Singer-Songwriter Roger Whittaker, 1936-2023

Roger Whittaker, a Nairobi, Kenya-born and raised British singer-songwriter and musician, died September 13, 2023 at the age of 87. A resident of southern France, where he and his wife Natalie had retired to in 2012, Whittaker was an internationally acclaimed artist whose career spanned six decades. His music was a mix of folk and easy listening-style pop songs, both original compositions and choice covers.

An iconic artist, who sold more than 50-million records worldwide, Whittaker was best known for his 1969 hit “Durham Town (The Leavin’)” as well as “New World in the Morning” (1970), and “The Last Farewell,” which, although released in 1971, reached #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1975. With his smooth baritone voice, his ability to sing in several languages, and his prowess in whistling, Whittaker developed a worldwide following, and was particularly popular in Germany.

[Here’s a link to listen to Roger Whittaker’s “Durham Town:” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OYySY-6dKw.]

Born on March 22, 1936 to British parents who were then living in Kenya, Whittaker began learning guitar at age 7 and also sang in his school choir. However, he wouldn’t pursue music professionally until he was in his 20s after initially studying medicine and, later, teaching. He moved to Britain in 1959, where he played the workingmen’s clubs of northeast England and released his first singles in the early 1960s. He began touring internationally in the late 1960s and had radio hits across Europe and the U.S.

Whittaker was formerly signed to RCA Records; however, the label dropped him in the mid-1970s. This prompted Whittaker, who made frequent television appearances worldwide, to turn to the medium to independently promote his 1977 album, All My Best, which sold one-million copies. With assistance from Natalie, his wife of 59 years, Whittaker published an autobiography entitled So Far, So Good in 1986.

The couple retired to southern France in 2012. It was there “in peace in the presence of his family” that Whittaker passed away on Sept. 13, according to a statement from his family that was issued earlier this week. “His legacy will forever live on in our hearts and in his art,” the statement read in part.

It seems appropriate to end this article with a link to listen to Roger Whittaker’s well-known song “The Last Farewell:” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uqo1KC1PXs.