Durham Town – Roger Whittacker (1969)

Description

Additional information about this, Roger Whittaker vinyl art.

Roger Whittacker – The Artist

Roger Whittaker (born 1936) is a British singer-songwriter and musician, who was born in Nairobi to English parents. His music is an eclectic mix of folk music and popular songs in addition to radio airplay hits. He is best known for his baritone singing voice and trademark whistling ability as well as his guitar skills. He is widely known for his version of “Wind Beneath My Wings” (1982), as well as his own compositions “Durham Town (The Leavin’)” (1969) and “I Don’t Believe in ‘If’ Anymore” (1970). American audiences are most familiar with his 1970 hit “New World in the Morning” and his 1975 hit “The Last Farewell”.

Durham Town (The Leavin’) – The Song

“Durham Town (The Leavin’)” is a song, written and sung by Roger Whittaker, released as a single in 1969. It spent 18 weeks on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at No. 12. Whittaker’s original intent, to set the song in Newcastle, had been abandoned in favour of nearby Durham because Whittaker agreed with his producer that “Durham” simply 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 or no familiarity with his chosen locale for the song he retained the verse with its Tyneside setting for the song’s finalised version set in Durham. In fact the Tyne flows eastwards through Newcastle but it is the Wear, 20 miles to the south, which flows through Durham.

Durham Cathedral – The Shape

This 7″ record has been modelled into a silhouette of Durham Cathedral. The Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin and St Cuthbert of Durham, commonly known as Durham Cathedral and home of the Shrine of St Cuthbert, is a cathedral in the city of Durham, England. It is the seat of the Bishop of Durham, the fourth-ranked bishop in the Church of England hierarchy. The present cathedral was begun in 1093, replacing the Saxon ‘White Church’, and is regarded as one of the finest examples of Norman architecture in Europe. In 1986 the cathedral and Durham Castle were designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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