged 87

British singer, who retired in 2012, sold nearly 50m records worldwide after breakthrough in 1962

The folk singer-songwriter Roger Whittaker has died at the age of 87.

His greatest hits include Durham Town, The Last Farewell, New World in the Morning and his 1982 version of Wind Beneath My Wings. Worldwide, he sold nearly 50m records since the summer of 1962 when, aged 26, he began writing songs and singing in Welsh folk clubs while studying zoology, biochemistry and marine biology at the University of Bangor.

Whittaker had his first big breakthrough when he was asked to appear on an Ulster television show in Northern Ireland called This and That.

An extremely proficient whistler, his extraordinary composition Mexican Whistler later reached No 1 in three different European countries.

But it wasn’t until he released Durham Town (The Leavin’) that he got a Top 20 hit in the UK. The song’s success took him by surprise, according to comments published on his website . “I just didn’t have any faith in that song at all,” he is reported to have said. “Far from promoting the single in Britain, I went off to Finland for a cabaret season and television appearances.”

By the time he returned in November, Durham Town was rapidly ascending the British charts.

Whittaker was born in Nairobi to English parents in 1936, and the music of east Africa left a mark on his childhood. “In over 30 years of singing and playing musical sounds, the wonderful drumming, and those marvellous, infectious rhythms, have played a great part in everything I have ever written and sung,” he said.

Whittaker retired in 2012 and is survived by his wife, Natalie, whom he married nearly 60 years ago after three months’ courtship, and their five children: Emily, Lauren, Jessica, Guy, and Alexander.

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Roger Whittaker, whistling balladeer who found global fame, dies at 87

The british singer-songwriter was known for his wistful blend of folk and pop, including on the songs ‘durham town’ and ‘the last farewell’.

Roger Whittaker, an avuncular singer-songwriter whose soothing baritone, virtuosic whistling and gentle interpretations of pop standards earned him an international following for more than four decades, died Sept. 12 at a hospital near Toulouse, France. He was 87.

His longtime publicist, Howard Elson, confirmed the death but did not provide a cause.

Mr. Whittaker, who was born to British parents in colonial Kenya, sold an estimated 50 million albums worldwide, becoming a staple of easy-listening charts while cultivating a sunny and often sentimental folk-pop sound. Although he was considered a one-hit wonder in the United States, where his song “The Last Farewell” peaked at No. 19 in 1975, he had a devoted fan base across Europe and especially in Germany, where he toured regularly and released songs in German — recorded phonetically, he said, because he couldn’t speak the language.

A self-described “wandering minstrel” with a well-trimmed beard and wire-rimmed glasses, Mr. Whittaker performed country standards, calypso songs, Scottish ballads, South African dance music and Broadway show tunes, along with compositions that showcased his birdlike whistling and alpine yodeling. Critics praised his showmanship even as they often scoffed at his music, calling it bland and melodramatic.

Reviewing a 1981 concert at Constitution Hall, The Washington Post’s Harry Sumrall wrote that Mr. Whittaker’s brand of pop “bordered on the banal” at times, “one step above Muzak and one below a Mitch Miller singalong.” He went on to call Mr. Whittaker “an entertainer of the first order,” praising his “remarkably clean and refined vocal style” and “uncanny skill” as a whistler.

“At times, he may have seemed behind the times,” Sumrall added, “but at others, he was timeless.”

Mr. Whittaker first drew attention in Britain with the release of his 1969 single “Durham Town (The Leavin’),” which opened with a wistful flute solo, closed with a string of valedictory “la la las” and featured some questionable geography, referencing “the banks of the River Tyne” even though Durham is located on the Wear. To Mr. Whittaker, it initially seemed to have all the makings of a dud.

“I just didn’t have any faith in that song at all,” he recalled on his website . “Far from promoting the single in Britain, I went off to Finland for a cabaret season and television appearances.”

Yet the track became his first Top 20 hit in Britain, peaking at No. 12, above songs by Tom Jones, the Beatles and Fleetwood Mac. Mr. Whittaker went on to find additional success with hits including “New World in the Morning,” the antiwar anthem “I Don’t Believe in If Anymore” and a duet version of “The Skye Boat Song,” with comedian Des O’Connor.

He also scored a belated U.S. hit with “The Last Farewell,” which climbed the Billboard Hot 100 four years after its release in 1971, following its rediscovery by an Atlanta radio programmer. (According to Mr. Whittaker, the programmer’s wife heard the track while on vacation in Canada and persuaded her husband to put it on the air.) Its lyrics, about a sailor bidding goodbye to his lover before boarding a man-of-war bound for England, were written not by Mr. Whittaker but by a British silversmith who responded to a radio contest in which Mr. Whittaker invited listeners to send in verses, with the best put to music.

The song was covered by Elvis Presley, much to the delight of Mr. Whittaker, who often performed a version of “Hound Dog.” Interviewed by Britain’s Express newspaper in 2014 , he recalled how Presley’s “drummer told me that, when they were preparing to record anything, Elvis would play my version of ‘The Last Farewell’ about 20 times over to people in the studio, and he’d say, ‘And that’s how we should make records.’ ”

The younger of two children, Roger Henry Brough Whittaker was born in Nairobi on March 22, 1936. His father, a grocer, moved to Kenya from Staffordshire, England, after he was injured in a motorcycle crash and sought a warmer climate for his recovery. His mother was a schoolteacher.

In 1989, a gang of burglars broke into his parents’ home in Nairobi, torturing his mother and killing his 84-year-old father. “It will affect me for the rest of my life,” Mr. Whittaker later said, “but I believe we should all live without hate if we can.”

Growing up, Mr. Whittaker played the guitar and sang in the choir at the Prince of Wales School, now known as the Nairobi School. In his telling, he “was stupid, selfish and angry” before he joined the army for his mandatory national service, spending two years with the Kenya Regiment during its fight against East African rebels known as the Mau Mau.

The experience also pushed him toward music.

“Stuck in the bush camps for months on end meant we had to make our own entertainment,” he said. “Before I knew it, I was standing on a makeshift stage, guitar in hand, having enormous fun developing into a second Elvis.”

Mr. Whittaker later spent 18 months at the University of Cape Town in South Africa, studying for a medical career before dropping out to become a teacher. To burnish his teaching qualifications, he enrolled at University College of North Wales (now Bangor University) in 1959, taking classes in zoology, biochemistry and marine biology.

A tune he wrote for a student concert made its way to a British music publisher, leading to the release of his first single, “The Charge of the Light Brigade,” in 1962. The song flopped — Mr. Whittaker later lamented that he had “tried to sing like Mario Lanza,” the operatic tenor — but later that year he released a version of Jimmy Dean’s “Steel Men,” which rose up the charts just as he earned his degree.

Its success led him to trade teaching for music, kicking off a years-long period in which he apprenticed at pubs in northeastern England, trying to entertain miners as they knocked back pints after work. By 1967, his fortunes were beginning to change, as he helped England win the Knokke song contest in Belgium with his performances of “Mexican Whistler,” which featured his signature warble, and “If I Were a Rich Man,” from the musical “Fiddler on the Roof.”

After the success of “The Last Farewell,” Mr. Whittaker participated in another songwriting contest that resulted in the 1980 track “I Am But a Small Voice,” with lyrics by a 13-year-old girl from the Philippines. Proceeds from the song financed a UNESCO education program for children with disabilities.

Two years later, he became the first singer to release a version of the ballad “Wind Beneath My Wings,” by songwriters Jeff Silbar and Larry Henley . He was followed by singers including Sheena Easton, Lee Greenwood, Gladys Knight and Bette Midler, whose 1988 recording, for the soundtrack of the film “Beaches,” went to No. 1 and won two Grammy Awards.

Survivors include his wife of 59 years, the former Natalie O’Brien, who worked as his manager; five children, Emily Kennedy and Lauren, Jessica, Guy and Alexander Whittaker; a sister; 12 grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

Mr. Whittaker seldom returned to East Africa in adulthood, aside from a pilgrimage in the early 1980s to film a television special, “Roger Whittaker in Kenya.” He lived in England and Ireland, where he restored a 10,000-square-foot mansion and overhauled a 17th-century convent, before moving to France in 2012 and announcing his retirement.

There was no returning to the stage, although at age 78 he told the Express that he had “written 18 new songs for an album — and I still whistle very well.”

Folk singer Roger Whittaker, famous for Durham Town, dies aged 87

British singer-songwriter who sold nearly 50m records worldwide made breakthrough on ulster tv show.

Musician Roger Whittaker pictured performing in 1975. Photograph: Don Smith/Radio Times/Getty Images

The folk singer-songwriter Roger Whittaker has died at the age of 87.

His greatest hits include Durham Town, The Last Farewell, New World in the Morning and his 1982 version of Wind Beneath My Wings. Worldwide, he sold nearly 50 million records since the summer of 1962 when, aged 26, he began writing songs and singing in Welsh folk clubs while studying zoology, biochemistry and marine biology at the University of Bangor.

Whittaker had his first big breakthrough when he was asked to appear on an Ulster television show in Northern Ireland called This and That.

An extremely proficient whistler, his extraordinary composition Mexican Whistler later reached No 1 in three different European countries.

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But it wasn’t until he released Durham Town (The Leavin’) that he got a Top 20 hit in the UK. The song’s success took him by surprise, according to comments published on his website. “I just didn’t have any faith in that song at all,” he is reported to have said. “Far from promoting the single in Britain, I went off to Finland for a cabaret season and television appearances.”

By the time he returned in November, Durham Town was rapidly ascending the British charts.

Whittaker was born in Nairobi to English parents in 1936, and the music of east Africa left a mark on his childhood. “In over 30 years of singing and playing musical sounds, the wonderful drumming, and those marvellous, infectious rhythms, have played a great part in everything I have ever written and sung,” he said.

Whittaker retired in 2012 and is survived by his wife, Natalie, whom he married nearly 60 years ago after three months’ courtship, and their five children: Emily, Lauren, Jessica, Guy, and Alexander. – Guardian

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Roger Whittaker, singer of ‘Durham Town’ and ‘The Last Farewell,’ dies at 87

The multilingual musician was known for his whistling and cultivated a passionate fan base in germany over the course of his career after performing there in 1976..

Roger Whittaker performs during rehearsals for the “ZDF Hitparty” in 2007 in Cologne, Germany. The British singer-songwriter has died at 87.

Getty Images, File

Folk singer Roger Whittaker, known for hits “Durham Town” and “The Last Farewell,” has died. He was 87.

“It is with great sadness we share the news of Roger’s passing at age 87. His life, artistry and legacy has meant so much to so many all over the world,” reads a statement that his friend, Jesse Waggoner, posted on Whittaker’s Facebook page Monday. “We are thankful that the gift of his music remains with us.”

USA TODAY has reached out to a representative for Whittaker for more information.

A photo on the singer’s website pays tribute to him. He was born in Nairobi, Kenya, to parents who hailed from Staffordshire, England, in 1936. The multilingual musician was known for his whistling and cultivated a passionate fan base in Germany over the course of his career after performing there in 1976, according to his website. He sang German, learning the language phonetically.

Whittaker initially ‘didn’t have any faith’ in his most popular song

After serving in the Kenya Regiment, Whittaker went into teaching in the ‘50s and sang in local clubs during that time. By the time he moved to the U.K. to study zoology, biochemistry and marine biology at the University of Bangor in Wales, he started writing his own songs.

“Faced with the dilemma of which career to choose, Roger sought the advice of his professor,” reads Whittaker’s bio on his website. “‘Take your chance,’ he was advised. ‘Have a try in show business, and if you haven’t made it in 10 years, come back here and teach. I shall always have a place at the university for you.’”

In the fall of 1969, Whittaker’s record company released his song “The Leavin’ (Durham Town),” and it soon climbed the music charts.

“I just didn’t have any faith in that song at all,” Whittaker recalled. “Far from promoting the single in Britain, I went off to Finland for a cabaret season and television appearances.”

By the time he returned in November, “Durham Town” was rapidly climbing the British charts.

In 1971, Whittaker recorded one of his more popular songs, “The Last Farewell.” The song, written by a silversmith from Birmingham, England, “broke down the barriers to success in America for Whittaker and opened up a vast new country for his music to explore,” his website states.

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His signature hits included ‘The Last Farewell,’ ‘Durham Town (The Leavin’),’ and ‘I Don’t Believe In If Anymore.’

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Roger Whittaker, the velvet-voiced easy listening singer who built up a huge worldwide audience over a career of some 50 years, died on September 13 at the age of 87. His signature hits included “The Last Farewell,” which topped the US Adult Contemporary chart in 1975, “Durham Town (The Leavin’),” and “I Don’t Believe In If Anymore.” Whittaker’s global record sales are estimated at 50 million.

Among those paying tribute were Whittaker’s 1970s chart contemporary Ray Dorset of Mungo Jerry, who wrote: “Goodbye Roger, you were such a lovely man in every way, a perfect gentleman. I will always remember the wonderful conversations that we had backstage at the shows that we appeared on.” A more unexpected testimonial came from Canadian singer-songwriter Ron Sexsmith, who posted: “My Grandma had a few of his records and I always liked to hear ‘Durham Town’ and ‘Mammy Blue.’”

Whittaker was born in Nairobi in then British Kenya to English parents on March 22, 1936. As a young man, he was a teacher, moving to the UK in 1959 and studying at the University College of North Wales. His first record deal was with Fontana, who released his debut single in 1962, billed as “Rog Whittaker.” He used his full name after his signing to EMI’s Columbia label in 1966, making his chart breakthrough in 1969 with the UK Top 20 hit “Durham Town (The Leavin’).”

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Signed in the US to RCA Victor, he established a loyal following with his soft vocals, trademark whistling, and a succession of AC hits there and across Europe and Australia. “I Don’t Believe In If Anymore” became a UK Top 10 hit in 1970 and he had further success such as “New World In The Morning” and “Mammy Blue,” later charting with a series of albums.

Perhaps his best-known hit was “The Last Farewell,” which came from a 1971 LP but was released as a single in 1975, reaching No.2 in the UK, No.1 AC in the US and giving him his one Hot 100 hit there at No.15. The song, which Whittaker co-wrote with Ron Webster, became a much-covered easy listening staple; a version by Elvis Presley became a minor, posthumous UK chart entry in 1984. 

Whittaker had an especially large following in Germany, touring there frequently and recording countless albums in German. He retired from live performances in 2013.

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Roger Whittaker

• Born March 22 , 1936 · Nairobi, Kenya Colony, British East Africa [now Nairobi, Kenya]
• Died September 13 , 2023 · Montaigu-de-Quercy, Tarn-et-Garonne, France (stroke)
• Birth name Roger Henry Brough Whittaker
• Roger Whittaker came to renown as a guitarist, singer and songwriter, as well as possibly the best whistler in the business. His music, a mix of folk and pop songs, has sometimes been described as 'middle of the road'. Whittaker was at his peak in the late 1960s and 70s, his record sales eventually totaling nearly 50 million worldwide. Born to British parents Edward (a grocer) and Vi Whittaker (a teacher) in Nairobi, Roger went to school in Kenya and later underwent two years of national service, seeing action during the infamous Mau Mau uprising. After being demobbed in 1956, he studied medicine in Cape Town for 18 months and briefly worked as a teacher, while sidelining as a singer in local clubs. In 1959, he moved to Britain to study zoology and marine biology at the University of Bangor in Wales, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree. In between studies, he wrote several songs, one of which he sent as a demo track to a music producer. This led to recording of his first single 'The Charge of the Light Brigade'. He then had a minor hit with 'Steel Man', the first to feature on British charts. Whittaker represented Britain as the winning contestant at the 1967 Knokke music festival in Belgium. His own composition of 'Mexican Whistler' and his interpretation of 'If I Were a Rich Man' went to Nr. 3 on European charts. Two years later, Whittaker had his biggest hits yet with his whistled version of 'The Skye Boat Song' (released again in 1986 as a duet with TV entertainer Des O'Connor and becoming a UK top ten) and 'Durham Town' (aka 'The Leavin'). His most popular number in the U.S. was 'The Last Farewell', recorded in 1971. It went on to sell 11 million copies worldwide. Another hit that year was 'New World in the Morning'. For 25 years, Whittaker went on sellout tours of Europe and North America. He had a particularly strong following in Germany -- a country he toured on several occasions - mainly due to his singing in German (though recording phonetically, as he did not speak the language). He also maintained ties to Africa, promoting wildlife conservation during a 1987 tour with his rendition of 'Save the Rhino'. In 1989, Whittaker was awarded the prestigious Gold Badge of Merit from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors. He retired from performing in 2012, settling in France with his wife of 59 years, Natalie O'Brien. He died there on September 13 2023, aged 87. - IMDb Mini Biography By: I.S.Mowis
• Spouse Natalie O'Brien (August 15, 1964 - September 13, 2023) (his death, 5 children)
• Children Jess Whittaker
• His songs are often narrative and tell stories
• His rich baritone voice
• After doing national service in Kenya, he went to medical school at the University of Cape Town, while singing in local clubs. He left med school after 18 months and decided to go into teaching, attending the University of Bangor in Wales. He composed some songs and sent a demo track to a music publisher. Soon he was recording his first single, The Charge of the Light Brigade.
• From the 1970s onwards he had his greatest successes and fan base in Germany, singing in German.
• 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 was a British singer-songwriter and musician.

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Roger Whittaker

British singer and songwriter whose smooth baritone and friendly pop fare brought him global success in the 1970s and beyond.

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Who was Roger Whittaker married to? All about his wife and children as Durham Town folk singer dies aged 87

R oger Whittaker, the British singer and musician, passed away at the age of 87 on September 13, 2023. His music was a mixture of folk and pop influences along with airplay hits, as per USA Today.

The Albany singer was married to Natalie O'Brien for 59 years until the time of his death. The couple got married on August 15, 1964, and have five children together.

According to BBC, Whittaker was a celebrated singer who sold nearly 50 million records since his debut in 1962, two years before meeting his wife. The pair had retired to the South of France in 2013 after Roger Whittaker stopped touring.

Details about Roger Whittaker's wife, Natalie O'Brien

Roger Whittaker was known for his top hits Durham Town, The Last Farewell, and New World in the Morning. After his debut in 1962, he met his life partner Natalie O'Brien in the spring of 1964. As per The Sun, she was working as a secretary to a music producer at the time.

The couple tied the knot after only three months of knowing each other on August 15, 1964. Natalie and Roger have five children together. In the early years of marriage, the pair were unable to conceive. Thus, they decided to adopt two girls, Emily and Lauren.

Roger Whittaker and his wife Natalie later welcomed Jessica, Guy, and Alexander, their biological children. The youngest daughter of the household, Jessica Whittaker, also grew up to become a musical artist following her father's footsteps. She performed duets with Roger with his songs A Perfect Day and Do You Still Believe In Miracles . The couple has 12 grandchildren.

Natalie worked alongside Roger as his manager from 1989 until they retired to the South of France. Her father, Edward Donough "Toby" O'Brien, was a British journalist and propaganda expert involved in espionage.

He led the campaign for the British's efforts to counter Nazi Germany's propaganda during World War II , as per The Independent.

The Life of Roger Whittaker

Roger Whittaker was born on March 22, 1936, in Nairobi, Kenya. He spent his childhood in Africa before moving to the United Kingdom. His parents, Viola and Edward Whittaker, were originally from Staffordshire, England. They moved to Africa after Roger's father met with a motorbike accident.

The My Land Is Kenya singer studied at a high school named Prince of Wales in Kenya. Roger was drafted into the national service only three weeks after his graduation.

The British singer then went to study medicine at the University of Cape Town but dropped out after 18 months. Whittaker began his musical journey by writing songs and singing in Welsh folk clubs at the University of Bangor. As per The Guardian, he was studying zoology, biochemistry, and marine biology at the time.

The Charge Of The Light Brigade became his first single, a song he composed for the university Rag Week show. According to The Sun, Whittaker's second single called Steel Men , made it to the charts while he was still a university student.

Edward Whittaker caught his first break when he was invited to appear on an Ulster television show called This and That in Northern London. The British singer is famous for his proficiency in whistling, and his song Mexican Whistler charted at number one in three European countries.

Whittaker went on to sing for over 40 years and made songs in many different languages, including German and French, as per BBC. He was beloved across the globe, especially in Africa and Germany.

Roger Whittaker's family has not yet disclosed a cause of death or details about the funeral.

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