I first heard Roger Whittaker singing in French, in France -- "Mon Pays Bleu" to the same tune as "Durham Town"; it was a huge hit in France in 1972. I was 17 and impressionable, and I loved his stuff. He was a big star, on all the juke boxes in the discotheques.

Four years later, I was in Halifax, Nova Scotia, posted to the Navy hospital there, and "The Last Farewell" was played constantly by the DJ at the Fleet Club, the local junior ranks' mess. The sailors loved it, as it was fast enough to keep the feet moving and show off their waltz stylings, but slow enough to justify wrapping their arms around impressionable young women. It was also unashamedly sentimental, creating an atmosphere in which they could look one groggily in the eye at Last Call and suggest that, since their ship was leaving the next morning on a four-month deployment with the NATO fleet, one could make them a happy man and ... Well, you get the point. I think that was his last hit in North America.

In the 80s, I acquired a tape of him singing songs of the British Isles, with overproduced, rather slushy accompaniments but sung totally straight and tastefully -- good repertoire, too. "David of the White Rock" is not heard nearly enough, and he put it over just fine, with no strain anywhere in its very difficult long phrases.

I would put him in the same category as Nana Mouskouri. They're both middle-of-the-road popular singers with great talent and technical ability, excellent voices, a wide international following, and some unusual skills. (The whistling part of Whittaker's act is great, and not heard nearly enough. I think he learned it in Kenya.) They are also both capable of singing "Danny Boy" accurately and in tune, and without inducing nausea.