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Roger Cook

London, 5th January 1972

Roger Cook
Born Roger Frederick Cook, 19 August 1940, Bristol, UK

Bands:
[Various Non-Professional Groups] (c. 1954 - 1957)
The Sapphires (1957 - Dec 1958)
The Londons (c. 1960 - Dec 1961)
Jon And Julie (early 1962 - 1963)
The Kestrels (1964 - 1965)
David And Jonathan (1965 - 1968)
Roger James Cooke [Solo #1] (Aug 1968 - Feb 1971)
Blue Mink (1969 - 1977)
White Plains (1970 - 1974)
Currant Kraze (March/April 1970)
Campus Kazoo (Nov 1970)
Roger Cook [Solo #2] (July 1971 - 1977)
CCW (1991 - 1992)
[Songwriter] (1958 - Present)

 [Various Non-Professional Groups] (c. 1954 to 1957)
When Roger was around 14, he performed with his family's harmonica group. The trio consisted of his father on banjo and guitar, with his brother Tony and himself on harmonica. The group performed locally for over a year. After leaving school at the age of 15, Roger worked a factory job in Bristol. By the next year, Roger had left the factory and secured a job as a plasterer's apprentice. In a 1962 interview, Roger states that it was during this time he became the singer in a "semi-pro dance band". It was through this band that Roger met future Sapphires guitarist Brian Holly. Although, what band he was referencing is not known. According to some sources, Roger was also involved with groups called The Harmonettes and The Honeycombs during his early teen years.
The Sapphires (1957 to December 1958)
The Sapphires were a five-piece vocal harmony group formed in Bristol in the late 1950s. The group appeared on the televised teen competition show The Carroll Levis Discovery Show. After winning the competition and appearing on several radio broadcasts, the group relocated to London in late 1957. After a rocky few first months, the Sapphires were booked for a brief tour of Army and Naval bases in April of 1958. They went on to play cabaret dates and toured the UK, including a 12-week Summer residency at Butlin's in Skegness. It was during this time that Roger Cook wrote his first song, "Judy My Darling", inspired by his then girlfriend. The Sapphires recorded a four-track EP in late 1958 at a recording studio on Denmark Street in Bristol. The group split up around Christmastime 1958.

Members:
Roger Cook - vocals
Gill Stevens - vocals
Vernon Merrick - vocals
Grant Heywood - vocals
Brian Holly - vocals, guitar

Tracks on their 1958 EP:
"The Book Of Love" (The Monotones)
"Why Don't They Understand"
"Let The Wind Blow And Down"
"Down By The Riverside"

The Sapphires, c. 1958
The Londons (c. 1960 to December 1961)
After the break up of the Sapphires in 1959, Roger Cook sang with a vocal group in Bristol for three months. Afterwards, he joined an unknown rock band, staying with them for about a year. He then met up with a female vocal duo consisting of Avril Woolcot and June Stevens (his former bandmate Gill's sister). Roger soon joined the pair, calling themselves The Londons. The group performed locally in cabaret and appeared on a TWW TV series, but did not release any recordings. Member June Stevens left the group in September of 1961 and was replaced by her sister Gill. The Londons split up that December, around Christmastime.

Members:
Roger Cook - vocals
Avril Woolcot - vocals
June Stevens - vocals (up to Sept 1961)
Gill Stevens - vocals (from Sept 1961)

Jon And Julie (early 1962 to 1963)
After the breakup of The Londons in late December 1961, Roger Cook and Gill Stevens formed a vocal duo, calling themselves Jon And Julie. The pair performed in cabaret around Bristol and after passing an audition, made appearances on the TWW TV programme Looking For The Stars. Producer Norrie Paramor, who was serving on the show's critic's panel, signed the duo to record for EMI/Columbia. Throughout 1962, they continued to perform locally and played a Summer residency at Butlin's Ocean Hotel in Brighton. Jon And Julie's only single "Hey! Beautiful", which was co-written by Roger Cook, was released in November of 1962. The pair split up in 1963. Before joining The Kestrels in 1964, Roger Cook was involved in pantomime theatre. 

 Members:
Roger Cook - vocals
Gill Stevens - vocals

Singles (UK):
"Hey! Beautiful" (Cook, Parkman, Barratt) b/w "Happy Old Humming Me" (Cook, Parkman, Barratt), Columbia, Nov 1962

45 label, 1962
Pic from 45cat.com

The Kestrels (1964 to 1965)
The Kestrels (originally called The Hi-Fi's, then The Beltones) were a harmony group formed in Bristol around 1956. Roger Greenaway, Tony Burrows, and Roger Maggs all met while working at the Bristol-based paper firm E.S.& A Robinson. They had left school at the age of sixteen and secured jobs as trainee reps, often working in the company's postal department. According to Tony in the book Tin Pan Alley: The Rise Of Elton John, it was Roger Greenaway who had introduced him to co-worker Roger Maggs. It was while on duty, sorting letters that the group discovered their knack for harmonizing and soon began rehearsing in the company's basement. Their first gig as The Hi-Fi's took place on 11th Dec 1956, in a local Bristol Church Hall. After a few well-received local gigs, the band decided to add a fourth member to the group; police cadet Geoff Williams.

The foursome changed their name to The Beltones in 1957 and performed often at small clubs, dances, canteens, and factories around their hometown. The group changed their name yet again, settling on The Kestrels (named after a pencil company). The group were soon featured on radio spots and scored a place on The Carroll Levis Discovery Show, a televised youth talent competition. As a result of their popularity on the show, they were discovered by Lord Donegall and signed to his label (Donegall) where they recorded a self-titled EP in February of 1958. Roger Greenaway, who had been conscripted into National Service in 1957, just before their first TV appearance, participated in the recording sessions during leave time. The rest of the group would be called up to join Greenaway in the Army a few months later. Their manager was able to get Greenaway transferred to where the rest were stationed and the group continued on, using their leave days to perform gigs. The Kestrels' first EP didn't fare well with the public, but the fellows at Pye Records liked what they heard and bought out the Kestrels' contract. Now under Pye, the group continued to record, play gigs, and attend TV appearances on their off days. In 1960, after two years of service, the boys were demobbed from the Army and were  then able to resume their full-time musical endeavors. The group continued working and recording. After the release of their single "Wolverton Mountain" in June of 1962, Roger Maggs exited the group and was replaced by Pete Gullane. This new lineup then served as the backing band for Lonnie Donegan, appearing on his television program ATV's Putting On The Donegan in July of 1962. They soon became Lonnie's backing band, recording and touring with him. In the Winter of 1963, The Kestrels were invited on tour with Helen Shapiro and her supporting acts, of which there were several: The Kestrels, Kenny Lynch, Danny Williams, Dave Allen, The Honeys, Red Price Band, Billie Davis, and The Beatles. The tour ran from 2nd February to 3rd March 1963. It was on this tour that Roger Greenaway got the inspiration to try his hand at songwriting. Roger's first published song would be "Everything In The Garden", and subsequently recorded by both Petula Clark and Jimmy Justice, and released as a single by The Fourmost a couple of years later. The Kestrels once again joined The Beatles on tour at the end of 1963, but by now the seeds of Beatlemania had sprung. Roger Cook, who had been involved with his own harmony group and a performer in pantomime theater, was asked to join The Kestrels the following year, replacing member Pete Gullane. Within several months of Roger's arrival, the group disbanded with Tony Burrows leaving to sign a solo deal with Decca under the stage name of Tony Bond. Roger Greenaway and Roger Cook, who had co-written the soon-to-be Fortunes hit "You've Got Your Troubles" while on The Kestrels' last tour, went on to form a songwriting partnership. They were then to become known as the recording duo of David and Jonathan, later in 1965, under the production of famed Beatles producer George Martin. Not only did the Rogers become two of the most successful songwriters in music history, but they produced many a band along the way. One of which, of course, was White Plains.

Members:
Roger Greenaway - vocals
Tony Burrows - vocals
Geoff Williams - vocals
Roger Maggs - vocals (up to mid-1962)
Pete Gullane - vocals (mid-1962 to 1964)
Roger Cook - vocals (1964 - 1965)

Promo photo, c. 1961
L to R: Tony Burrows, Roger Maggs, Roger Greenaway, and Geoff Williams



David And Jonathan (1965 to 1968)
After pitching the song "You've Got Your Troubles" to Mills Music in 1964, Roger Cook and Roger Greenaway were hired as staff writers by Producer Tony Hiller. Famed Beatles Producer George Martin liked their demo and had The Fortunes record it. Having liked what he heard from the two Rogers on their demos, George Martin asked the duo to record under his direction. It was George's wife, a Christian, who came up with the name David and Jonathan, taken from the heroic duo written about in the book of Samuel. David and Jonathan's first single, the self-penned "Laughing Fit To Cry" was released on Columbia Records on 8 October 1965. In November of that year, having just finished up with the recording of Rubber Soul, George offered the Rogers a couple of tracks that the Beatles would not be releasing as a single: "Girl" and "Michelle". A week later, David and Jonathan recorded "Michelle" with George Martin serving as arranger. "Michelle" was released on Columbia Records on 7th January 1966. The song became a worldwide hit and the duo soon made a splash in the U.S., traveling to New York and Boston on a publicity tour. Several more singles followed over the next two years. After their last single "You Ought To Meet My Baby" was released in June of 1968, Roger and Roger decided to call it quits, but continued on with their songwriting partnership.

Members:
Roger Greenaway (aka David) - vocals
Roger Cook (aka Jonathan) - vocals

Singles (UK):
"Laughing Fit To Cry" (Cook, Greenaway) b/w "Remember What You Said" (Cook, Greenaway), Columbia, 8 Oct 1965
"Michelle" (Lennon-McCartney) b/w "How Bitter The Taste Of Love" (Cook, Greenaway), Columbia, 7 Jan 1966
"Speak Her Name" (Clint Ballard) b/w "Take It While You Can" (Baker, Cavendish**), Columbia, 1 April 1966
"Lovers Of The World Unite" (Cook, Greenaway) b/w "Oh My Word" (Baker, Cavendish**), Columbia, 24 June 1966
"Ten Storeys High" (Cook, Greenaway) b/w "Looking For My Life" (Baker, Cavendish**), Columbia, 28 Oct 1966
"Gilly Gilly Ossenfeffer Katzenellenbogen By The Sea" (Hoffman, Manning) b/w "Scarlet Ribbons (For Her Hair)" (Danzig, Segal), Columbia, 31 March 1967
"She's Leaving Home" (Lennon-McCartney) b/w "One Born Every Minute" (Baker, Cavendish**), Columbia, 2 June 1967
"Softly Whispering I Love You" (Cook, Greenaway) b/w "Such A Peaceful Day" (Cook, Greenaway), Columbia, 3 Nov 1967
"You Ought To Meet My Baby" (Cook, Greenaway) b/w "I've Got That Girl On My Mind" (Cook, Greenaway), Columbia, 14 June 1968

** Note: Cook and Greenaway used the pseudonyms "Humphrey Baker" and "Nathan Cavendish" in the songwriting credits for several of their B-sides.

David & Jonathan, 1966
Pic from TeenSet Magazine

David & Jonathan in NYC, 1966
Pic from TeenSet Magazine

David & Jonathan at Rockefeller Center's Ice Rink, 1966
Pic from TeenSet Magazine



Roger James Cooke [Solo #1] (August 1968 to February 1971)
From mid-1968 to early 1971, Roger Cook released several solo singles under the name Roger James Cooke (his real middle name is Frederick). His last UK single release using this moniker was "If You Would Stay", released in February 1971. By his next single, released a few months later, Roger had reverted back to his birth name of Roger Cook.

Singles (UK):
"Skyline Pigeon" (John, Taupin) b/w "I'm Burning" (Cook, Greenaway), Columbia, 16 Aug 1968
"Not That It Matters Anymore" (Cook, Greenaway) b/w "Paper Chase" (Barter), Columbia, 29 Nov 1968
"Stop" (Cook, Greenaway) b/w "Someday" (Cook, Greenaway), Columbia, 21 March 1969
"Smiling Through My Tears" (Carnall) (as Roger James Cooke And Eve Graham) b/w "Ain't That A Wonderful Thing" (Cook, Greenaway), Columbia, 27 June 1969
"Jubilation" (Cook, Greenaway) b/w "Anticipation Grows" (Barter), Columbia, 30 Oct 1970
"If You Would Stay" (Cook, Greenaway) b/w "Mama Packed A Picnic Tea", Columbia, 26 Feb 1971

Albums (UK):
Study, Columbia, 1970

Swedish 45 picture sleeve, 1970



Blue Mink (1969 to 1977)
Blue Mink was formed by a group of well-known session musicians in 1969: bassist Herbie Flowers, drummer Barry Morgan, organist Roger Coulam, and guitarist Alan Parker. The group originally started out as instrumental-only, but soon decided a change was in order and added vocalist Madeline Bell. Wishing to add a second vocalist, the group invited Roger Greenaway to take part, but he declined the offer. Instead, Greenaway suggested they bring on his former bandmate and songwriting partner Roger Cook. Their second single was the Cook/Greenaway penned number "Melting Pot", an anti-racist, "beige society" anthem. It quickly rose to number three on the UK charts. Despite the various members being busy with session work, and Roger Cook still in his role as Producer and songwriter, Blue Mink managed to make many TV/Radio appearances and regularly played live gigs. The group released six albums (five studio and one live) between 1969 and 1974. Percussionist Ray Cooper joined the group in 1972. Roger Coulam was replaced  by Ann Odell that Summer, just before the recording of their single "Stay With Me", released in November of 1972. Ray Cooper left Blue Mink to join Elton John's backing band in 1973, after the recording of their final album Fruity. After one last American tour in 1974, the group ceased performing live and the band was soon dissolved. In the Summer of 1976, Roger Cook reformed Blue Mink with keyboardist Mike Moran (who went on to form The Mike Moran Band). Three more singles followed on Target Records, the last being released in June of 1977.

Members:
Roger Cook - vocals
Madeline Bell - vocals
Alan Parker - guitar
Herbie Flowers - bass
Roger Coulam - keyboards (up to mid-1972)
Ann Odell - keyboards (from mid-1972 - 1974)
Mike Moran - keyboards (1976 - 1977)
Barry Morgan - drums 
Ray Cooper - percussion (1972 - 1973)

Singles (UK):
"Blue Mink" (Parker) b/w "Mr. Zippy" (Parker, Flowers), Morgan Blue Town, 1969
"Melting Pot" (Cook, Greenaway) b/w "Blue Mink" (Parker), Philips, 31 Oct 1969
"Good Morning Freedom" (Greenaway, Cook, Hammond, Hazlewood) b/w "Mary Jane" (Flowers, Pickett), Philips, 13 March 1970
"Our World" (Flowers, Pickett) b/w "Pastures New" (Coulam), Philips, 4 Sept 1970
"The Banner Man" (Flowers, Cook, Greenaway) b/w "Mind Your Business" (Bell, Parker), Regal Zonophone, 7 May 1971
"Sunday" (Coulam, Cook, Greenaway) b/w "One Smart Fellow" (Blue Mink), Regal Zonophone, 12 Nov 1971
"Count Me In" (Banks, Flowers) b/w "Did You Get It" (George, Coulam), Regal Zonophone, 21 Jan 1972
"Wacky, Wacky, Wacky" (Flowers, Cook, Greenaway) b/w "We'll Be There" (Bell, Ploquin), Regal Zonophone, 12 May 1972
"Stay With Me" (Flowers, Cook, Greenaway) b/w "We'll Be There" (Bell, Ploquin), Regal Zonophone, 29 Sept 1972
"By The Devil (I Was Tempted)" (Fletcher, Flett) b/w "I Can't Find The Answer" (Coulam, Cook, Greenaway), EMI, 9 Feb 1973
"Randy" (Flowers, Cook, Greenaway) b/w "John Brown's Down" (Parker, Lee, Stirling, Hawkeshaw), EMI, 8 June 1973
"Quackers" (Cooper, Blue Mink) b/w "Mind If I Stand And Watch You" (Blue Mink), EMI, 18 Jan 1974
"Get Up" (Cook) b/w "I Wanna Be Around (You)" (Bell, Jones), EMI, 19 April 1974
"Another 'Without You' Day" (Cook, Greenaway) b/w "Yesterday's Gone" (O'Dell), EMI, 20 Sept 1974
"You're The One" (Cook, Flowers) b/w "The Boogie Shuffle" (Parker, Moran), Target, 19 Nov 1976
"Five Minute Wonder" (Roker, Greenaway) b/w "Sixty-One To Nine" (Roker, Greenaway), Target, 4 March 1977
"Where Were You Today" (Dundas, Greenaway) b/w "When Ya Come Home" (Greenaway), Target, 3 June 1977

Albums (UK):
Melting Pot, Philips, Dec 1969
Our World, Philips, Dec 1970
Live At The Talk Of The Town, Philips, March 1972
Time Of Change, EMI, 
Only When I Laugh, Philips, Feb 1973
Fruity, Philips, EMI 1974

Pic from Our World LP cover
L to R: Herbie Flowers, Roger Cook, Madeline Bell, Barry Morgan, Roger Coulam, and Alan Parker

Roger Cook, 1970
Pic from Popfoto Magazine, Germany

Clockwise from bottom left: Herbie Flowers, Roger Coulam, Alan Parker, Roger Cook, Barry Morgan, and Madeline Bell
Pic from "By The Devil (I Was Tempted)" Sheet Music, 1973
White Plains (1970 to 1974)
See full biography HERE

In early 1969, Roger Greenaway and Roger Cook took over as Producers of the Flower Pot Men from John Carter and Ken Lewis. On 28 March 1969, one last single "In A Moment Of Madness" was released, but the track failed to chart. Early that Summer, after what he describes as a "particularly harrowing" tour of Israel and Hungary, Tony Burrows made the decision to leave the group. It's not known exactly when Tony stopped gigging with the group, but they continued to play live shows throughout the rest of the year. The Producers sought to give a hit single one last shot and White Plains were regrouped that October to record four new tracks with Ricky Wolff on lead vocals: "Today I Killed A Man I Didn't Know", "You've Got Your Troubles", "Show Me Your Hand", and "My Baby Loves Lovin'". The group played at least one gig after these recordings that November (Middlesbrough Showboat on 21st November 1969). By the end of the year, the band had dissolved and the recordings were shelved. Not long after, Decca A&R man, Dick Rowe, decided he wanted to release these recordings under a new name and chose White Plains after the town in New York. Their first single was "My Baby Loves Lovin'", purposely released after the holidays on 2 January 1970. Due to Ricky Wolff being unavailable during the early promo period, Roger Greenaway took over on lead vocals for all promotional appearances. Upon Ricky's return in early Spring, Roger resumed his main position as co-producer. However, Greenaway does take the lead on the group's 1970 B-side "I Need Your Everlasting Love". Producer Roger Cook also lends lead vocals to a couple of White Plains tracks. Cook's "To Love You" is featured on the UK version of White Plains' self-titled 1970 album and "I'll Go Blind" appears as a 1971 B-side. Over the next four years, two albums, and thirteen singles were released. After several lineup changes and dwindling chart success, the band called it quits in late 1974. In 1975, the remaining members of the band released two singles under the name Zenith. Then in 1976, the name was loaned out to a new lineup and the single "Summer Nights" was released. White Plains was revived once again in 1978 by original members Pete Nelson and Robin Box and two last singles were released on PVK Records. 

Members (1970 - 1974):
Pete Nelson - vocals, rhythm guitar, piano (1969-1974, 1978)
Ricky Wolff - vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards, sax, flute (1969 - early 1971)
Tony Burrows - vocals (1969), vocals (1970 - promotional only)
Robin Shaw - bass, vocals (1969 - late 1973)
David Kerr-Clemenson - bass, vocals (late 1973 - 1974)
Robin Box - lead guitar, vocals (1969-1974, 1978)
Julian Bailey - drums (Spring 1970 - mid 1970)
Roger Hills - drums (1969, mid 1970 - mid 1973)
Tex Marsh - drums (mid 1973 - 1974)
Brian Johnston - keyboards, vocals (Spring 1970 - Autumn 1970)
Ron Reynolds - keyboards, vocals (mid 1972 - 1974)
Brent Scott Carter - sax, flute (mid 1971 - mid 1972)
Tony Hall - sax (mid 1971 - mid 1972)
Roger Greenaway - Producer, vocals (promotional only), lead vocals on "I Need Your Everlasting Love"
Roger Cook - Producer, lead vocals on "To Love You" and "I'll Go Blind"

Songs with Roger Cook on lead vocals:
"To Love You" (Cook, Greenaway, Hammond, Hazelwood) (album track, 1970)
"I'll Go Blind" (Young, Renshaw) (B-side, 1971)

Albums (UK):
White Plains (self-titled), Deram, Sept 1970
When You Are A King, Deram, Oct 1971

Promo photo, early 1970
L to R: Pete Nelson, Roger Greenaway, Robin Shaw, and Tony Burrows

White Plains live at NME Poll Winners' Concert, May 1970
L to R: Robin Box, Pete Nelson, Julian Bailey (drums), Ricky Wolff, and Robin Shaw
Currant Kraze (March/April 1970)
Currant Kraze were a studio creation of Producers Roger Cook and Roger Greenaway. One single was released in April of 1970. The group consisted of the same group of session vocalists as Brotherhood Of Man with the addition of Roger Cook as the 2nd lead vocalist. The A-side features Roger Greenaway on lead vocals, along with John Goodison, while Roger Cook leads on the B-side.

Members:
Roger Greenaway - lead vocals
Roger Cook - lead vocals
John Goodison - vocals (lead on bridge of "Lady Pearl")
Tony Burrows - vocals
Sue Glover - vocals
Sunny Leslie - vocals

Single (UK):
"Lady Pearl" (Cook, Greenaway) b/w "Breaking The Heart Of A Good Man" (Cook, Greenaway), Deram, 17 April 1970

Roger Greenaway and Roger Cook, January 1972
Campus Kazoo (November 1970)
In the Fall of 1970, Cook and Greenaway recorded and released a couple of instrumental songs under the name Campus Kazoo. The songs were produced by Roger Greenaway, Roger Cook, and John Burgess with arrangement by Barbara Moore.

Singles (UK):
"Walk This Way" (Cook, Greenaway)  b/w "Ten Out Of Ten" (Cook, Greenaway), Columbia, 6 Nov 1970



Roger Cook [Solo #2] (July 1971 to 1977)
In mid-1971, Roger Cook reverted back to using his birth name and released several more singles over the next several years [see previous entry for Roger James Cooke]. Roger released three more albums, the last being 1976's Alright on Polydor Records.

Singles (UK):
"People I've Gotta Dream" (Cook, Greenaway) b/w "Today I Killed A Man I Didn't Know" (Cook, Greenaway), Columbia, 16 July 1971
"We Will Get By" (Rae, Cook, Greenaway) b/w "My Home City" (Drewell, Dymond), Regal Zonophone, 9 June 1972
"She" (Cook, Greenaway) b/w "Stay With Me" (Flowers, Cook, Greenaway), Regal Zonophone, 19 Jan 1973
"Rose On Fire" (Cook, Greenaway) b/w "Fast Running Out Of World" (Cook, Greenaway, Flowers), Polydor, 19 Oct 1973
"Here Comes Our Love Song" (Cook) b/w "Oh You Do (Deliver Miracles)" (Cook, Flowers), Polydor, 9 Jan 1976
"Swimming In A Sea Of Trouble" (Cook) b/w "Long Ago And Long Away" (Cook), Polydor, 9 July 1976
"Please Get My Name Right" (Cook) b/w "Alright" (Cook, Flowers), Polydor, 25 Feb 1977

Albums (UK):
Meanwhile... Back At The World, Regal Zonophone/EMI, 1972
Minstrel In Flight, Regal Zonophone, 1973
Alright, Polydor, 1976

LP cover, 1973
Pic from 45worlds.com



 CCW (1991 to 1992)
CCW was formed in 1991 by Hugh Cornwell of The Stranglers, Roger Cook, and Andy West. Their only album (a self-titled release recorded in December 1991 at Kohsan Studios in Bath) included ten tracks co-produced by Neil Davidge. It was released on UFO Records in 1992. Hugh Cornwell went on to release his third solo album the following year, entitled Wired on Transmission Records. 

Members:
Hugh Cornwell - guitar, vocals
Roger Cook - guitar, ukulele, vocals
Andy West - guitar, vocals

Various Session Members:
Chris Goulstone - lead guitar
Herbie Flowers - bass, guitar
Joel Squires - harmonica
Rob Brian - drums
Stuart Gordon - violin

Singles (UK):
"Sweet Sister" (Cornwell) b/w "Let It Fall" (West) and "Friend Wheel" (West), UFO, 1992

L to R: Roger Cook, Andy West, and Hugh Cornwell
Pic from CCW CD, 1992



 [Songwriter] (1958 - Present)
After forming a writing partnership with Roger Cook while they were members of The Kestrels in the mid-1960s, the duo went on to write more than fifty hit songs, collected eleven gold discs, and wrote numerous well-known commercial jingles. After Roger Cook left for Nashville in 1975, Greenaway went on to work with various other songwriters, including Barry Mason and Geoff Stephens. Moving into the realm of Country Music, Roger scored a number one hit with Crystal Gayle's 1978 "Talking In Your Sleep". He hit again in 1980 with Don Williams' "I Believe In You". Over the years, Roger has teamed up with Country/Folk songwriting greats such as Sam Hogan and John Prine. In 1997, Roger Cook was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall Of Fame (the first Brit to make this achievement). Cook continued to write and scored yet another smash hit with George Strait's "One Night At A Time" the following year. In the 2000s, Roger teamed up with Henry Gross, contributing a few tracks to his I'm Hearing Things album. He also worked on two musicals: Beautiful And Damned and Joe Brown's Don't You Rock Me Daddio in 2009. Around 2012, Cook began his collaboration with American singer-songwriter Galen Crew. Roger met Galen's grandfather on an airplane and was soon sent a four-song demo of Galen's work. Cook liked what he heard and the two forged a songwriting partnership. Galen has a large following in China. He tours regularly and has also toured alongside Roger Cook in the UK. They've since written over 100 songs together. Roger is still writing songs on his own and plans to record a ukulele album in the near future.

Partial list of songs penned or co-written by Roger Cook:
"You've Got Your Troubles" by The Fortunes (1965)
"Green Grass" by Gary Lewis and The Playboys (1966)
"Man Of The Moment" by Freddie Ryder (1966)
"Something's Gotten Hold Of My Heart" by Gene Pitney (1967)
"I Was Kaiser Bill's Batman" by Whistling Jack Smith (1967)
"Melting Pot" by Blue Mink (1969)
"Hallelujah" by Deep Purple (1969)
"My Baby Loves Lovin'" by White Plains (1970)
"(Blame It) On The Pony Express" by Johnny Johnston and The Bandwagon (1970)
"Gasoline Alley Bred" by The Hollies (1970)
"Something Old Something New" by The Fantastics (1970)
"Here Comes That Rainy Day Feeling Again" by The Fortunes (1970)
"Softly Whispering I Love You" by The Congregation (1971)
"Something Tells Me (Something's Gonna Happen Tonight) by Cilla Black (1971)
"I'd Like To Teach The World To Sing" by The New Seekers (1971)
"Zoo De Zoo Zong" by Twiggy And Friends (1971)
"Long Cool Woman In A Black Dress" by The Hollies (1972)
"Randy" by Blue Mink (1973)
"Doctor's Orders" by Sunny (1974),/span>
"Hello Summertime" by Bobby Goldsboro (1974)
"Blue Angel" by Gene Pitney (1974)
"Talking In Your Sleep" by Crystal Gayle (1978)
"I Believe In You" by Don Williams (1980)
"Miracle" by Don Williams (1980)
"Livin' In These Troubled Times" by Crystal Gayle (1982)
"Love Is On A Roll" by Don Williams (1983)
"I Just Want To Dance With You" by John Prine (1986)
"One Night At A Time" by George Strait (1997)
"Sleepyhead" by Galen Crew (2012)

Sheet Music, 1974


If you have any questions, comments, or corrections, please contact me (Kelly)



posted by Kelly Kinsley