Hi ALL,
A lovely song about a man having to make a journey which involves him leaving his and my home town Durham
Hope you enjoy, Brian007
"Durham Town (The Leavin')" is a song, written and sung by Roger Whittaker, released as a single in 1969. Whittaker's original intent, to set the song in Newcastle, was abandoned in favour of nearby Durham because Whittaker agreed with his producer that "Durham" sounded better. While focusing the song on Newcastle, Whittaker had set its second verse "on the banks of the river Tyne", and as Whittaker had little to no familiarity with his chosen locale for the song, he retained the verse with its Tyneside setting for the song's finalized version set in Durham. While the Tyne flows eastwards through Newcastle, it is the Wear, 20 miles (32 km) to the south, which flows through Durham.
His voice is so powerful even when talking I could listen to him all day. This interview is just over 20 years old. Roger Whittaker is 84 years old now (August 2020) and living in retirement in France with his wife Natalie. He performed his last series of sell out concerts in Germany, where he was a genuine superstar, in 2013. Roger had one of the greatest, most distinct and warm voices in popular music and it's likely his songs will be still be played when most of the other singers of his era will be long forgotten. And as this interview shows, he is a gentleman of the highest order. Great man, great singer, great song writer, and the world's greatest whistler!
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