Raymond Froggatt | |
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| Born | 13 November 1941 Bordesley Green, Birmingham, England |
| Died | 23 July 2023 (aged 81) Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England |
Raymond William Froggatt (13 November 1941 – 23 July 2023) was an English songwriter and singer.[1]
Froggatt (otherwise known as "Froggy") was born in Bordesley Green, Birmingham on 13 November 1941.[2] He began performing rock and roll in the early 1960s before moving on to focus on Country and Western. His band, initially known as the Buccaneers, later Monopoly and ultimately The Raymond Froggatt Band with guitarist Hartley Cain (H Cain), drummer Len Ablethorpe and whose bassist was Louis Clark of Electric Light Orchestra and Hooked on Classics fame, were signed by Polydor in 1964.[2] However chart success eluded them, although the Dave Clark Five had a No. 7 hit in the UK Singles Chart[3] with Froggatt's "The Red Balloon" in 1968.[2][4] His own original version of the song, under the title "Callow-la-vita",[5] reached No. 3 in the Netherlands.
Another Froggatt song, "Big Ship", was a No. 8 UK Singles Chart hit for Cliff Richard in 1969,[6][7] and in the same year Froggatt's composition "Rachel" became a popular song in Australia and New Zealand, when it was released by the Australian artist Russell Morris.[8]
In the 1970s, the band was managed by Don Arden, hoping to break into the United States music scene, but the experience led to the collapse of the band.[2]
Froggatt later became an internationally recognised country music performer, releasing Here's to Everyone (1993)[citation needed] on his Red Balloon record label. Froggatt's autobiography, Raymond Who, followed in 1995.[2]
Froggatt's wife, Louise, died in a car crash.[9] Raymond Froggatt died at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital on 23 July 2023, at the age of 81.[10]
