Roger Whittaker Dead at 87

[Ar-Pharazon]

One or two of his albums were in my parents' record rack back in the 70's.

 

[dr wu]

He was popular with many in my parents generation and I first heard of him from old tv shows he sang on in the 60's.

 

[Nai Noswad]

Got Roger to autograph my CD...

 

[CP/M User]

What a lovely, calm song. He sure can whistle lovely also. He sounds like a bird.

I think that's how Roger got started through his Whistling and Winning Whistling Contests. He has another song called the "Mexican Whistler" I think, which is so impressive as well. I have the original version of "The Skye Boat Song", which is just a Whistling tune and didn't realise the 80s hit version included Des O'Connor along with Lyrics. I'm unsure though it looks like Roger may have a little gadget in his mouth to produce that effect in "The Skye Boat Song"? Being a bit of a Whistler myself, Rogers whistling tunes leave me for dead, though he was one of the greats at it.

 

[CP/M User]

Got Roger to autograph my CD...
View attachment 224208

I've got 2 CDs of his & the one he signed for you is the same as my second one (unsigned of course), though the first one I got has that All the Best along with his Signature popped in it!

 

[Pilgrim]

I think that's how Roger got started through his Whistling and Winning Whistling Contests. He has another song called the "Mexican Whistler" I think, which is so impressive as well. I have the original version of "The Skye Boat Song", which is just a Whistling tune and didn't realise the 80s hit version included Des O'Connor along with Lyrics. I'm unsure though it looks like Roger may have a little gadget in his mouth to produce that effect in "The Skye Boat Song"? Being a bit of a Whistler myself, Rogers whistling tunes leave me for dead, though he was one of the greats at it.

I searched the Internet and came up with this:

Like the hot-air balloon ride featured in his music video about his Kenya homeland, Roger Whittaker lifts his audience out of their seats and takes them along as he travels across the world singing love songs and ballads.
It's clear this singer-songwriter feels as comfortable singing and whistling an African tune as he does strumming his guitar and toe-tappin' to an Irish jig. This versatility and remarkable comfort with his audience immediately won over his Salt Lake, Symphony Hall audience Thursday night."The show works better with an audience," he says, inviting folks to learn how to whistle as he was taught as a boy in Kenya.
Born in the city of Nairobi in Kenya, Whittaker grew up surrounded by pounding African rhythms and learned "African-style" whistling.
Puckering his face, he demonstrates how to whistle without using any fingers. He describes his scrunched up face as resembling "a baboon's back side."
No self-consciousness here. Whittaker seems to know that his audience (who enthusiastically buys his tapes during intermission) adores him.
As he takes his listeners on an international musical journey, he tells jokes and folk stories about different cultures - Scotland, Ireland, England - eventually landing in the back hills of Kentucky.
The balladeer talks with the audience like an entertaining Scoutmaster sharing his best-loved tales and campfire songs. The audience laughs, claps and even whistles with him.
It's an intimate show. Whittaker is accompanied by David Fraser on the piano and synthesizer. The two men easily fill the hall with a rich and vibrant sound.If you close your eyes when Whittaker whistles, you'd think a songbird had slipped into the place or a flutist from the symphony was also on stage.[1] Desert News