Ron Roker
Encyclopedia
Ron Roker is an English
songwriter
and singer.
. His first taste of chart
success was provided by the theme music
to children's TV
programme The Adventures of Rupert Bear
. The song "Rupert", co-written with Len Beadle and recorded
by Beadle's wife Jackie Lee
, made the UK Singles Chart
in 1971. Further success was attained when Roker met up with Lynsey Rubin (who was about to change her name to Lynsey De Paul
). Together they penned "Storm in a Teacup" for The Fortunes
, which landed them a Top Ten hit, and also De Paul's third single
, "All Night", which just missed the chart.
He also wrote the theme for Inigo Pipkin (later renamed Pipkins
).
Roker also began writing with De Paul's partner Barry Blue
, (with whom he is often confused) notably on the song, "Do You Wanna Dance", a Top Ten hit at the end of 1973, as well as some album
tracks.
Moving from pop
to a more soulful/dance vein, he was behind the Tina Charles hits "Love Bug" and "Dance Little Lady Dance". His profile in the U.S.
benefitted from Dionne Warwick
recording one of his songs, "Do You Believe in Love at First Sight", and this became the theme song of the film
of the same name, starring Dan Aykroyd
. "Up in a Puff of Smoke", also written by Roker and recorded by Polly Brown
(aka Polly Browne, formerly of Pickettywitch
), was a Top 20 hit in America
in the 1970s. Together with Gerry Shury, he wrote "Guilty", which was recorded both by The Pearls
and First Choice
and was a hit on both sides of the Atlantic.
One song he did not write was Sweet Dreams
' cover version
of the ABBA
song "Honey, Honey
", although Roker actually sang the male vocal
on that record
, dueting with Polly Brown. He also co-wrote and produced
"Stone Cold Love Affair", a 1975 single by The Real Thing
.
In 1983, Roker resurfaced with Jan Pulsford and Phil Wigger as the songwriters of the UK
's Eurovision Song Contest
entry, "I'm Never Giving it Up". It was recorded by another band called Sweet Dreams
, which came in sixth in the song contest. That year his protege group, "Two Way" (featuring actor Anthony Head
), released a single "Face in the Window", written by the same writers.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
and singer.
Career
Roker first worked as a song-pluggerSong-plugger
A song-plugger was a piano player employed by music stores in the early 20th century to promote and help sell new sheet music, which is how hits were advertised before quality recordings were widely available. Typically, the pianist sat on the mezzanine level of a store and played whatever music...
. His first taste of chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
success was provided by the theme music
Theme music
Theme music is a piece that is often written specifically for a radio program, television program, video game or movie, and usually played during the title sequence and/or end credits...
to children's TV
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
programme The Adventures of Rupert Bear
The Adventures of Rupert Bear
The Adventures of Rupert Bear was a live-action/puppet television series, based on the Mary Tourtel character Rupert Bear, produced by ATV Network, and aired from 28 October 1970 to 24 August 1977 on the ITV network, with 156 11-minute episodes produced over four series...
. The song "Rupert", co-written with Len Beadle and recorded
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
by Beadle's wife Jackie Lee
Jackie Lee
Jackie Lee is an Irish popular music singer, who has recorded under various names.-Career:Lee was a musical child prodigy. She won a scholarship and trained as a soprano for four years...
, made the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
in 1971. Further success was attained when Roker met up with Lynsey Rubin (who was about to change her name to Lynsey De Paul
Lynsey De Paul
Lynsey de Paul is an English singer-songwriter. Allmusic journalist, Craig Harris stated, "one of the first successful female singer-songwriters in England, de Paul has had an illustrious career".-Early life:De Paul was born to Meta and Herbert Rubin, a property developer...
). Together they penned "Storm in a Teacup" for The Fortunes
The Fortunes
The Fortunes are an English harmony beat group. Formed in Birmingham, The Fortunes first came to prominence and international acclaim in 1965, when "You've Got Your Troubles" broke into the US and UK Top 10s...
, which landed them a Top Ten hit, and also De Paul's third single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, "All Night", which just missed the chart.
He also wrote the theme for Inigo Pipkin (later renamed Pipkins
Pipkins
Pipkins was a British children's TV programme. Hartley Hare, Pig, Topov and the gang were the stars of ATV's pre-school series which ran from January 1973 to 29 December 1981....
).
Roker also began writing with De Paul's partner Barry Blue
Barry Blue
Barry Blue is a singer / producer / songwriter from the United Kingdom. He is best known for his hit songs, "Dancin' " , which he co-wrote with Lynsey de Paul, and "Do You Wanna Dance" .At 14 he signed to record producer Norrie Paramor whose erstwhile assistant was one Tim Rice - the producer of...
, (with whom he is often confused) notably on the song, "Do You Wanna Dance", a Top Ten hit at the end of 1973, as well as some album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
tracks.
Moving from pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
to a more soulful/dance vein, he was behind the Tina Charles hits "Love Bug" and "Dance Little Lady Dance". His profile in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
benefitted from Dionne Warwick
Dionne Warwick
Dionne Warwick is an American singer, actress and TV show host, who became a United Nations Global Ambassador for the Food and Agriculture Organization, and a United States Ambassador of Health....
recording one of his songs, "Do You Believe in Love at First Sight", and this became the theme song of the film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
of the same name, starring Dan Aykroyd
Dan Aykroyd
Daniel Edward "Dan" Aykroyd, CM is a Canadian comedian, actor, screenwriter, musician, winemaker and ufologist. He was an original cast member of Saturday Night Live, an originator of The Blues Brothers and Ghostbusters and has had a long career as a film actor and screenwriter.-Early...
. "Up in a Puff of Smoke", also written by Roker and recorded by Polly Brown
Polly Brown
Polly Brown is an English singer. A member of Pickettywitch and Sweet Dreams - and with each group lead singer on a Top Ten hit, respectively "That Same Old Feeling" and "Honey Honey" - Brown had an international solo hit in 1975 with "Up in a Puff of Smoke".-Biography:Brown recorded with...
(aka Polly Browne, formerly of Pickettywitch
Pickettywitch
Pickettywitch was a British pop group. Fronted by singer Polly Brown , the group became best known for its hit single, "That Same Old Feeling", which was written by Tony Macaulay and John Macleod...
), was a Top 20 hit in America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in the 1970s. Together with Gerry Shury, he wrote "Guilty", which was recorded both by The Pearls
The Pearls
The Pearls were a 1970s girl vocal duo from Liverpool, England, featuring Lyn Cornell and Ann Simmons. They released a number of singles, the most successful being "Guilty", which reached #10 in the UK Singles Chart in June 1974.-Career:...
and First Choice
First Choice (band)
First Choice was an American girl group vocal music trio from Philadelphia. The group produced the disco hits "Armed and Extremely Dangerous", "Smarty Pants", "The Player", "Love Thang", "Let No Man Put Asunder" and "Dr. Love". They were signed to soul label Philly Groove Records and to disco label...
and was a hit on both sides of the Atlantic.
One song he did not write was Sweet Dreams
Sweet Dreams (1970s band)
Sweet Dreams were an English studio group who in 1974 scored the English hit version of the ABBA song "Honey Honey".-Career:A cover of an ABBA album track, "Honey Honey" was recorded by a session group backing vocalist Polly Brown, who the track's producers Ron Roker and Gerry Shury had admired...
' cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of the ABBA
ABBA
ABBA was a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1970 which consisted of Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Agnetha Fältskog...
song "Honey, Honey
Honey, Honey
"Honey, Honey" is a song by the Swedish pop group ABBA. It was released as the second single from their second studio album, Waterloo, after the success of the title track winning the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest.-History:...
", although Roker actually sang the male vocal
Human voice
The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal folds for talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, etc. Its frequency ranges from about 60 to 7000 Hz. The human voice is specifically that part of human sound production in which the vocal folds are the primary...
on that record
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
, dueting with Polly Brown. He also co-wrote and produced
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
"Stone Cold Love Affair", a 1975 single by The Real Thing
The Real Thing (group)
-Albums:Studio albums* Real Thing - UK #34* 4 from 8 * Step Into Our World , retitled Can You Feel the Force - UK #73* ....Saints Or Sinners? Live albums* The Real Thing Live Compilation albums...
.
In 1983, Roker resurfaced with Jan Pulsford and Phil Wigger as the songwriters of the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
's Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
entry, "I'm Never Giving it Up". It was recorded by another band called Sweet Dreams
Sweet Dreams (band)
Sweet Dreams were a British vocal trio comprising teenagers Carrie Gray, Helen Kray and Bobby McVay who represented the UK in Eurovision 1983 with the song "I'm Never Giving Up"....
, which came in sixth in the song contest. That year his protege group, "Two Way" (featuring actor Anthony Head
Anthony Head
Anthony Stewart Head , usually credited as Anthony Head, is an English actor and musician. He rose to fame in the UK following his role in television advertisements for Nescafé Gold Blend , and is known for his roles as Rupert Giles in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and as Uther Pendragon in...
), released a single "Face in the Window", written by the same writers.