Roger John Reginald Greenaway (born 23 August 1938) is an English singer, songwriter and
record producer
A record producer or music producer is a music creating project's overall supervisor whose responsibilities can involve a range of creative and technical leadership roles. Typically the job involves hands-on oversight of recording sessions; ensu ...
, best known for his collaborations with
Roger Cook and
Tony Burrows. His compositions have included "
You've Got Your Troubles" and the transatlantic million-selling songs "
I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (in Perfect Harmony)"
and "
Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress".
They were the first UK songwriting partnership to be granted an
Ivor Novello Award
The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the Welsh entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and Musical composition, composing. They have been presented annually in London by the The Ivors Academy, Ivors Academy, formerly called the Britis ...
as 'Songwriters of the Year' in two successive years.
In 2009, Greenaway was inducted into the
Songwriters Hall of Fame
The Songwriters Hall of Fame (SHOF) is an American institution founded in 1969 by songwriter Johnny Mercer, music publisher/songwriter Abe Olman, and publisher/executive Howie Richmond to honor those whose work represent and maintain the heri ...
.
Early life
Roger Greenaway was born in
Fishponds
Fishponds is a suburb in the north-east of the English city of Bristol, about from Bristol city centre, the city centre. It is mainly residential, and housing is typically terraced Victorian. It has a small student population from the presence ...
, Bristol, England.
Early career
Greenaway is best known for his works with
Roger Cook. Both Greenaway and Cook were members of the close harmony group
the Kestrels. While on tour they decided to begin writing songs together. Their first was "
You've Got Your Troubles", a No. 2
UK hit single
A hit song, also known as a hit record, hit single, or simply hit, is a recorded song or instrumental that becomes broadly popular or well-known. Although ''hit song'' means any widely played or big-selling song, the specific term ''hit record'' ...
for
the Fortunes
The Fortunes are an English harmony beat music, beat group. Formed in Birmingham, the Fortunes first came to prominence and international acclaim in 1965, when "You've Got Your Troubles" broke into the US, Canadian, and UK Top 40, Top 10s. Aft ...
(1965),
which also made No. 7 on the
US ''Billboard'' Hot 100.
It was the first of several successes they enjoyed during the next few years. Later that year, they began
recording
A record, recording or records may refer to:
An item or collection of data Computing
* Record (computer science), a data structure
** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity
** Boot sector or boot record, re ...
together as
David and Jonathan
David and Jonathan were, according to the Hebrew Bible's Books of Samuel, heroic figures of the Kingdom of Israel (united monarchy), Kingdom of Israel, who formed a Covenant (historical), covenant, taking a mutual oath.
Jonathan (1 Samuel), Jona ...
. Their first
single "Laughing Fit To Cry" did not
chart
A chart (sometimes known as a graph) is a graphics, graphical representation for data visualization, in which "the data is represented by symbols, such as bars in a bar chart, lines in a line chart, or slices in a pie chart". A chart can repres ...
, but they scored hits in 1966 with their
cover version
In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...
of
the Beatles
The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
' "
Michelle" and their own "Lovers of the World Unite".
Their penultimate single, "
Softly Whispering I Love You", in 1967, was not a success at the time, but became a No. 4 UK hit in 1971 for a subsequent Cook-Greenaway collaboration,
the Congregation.
In 1968 Cook and Greenaway announced that they would no longer be recording as a
duo but would continue as songwriters.
Songwriting
Their hits as writers for other acts, sometimes with other collaborators, include: "
Home Lovin' Man" (
Andy Williams
Howard Andrew Williams (December 3, 1927 – September 25, 2012) was an American singer. He recorded 43 albums in his career, of which 15 have been gold certified and three platinum certified. He was also nominated for six Grammy Awards. He hos ...
); "
Blame It on the Pony Express" (
Johnny Johnson and the Bandwagon);
"Hallejuah" (
Deep Purple
Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal music, heavy metal and modern hard rock, although their musical style has varied throughout their career. Originally for ...
); "
Doctor's Orders" (
Sunny (UK) and
Carol Douglas (US)); "It Makes No Difference" (
Joe Dolan
Joseph Francis Robert Dolan (16 October 1939 – 26 December 2007) was an Irish singer, entertainer and recording artist. Chiefly known in Ireland for his association with Irish showband, showbands and for his innovative style and high tenor s ...
); "Something Tells Me (Something's Gonna Happen Tonight)" (
Cilla Black
Priscilla Maria Veronica White (27 May 1943 – 1 August 2015), better known as Cilla Black, was an English singer and television presenter.
Championed by her friends the Beatles, Black began her career as a singer in 1963. Her singles "A ...
(UK)
and
Bobbi Martin
Barbara Ann "Bobbi" Martin (November 29, 1938 – May 2, 2000) was an American country music, country and pop music singer, songwriter, and guitarist. She grew up in Oslo, Minnesota and began her singing career in Baltimore, working her way up f ...
(US)); "I've Got You On My Mind", "
When You Are a King", "
My Baby Loves Lovin'" (
White Plains); "
Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress", "Gasoline Alley Bred", (
The Hollies
The Hollies are an English rock and pop band formed in Manchester in 1962. One of the leading British groups of the 1960s and into the mid-1970s, they are known for their distinctive three-part vocal harmony style. Singer Allan Clarke and ...
); "
You've Got Your Troubles", "
Freedom Come, Freedom Go" (
The Fortunes
The Fortunes are an English harmony beat music, beat group. Formed in Birmingham, the Fortunes first came to prominence and international acclaim in 1965, when "You've Got Your Troubles" broke into the US, Canadian, and UK Top 40, Top 10s. Aft ...
); "Banner Man", "
Melting Pot
A melting pot is a Monoculturalism, monocultural metaphor for a wiktionary:heterogeneous, heterogeneous society becoming more wiktionary:homogeneous, homogeneous, the different elements "melting together" with a common culture; an alternative bei ...
", "
Good Morning Freedom" (
Blue Mink); "
Green Grass" (
Gary Lewis & the Playboys
Gary Lewis & the Playboys were a 1960s Pop music, pop and Rock music, rock group, fronted by musician Gary Lewis (musician), Gary Lewis, the son of comedian Jerry Lewis. They are best known for their 1965 Billboard Hot 100, ''Billboard'' Hot 1 ...
); "New Orleans" (Harley Quinne); "A Way of Life" (
The Family Dogg) and "
Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart" (
Gene Pitney
Gene Francis Alan Pitney (February 17, 1940 – April 5, 2006) was an American pop and country singer, songwriter, and musician.
Pitney charted 16 top-40 hits in the United States, four in the top ten. In the United Kingdom, he had 22 top-40 h ...
).
They also wrote "High 'N' Dry" (
Cliff Richard
Sir Cliff Richard (born Harry Rodger Webb; 14 October 1940) is a British singer and actor. He has total sales of over 21.5 million singles in the United Kingdom and, as of 2012, was the third-top-selling artist in UK Singles Chart histo ...
), which was the
B-side
The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...
of "
Congratulations
Congratulations may refer to:
Film and television
* Congratulations (2010 film), an Egyptian film
* Congratulations (2023 film), a Gujarati drama film
*'' Congratulations: 50 Years of the Eurovision Song Contest'', 2005 television programme ...
",” the runner-up song for the UK
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest (), often known simply as Eurovision, is an international Music competition, song competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) among its members since 1956. Each participating broadcaster ...
in 1968.
The New Seekers
The New Seekers were a British pop group, formed in London, in 1969, by Keith Potger, after the break-up of his group, the Seekers. The idea was that the New Seekers would appeal to the same market as the original Seekers, but their music wou ...
' "
I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (in Perfect Harmony)" began life as a Cook–Greenaway collaboration called "True Love and Apple Pie", recorded by Susan Shirley. The song was then rewritten by Cook, Greenaway,
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a cola soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. In 2013, Coke products were sold in over 200 countries and territories worldwide, with consumers drinking more than 1.8 billion company beverage servings ...
advertising executive
Bill Backer, and
Billy Davis, and recorded as a Coca-Cola radio commercial, with the lyric "I'd like to buy the world a Coke and keep it company." First aired on
American radio in 1970, it was also used as a TV commercial a year later, sparking public demand for its release as a single. Reworked, again, to remove the references to the brand name, the single climbed to No. 1 in the UK and No. 7 in the
US in 1972. The song has sold over a million copies in the UK.
Blue Mink, Pipkins, and Brotherhood of Man
When
Blue Mink were formed in 1969, Greenaway was asked to be lead vocalist alongside
Madeline Bell; he declined the offer and recommended Cook, who accepted.
The following year Greenaway teamed up for a while with singer and former Kestrels band-mate
Tony Burrows to form
the Pipkins
The Pipkins were a short-lived English novelty duo, best known for their hit single " Gimme Dat Ding" (written by Albert Hammond and Mike Hazlewood), which reached No. 6 on the UK Singles Charts, No. 7 in Canada ( ''RPM'' Top Singles), and ...
, a duo who had a Top 10
novelty
Novelty (derived from Latin word ''novus'' for "new") is the quality of being new, or following from that, of being striking, original or unusual. Novelty may be the shared experience of a new cultural phenomenon or the subjective perception of an ...
hit in 1970 with "
Gimme Dat Ding".
The same year, he was briefly a member of
Brotherhood of Man, also featuring Burrows as lead singer, who scored a UK and US top 20 hit with "
United We Stand".
Later works
After Cook moved to the US in 1975, Greenaway worked with other partners, notably
Geoff Stephens, both being jointly responsible for
Dana's 1975 UK No. 4 song, "It's Gonna be a Cold Cold Christmas", and
Crystal Gayle
Brenda Gail Webb (born January 9, 1951), known professionally as Crystal Gayle, is an American country music singer widely known for her 1977 hit " Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue". Initially, Gayle's management and record label were the same ...
's 1980 US No. 1
country
A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...
song, "
It's Like We Never Said Goodbye".
With
Barry Mason he penned "
Say You'll Stay Until Tomorrow" for
Tom Jones, which spent ten weeks within the Top 40 of the ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' Hot Country Singles (now
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States.
This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data along with digital sales and streaming. ...
) chart, and went to No. 1 for one week on 26 February 1977.
Greenaway took an increasing role in business administration, becoming Chairman of the
Performing Right Society in 1983 and, in 1995, taking charge of the European
ASCAP
The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadc ...
office.
He also wrote advertising
jingle
A jingle is a short song or tune used in advertising and for other commercial uses. Jingles are a form of sound branding. A jingle contains one or more hooks and meanings that explicitly promote the product or service being advertised, usually ...
s for
Allied Carpets,
Asda
Asda Stores Limited (), trading as Asda and often styled as ASDA, is a British supermarket and petrol station chain. Its headquarters is in Leeds, England. The company was incorporated as Associated Dairies and Farm Stores in 1949. It expanded ...
and
British Gas
British Gas (trading as Scottish Gas in Scotland) is an energy and home services provider in the United Kingdom. It is the trading name of British Gas Services Limited and British Gas New Heating Limited, both subsidiaries of Centrica. Serving ...
.
Personal life
Greenaway's son is
Gavin Greenaway, a composer and conductor.
Awards and honours
In 1998, he was awarded the
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
for services to the
music industry
The music industry are individuals and organizations that earn money by Songwriter, writing songs and musical compositions, creating and selling Sound recording and reproduction, recorded music and sheet music, presenting live music, concerts, ...
.
He was inducted into the
Songwriters Hall of Fame
The Songwriters Hall of Fame (SHOF) is an American institution founded in 1969 by songwriter Johnny Mercer, music publisher/songwriter Abe Olman, and publisher/executive Howie Richmond to honor those whose work represent and maintain the heri ...
in New York in 2009.
Discography
See also
*
Gavin Greenaway
References
External links
*
*
Song catalogue listing @ Songwriters Hall of Fame
{{DEFAULTSORT:Greenaway, Roger
1938 births
Living people
Musicians from Bristol
English record producers
English male songwriters
English male singers
English pop singers
Blue Mink members
Ivor Novello Award winners
Officers of the Order of the British Empire
The Congregation (band) members
Brotherhood of Man members
The Kestrels members
The Pipkins members