2023-09-18 22:49:17
As a Brit, he made German hits his specialty, even though he didn’t speak any German. Roger Whittaker enjoyed great success with his music not only in Germany.
London.
“Farewell is a sharp sword that often cuts deep into your heart,” says one of Roger Whittaker’s greatest hits. “Sometime even the best time will come to an end.” The British singer and songwriter, who had his most loyal fans in Germany, withdrew from the public years ago.
He has now died at the age of 87. Whittaker’s record company Sony Music announced this to the German Press Agency on Monday. The “Bild” newspaper had previously reported on it.
The man with the gentle baritone voice released more than 25 albums in Germany. His specialty: catchy ballads and feel-good hits. Whittaker’s greatest successes include “Albany” (1981) and “The Last Farewell” (1971), which only became an international hit after a few years’ delay. Later, many other artists, including Elvis Presley, recorded Whittaker’s song.
Many songs in German
Due to his popularity in Germany, the Brit recorded many songs in German. Because he didn’t really speak German, he resorted to phonetic transcription. However, the umlauts bothered him. “The worst German word is tenderness,” he joked in a 2012 “BamS” interview. “So purely phonetically, of course.” For his life’s work, the British gentleman of the German hit was honored with the “Platinum Tuning Fork” and the “Crown of Folk Music”.
Anyone who grew up in the 1970s and 80s heard Roger Whittaker’s music – some called it tearjerkers – perhaps involuntarily from their parents or grandparents. He was often a guest on the ZDF hit parade and other TV entertainment shows. At the beginning of the 80s he focused his style on German hits. In 1986 he sang: “I need a little aroma, a little Paloma, a little chichi today, Chérie!” In retrospect, the song developed a certain cult status as a party hit.
Roger Whittaker was born in Nairobi in 1936 to English immigrants when Kenya was a British colony. After military service, dropping out of medical school and a job as a teacher, he moved to Europe, where he studied in Wales. He financed this with appearances as a singer in clubs and pubs. Finally, the trained zoologist, marine biologist and biochemist decided to make music his career.
Roger Whittaker only found his style after a few years. The first single “The Charge Of The Light Brigade” from 1962 was still a pompous country number. The entirely whistled instrumental “Mexican Whistler” became his first hit in the UK in 1967. Two years later he achieved his breakthrough with the ballad “Durham Town”. Songs like “The Last Farewell” or “Indian Lady” soon made Roger Whittaker popular in other countries. His most famous fan was former US President George HW Bush, who invited him to his place and sang Whittaker at his golden wedding anniversary.
Like the friendly gentleman next door
Whittaker never seemed like a pop star. With his Henriquatre beard, jacket, glasses and his hair, which has turned gray since the 80s, he looked like the friendly gentleman next door. This likeable and authentic image matched his music. By the way, the beard served a practical purpose. “Early in my career I saw myself on TV and thought: This face won’t work,” Whittaker told the Daily Express in 2014. “So I grew the beard back that I had in university.”
Whittaker, who most recently lived in the south of France, also lived up to his friendly and down-to-earth image in his private life. The family man and dog fan had been married to his wife Natalie since 1964, who later also became his manager. He leaves behind five children, several grandchildren and great-grandchildren. (dpa)
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