Roger Greenaway facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Roger Greenaway
|
|
|---|---|
Greenaway (1967)
|
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Roger John Reginald Greenaway |
| Born | 23 August 1938 Fishponds, Gloucestershire, England |
| Genres | Pop |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, record producer |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 1960s–present |
| Associated acts | The Kestrels David and Jonathan Brotherhood of Man The Pipkins |
Roger John Reginald Greenaway OBE was born on August 23, 1938. He is a talented English singer, songwriter, and music producer. He is well-known for his work with other songwriters like Roger Cook and Tony Burrows.
Roger Greenaway helped create many famous songs. These include "You've Got Your Troubles" and two songs that sold millions of copies: "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (in Perfect Harmony)" and "Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress". He and Roger Cook were the first songwriting team in the UK to win the 'Songwriters of the Year' award twice in a row at the Ivor Novello Awards. In 2009, Roger Greenaway was honored by being added to the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Contents
Early Life and Music
Roger Greenaway was born in Fishponds, a town in Bristol, England. He started his music career in the 1960s.
Working with Roger Cook
Roger Greenaway is most famous for his work with Roger Cook. Both Roger Greenaway and Roger Cook were part of a singing group called the Kestrels. While they were on tour, they decided to start writing songs together.
Their first big song was "You've Got Your Troubles". This song became a No. 2 hit in the UK for a band called the Fortunes in 1965. It also reached No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the US. This was the first of many successful songs they wrote together.
Later in 1965, Roger Greenaway and Roger Cook started recording music as a duo called David and Jonathan. Their first song didn't become a hit. However, they had success in 1966 with their version of the Beatles' song "Michelle". They also had a hit with their own song "Lovers of the World Unite".
Their song "Softly Whispering I Love You" was not a big hit when they first released it in 1967. But it later became a No. 4 UK hit in 1971 for another group they worked with, the Congregation. In 1968, Cook and Greenaway decided to stop recording as a duo. They wanted to focus only on writing songs for other artists.
Writing Hit Songs for Others
Roger Greenaway and Roger Cook wrote many hit songs for other music acts. Sometimes they worked with other songwriters too. Here are some of the famous songs they wrote:
- "Home Lovin' Man" for Andy Williams
- "Blame It on the Pony Express" for Johnny Johnson and the Bandwagon
- "Doctor's Orders" for Carol Douglas
- "My Baby Loves Lovin'" for White Plains
- "Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress" and "Gasoline Alley Bred" for The Hollies
- "Freedom Come, Freedom Go" for The Fortunes
- "Melting Pot" and "Good Morning Freedom" for Blue Mink
- "Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart" for Gene Pitney
They also wrote "High 'N' Dry" for Cliff Richard. This song was the B-side to his famous song "Congratulations" in 1968. "Congratulations" was the UK's runner-up song for the Eurovision Song Contest that year.
The Story of "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing"
One of their most famous songs, "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (in Perfect Harmony)", started as a different song. It was first called "True Love and Apple Pie" and was recorded by Susan Shirley.
Then, Roger Cook, Roger Greenaway, and two people from Coca-Cola (Bill Backer and Billy Davis) rewrote the song. They made it into a Coca-Cola radio commercial. The new words were "I'd like to buy the world a Coke and keep it company." This commercial first played on American radio in 1970. A year later, it became a TV commercial. People loved it so much that they wanted it released as a single song.
The song was rewritten again to remove the Coca-Cola brand name. This new version, sung by The New Seekers, became a No. 1 hit in the UK and No. 7 in the US in 1972. It sold over a million copies in the UK!
Working with Other Groups
In 1969, a band called Blue Mink was forming. Roger Greenaway was asked to be a lead singer with Madeline Bell. He said no and suggested Roger Cook instead, who accepted.
The next year, Roger Greenaway teamed up with singer Tony Burrows. Tony was also a former bandmate from The Kestrels. They formed a duo called the Pipkins. In 1970, they had a Top 10 hit with a fun song called "Gimme Dat Ding".
In the same year, Roger Greenaway was briefly a member of Brotherhood of Man. Tony Burrows was also the lead singer in this group. They had a UK and US Top 20 hit with their song "United We Stand".
Later Music and Business Work
After Roger Cook moved to the US in 1975, Roger Greenaway worked with other partners. He worked with Geoff Stephens on "It's Gonna be a Cold Cold Christmas," a No. 4 UK song for Dana in 1975. They also wrote "It's Like We Never Said Goodbye" for Crystal Gayle, which was a No. 1 country song in the US in 1980.
With another partner, Barry Mason, he wrote "Say You'll Stay Until Tomorrow" for Tom Jones. This song was a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in 1977.
Roger Greenaway also became more involved in the business side of music. He became the Chairman of the Performing Right Society in 1983. In 1995, he took charge of the European office for ASCAP. He also wrote catchy advertising songs, called jingles, for companies like Allied Carpets and British Gas.
Personal Life
Roger Greenaway's son is Gavin Greenaway. Gavin is also a talented composer and conductor.
Awards and Recognition
In 1998, Roger Greenaway received the Order of the British Empire (OBE). This award recognized his important contributions to the music industry. In 2009, he was honored by being inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in New York.
See also
In Spanish: Roger Greenaway para niños
- Gavin Greenaway
