The “Golden Hits Of The 60s” 

Main MenuConcept Refinement The Author..Wayne JancikGolden Age Of The 50sGolden Age Of The 60s1970s and There After

 

DAVID & JOHNATHON

“MICHELLE”

(John Lennon, Paul McCartney)

Capitol 5563

No. 18    February 12, 1966

.

.

.

“David” was Roger Greenaway (b. Aug.  23,1942, Southmead, England); “Jonatharn” was Roger Cook (b.

Aug. 19, 1940, Bristol, England).  Both dropped out of school at the age of 15 and worked their ways

through the world of everyday jobs.   In 1965, the two Rogers began songwriting together  as· fellow

members of a Bristol group called the Kestrels.   One of their tunes, “You’ve Got Your Troubles,” was a hit

for the Fortunes, and soon Petula Clark, Freddie & The Dreamers, and other artists were   approaching the

duo for songs.

,

Beatles producer George Martin heard one of the team’s demos and offered to record them in the style of

pop duos  like Chad & Jeremy and Peter & Gordon.   Michelle” was David & Jonathan’s initial release, and

their only stateside charting.   British fans  responded even more warmly to the duo’s follow-up, “Lovers

Of The World Unite,” but after that, even in  their homeland, all future recordings failed to  spark much

interest.

,

By mid-’68, Cook and Greenaway had shelved the “David & Jonathan” nom de plume to concentrate on

composing, jingle­ writing, and session work.   In addition to creating another biggie for the Fortunes

(“Here Comes That Rainy Day Feeling Again”) and hits for both the New Seekers (“I’d Like to Teach

the World To Sing”) and the Hollies (“Long Cool Womam”), Cook and Greenaway wrote the tunes that

eventually made One-Hit Wonders out of WHISTLING JACK SMITH (“I Was Kaiser Bill’s     Batman”),

EDISON LIGHTHOUSE  (“Love Grows”), WHITE PLAINS (“My Baby  Loves Lovin”‘), and CAROL

DOUGLAS (“Doctor’s Orders”).   In 1971, the British Songwriters Guild voted Cook and   Greenaway

“Songwriters of the Year.”

,

When the itch to secure still more moneys entered their collective noodles, Cook and Greenaway wrote or

performed commercials for Allied Carpets, British Gas, Typhoo, and Woodpecker Cider. They helped

write “I’d Like To Teach The World To Sing (In Perfect Harmony)”–a hit for the  New    Seekers as well as

THE HILLSIDE SINGERS–and reportedly dreamed up the entire “It’s the Real Thing” ad campaign for

Coca-Cola.

,

A studio group called Blue Mink gelled into a decade-long rock’n’roll ride for Roger Cook and co-vocalist

MADELINE BELL.   In 1970, Blue Mink’s “Melting Pot,” an ode to racial harmony, nearly topped the British

charts, yet neither Blue Mink nor any of Cook’s solo outings managed to find much of an audience in the

States.   Roger Greenaway, meanwhile, has recorded with Edison Lighthouse, THE PIPKINS, White Plains,

and a sprinkling of other lesser known pseudo-groups.

.

In the mid-’70s, Cook  and Greenaway parted company.   Cook has since moved to Nashville, where he

continues to dash off songs.  In  1983,  Greenaway was appointed chairman of  the British Performing

Rights Society, and has since cut down on his composing.