60 min listen
Ep. 81 - ROGER COOK ("I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing")
Ep. 81 - ROGER COOK ("I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing")
ratings:
Length:
54 minutes
Released:
Jan 23, 2018
Format:
Podcast episode
Description
Though he is now a Nashville Songwriters Hall of Famer, the British-born Roger Cook began his career in the UK, first making a splash on the US charts with The Fortunes’ Top 10 hit recording of “You’ve Got Your Troubles.” Additional US singles in that era included the Top 10 hits “Green Grass” by Gary Lewis & The Playboys, “I Was Kaiser Bill’s Batman,” by Whistling Jack Smith, and “Here Comes That Rainy Day Feeling Again” by The Fortunes. In 1972 Cook scored with two different versions of “I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing,” an international hit that began as a groundbreaking commercial jingle for Coca-Cola before becoming a successful single for The Hillside Singers and then The New Seekers. Later that year he topped the charts with The Hollies’ “Long Cool Woman (In a Black Dress).” He and longtime songwriting partner Roger Greenaway were named British Songwriters of the Year two years in a row for 1971 and 1972 at the Ivor Novello awards in the the UK. In the mid-1970s, Cook moved to Nashville, where he found success with a string of #1 hits, including BMI Country Song of the Year “Talking in Your Sleep” for Crystal Gayle, “I Believe in You” for Don Williams, and “Love is on a Roll,” a song co-written with John Prine that became another #1 for Williams. Additional chart-topping hits include ASCAP Country Song of the Year “One Night at a Time” and “I Just Want to Dance With You,” both #1 singles for George Strait. Roger’s songs have been recorded by The Drifters, Frankie Valli, Neil Diamond, Johnny Cash, John Prine, Sonny & Cher, Chet Atkins, Nancy Wilson, Bette Midler, Petula Clark, Brenda Lee, Clint Black, Amy Grant, Reba McEntire, and others. He is a Grammy nominee, ACM nominee, three-time CMA Song of the Year nominee, and the only British inductee into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. Additionally, he and Roger Greenaway were inducted into the national Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2009.
Released:
Jan 23, 2018
Format:
Podcast episode
Titles in the series (100)
Ep. 1 - JIM PETERIK ("Eye of the Tiger"): Singer, songwriter, guitarist, and keyboardist Jim Peterik is best known as a founding member of the band Survivor and the co-writer of their Grammy-winning double platinum #1 hit single, “Eye of the Tiger.” But that’s only the tip of the iceberg. Thirty-five of Jim’s songs have appeared on the BillboardPop chart, including seven Top 10 singles. His first major success came when his original band, Ides of March, took the Peterik-penned “Vehicle” to the #2 position on the Pop chart in 1970, spawning cover versions by Chet Baker and Shirley Bassey. After a stint as a solo artist with Epic Records, Jim formed Survivor in 1979, penning a string of hits for the band, including “I Can’t Hold Back,” “High On You,” “The Search is Over,” “Burning Heart,” and “Is This Love.” While still writing hits for his own group, Jim forged a successful partnership with the members of 38 Special, co-writing classic songs, including “Rockin’ Into the Night,” “Hold On by Songcraft: Spotlight on Songwriters