John Godfrey Owen "Paddy" Roberts (18 January 1910 – 24 August 1975) was a British songwriter and singer who lived in

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

, England having previously been a

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

and a

pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...

(serving with the

RAF The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

). He then joined

BOAC British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) was the British state-owned airline created in 1939 by the merger of Imperial Airways and British Airways Ltd. It continued operating overseas services throughout World War II. After the passi ...

and flew

Lockheed Constellation The Lockheed Constellation ("Connie") is a propeller-driven, four-engined airliner built by Lockheed Corporation starting in 1943. The Constellation series was the first pressurized-cabin civil airliner series to go into widespread use. Its press ...

s for that airline in the late 1940s/1950s. Roberts, who was born in

Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...

Colony of Natal The Colony of Natal was a British colony in south-eastern Africa. It was proclaimed a British colony on 4 May 1843 after the British government had annexed the Boer Republic of Natalia, and on 31 May 1910 combined with three other colonies to ...

(in modern day

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

), enjoyed success with a number of songs in the 1950s and 1960s and wrote songs for several films. He released several LPs and EPs of his own material, often featuring what were, for the time, slightly risqué

lyrics Lyrics are words that make up a song, usually consisting of verses and choruses. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist. The words to an extended musical composition such as an opera are, however, usually known as a "libretto" and their writer, a ...

. One of his most popular and amusing compositions that he recorded himself was entitled "The Ballad of Bethnal Green", which was also recorded by

Beatrice Lillie Beatrice Gladys Lillie, Lady Peel (29 May 1894 – 20 January 1989), known as Bea Lillie, was a Canadian-born British actress, singer and comedic performer. She began to perform as a child with her mother and sister. She made her West End debu ...

. Roberts was five times the winner of an

Ivor Novello Award The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and composing. They have been presented annually in London by the Ivors Academy (formerly the BASCA) since 1956, and over 1,000 statuettes have been a ...

, four for songwriting and one for services to the British Music Industry. He co-wrote the 1955 UK

chart-topper A record chart, in the music industry, also called a music chart, is a ranking of recorded music according to certain criteria during a given period. Many different criteria are used in worldwide charts, often in combination. These include rec ...

, " Softly, Softly", as sung by

Ruby Murray Ruby Florence Murray (29 March 1935 – 17 December 1996) was a Northern Irish singer. One of the most popular singers in the British Isles in the 1950s, she scored ten hits in the UK Singles Chart between 1954 and 1959. She also made pop chart ...

, and " Lay Down Your Arms" by Anne Shelton, which reached No. 1 in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

in 1956. Roberts died in August 1975 in

Dartmouth, Devon Dartmouth () is a town and civil parish in the English county of Devon. It is a tourist destination set on the western bank of the estuary of the River Dart, which is a long narrow tidal ria that runs inland as far as Totnes. It lies within the ...

, England.

Discography

Songs

*"L'Anglais Avec Son Sang-froid" *"Follow Me" *"Love Isn't What it Used To Be" *"The Book" (

David Whitfield David Whitfield (2 February 1925 – 15 January 1980) was a popular British male tenor vocalist from Hull. He became the first British artist to have a UK No.1 single in the UK and in the United States with " Cara Mia", featuring Mantovani an ...

) *" Lay Down Your Arms" ( Anne Shelton) (1956) *"Meet Me on the Corner" (

Max Bygraves Walter William Bygraves (16 October 1922 – 31 August 2012), best known by the stage name Max Bygraves (adopted in honour of Max Miller), was an English comedian, singer, actor and variety performer. He appeared on his own television shows, s ...

) *"Pickin' a Chicken" (

Eve Boswell Eve Boswell (born Éva Keleti; 11 May 1922 – 14 August 1998, was a Hungarian pop singer. With the outbreak of the Second World War, Eva's family moved to South Africa, where they worked with the Boswell Circus. After a few years in South Afric ...

) *"Evermore" (

) *" Softly, Softly" (Ruby Murray) (1955) *"

Johnny Is the Boy for Me Johnny is an English language personal name. It is usually an affectionate diminutive of the masculine given name John, but from the 16th century it has sometimes been a given name in its own right for males and, less commonly, females. Varian ...

" *"It's a Boy" (

Lita Roza Lilian Patricia Lita Roza (14 March 1926 – 14 August 2008) was an English singer best known for her 1953 recording " (How Much Is) That Doggie in the Window?", which reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart. She was the first British woman to hav ...

) *"That Dear Old Gentleman" *"Send For Me" *"The Three Galleons" *"Merry Christmas You Suckers" (released in the US as "And A Happy New Year") *"The Belle of Barking Creek" *"The Big Deejay" *"The Lavender Cowboy" *"The Ballad of Bethnal Green" –

Ivor Novello Awards The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and composing. They have been presented annually in London by the Ivors Academy (formerly the BASCA) since 1956, and over 1,000 statuettes have been a ...

winner (1959) *"Tattooed Lady" *"What's All This Fuss About Love" *"I Remember Tilly" *"Our Little Village" *"Auntie Bridget" *"I Love Mary" *"Country Girl"

Soundtrack songs

*"Magic Carpet" (from " No Time for Tears") *"You Are My First Love" (from ''

It's Great to Be Young ''It's Great to Be Young'' is a 1956 musical Technicolor comedy film about a school music teacher, starring Cecil Parker and John Mills. Plot Mr Dingle (John Mills) seeks to interest his pupils in music in order to enjoy life, while the new ...

'') *"I'm in Love for the Very First Time" (from ''

An Alligator Named Daisy ''An Alligator Named Daisy'' is a 1955 British comedy film directed by J. Lee Thompson and starring Donald Sinden, Jeannie Carson, James Robertson Justice, Diana Dors, Roland Culver and Stanley Holloway. Plot Returning from a cricket match in I ...

'') – Ivor Novello Award winner (1955) *"The Heart of a Man" (from ''

The Heart of a Man ''The Heart of a Man'' is a 1959 British drama film directed by Herbert Wilcox and starring Frankie Vaughan, Anne Heywood and Tony Britton. Its plot concerns a millionaire in disguise who gives a young man money to help him pursue his singing c ...

'') (

Frankie Vaughan Frankie Vaughan (born Frank Fruim Abelson; 3 February 1928 – 17 September 1999) was an English singer and actor who recorded more than 80 easy listening and traditional pop singles in his lifetime. He was known as "Mr. Moonlight" after his ...

) *"Play Rough" (from ''

Violent Playground ''Violent Playground'' is a black and white 1958 British film directed by Basil Dearden and starring Stanley Baker, Peter Cushing, and David McCallum. The film, which deals with the genre of juvenile delinquent, has an explicit social agenda. I ...

'') *Several songs (from ''

The Good Companions ''The Good Companions'' is a novel by the English author J. B. Priestley. Written in 1929, it follows the fortunes of a concert party on a tour of England. It is Priestley's most famous novel and established him as a national figure. It won ...

'') (1957) *"Give Me a Man" (from ''

To Dorothy a Son ''To Dorothy a Son'' is a 1954 British comedy film directed by Muriel Box and starring Shelley Winters, John Gregson and Peggy Cummins. Known in the U.S. as ''Cash on Delivery'', it is based on the 1950 play ''To Dorothy, a Son'' by Roger MacDo ...

'')

Albums

*''Strictly for Grown Ups'' (1959) – No. 8 UK Decca LF 1322 *''Paddy Roberts Tries Again'' (1960) – No. 16 UK Decca LK 4358/SKL 4104 *''Paddy Roberts at the Blue Angel'' (1961) Decca LK 4410 *''Songs for Gay Dogs'' (1963) Decca LK 4560 *''...But Not in Front of the Children'' (1966) Decca LK 4774 *''Funny World'' (1967) Decca LK4964/SKL 4964 *''Doctor Dolittle'' – With Marty Wilde and others (1967) Marble Arch MAL 738 *''The Best of Paddy Roberts'' (1968) – Re-recordings MFP 1276 *''The World of Paddy Roberts'' (1969) – Compilation Decca PA 37/SPA 37

EPs and singles

Singles: featuring recordings not issued on albums *"Love Is A Wonderful Thing" / "Send For Me" Decca F11446 *"Merry Christmas You Suckers" / "Got’N Idea" Decca F11552 EPs *'' Strictly for Grown Ups'' Decca DFE 6584 *''Paddy Roberts Strikes Again'' (with The Dennis Wilson Octet) Decca DFE 6641 *''Paddy'' Decca DFE 6701 Notes: * A Featuring recordings not issued on albums.

Discography notes

Many of Roberts' recordings were made available in the United States. "Merry Christmas You Suckers" was issued with an alternative title of "And A Happy New Year". Although most of the albums were only issued in mono, it appears that the studio albums at least were recorded in stereo. The tracks from ''Strictly For Grown Ups'' that are included on ''The World of Paddy Roberts"'' are in stereo, leading to the assumption that the whole album was recorded that way (but never issued that way). ''Songs for Gay Dogs'' was issued in stereo for the first time in 2006 when released on CD which indicated that ''...But Not in front of the Children'' was also recorded that way. The musical director on most recordings was Dennis Wilson. The exceptions being ''Songs For Gay Dogs'' (Peter Knight), ''Funny World'' (Ronnie Aldrich), ''Live at the Blue Angel'' (Barry Morgan) and ''Doctor Dolittle'' (

Cyril Stapleton Cyril Stapleton (31 December 1914 – 25 February 1974) was an English violinist and jazz bandleader. Biography Born Horace Cyril Stapleton in Mapperley, Nottingham, England, Stapleton began playing violin at the age of seven, and played on lo ...

). The director for "Love Is A Wonderful Thing" / "Send For Me" was

Johnny Pearson John Valmore Pearson (18 June 1925 – 20 March 2011) was a British composer, orchestra leader and pianist. He led the ''Top of the Pops'' orchestra for sixteen years, wrote a catalogue of library music, and had many of his pieces used as the ...

. There is no director listed for his MFP album. All Decca Material with the exception of ''...But Not in front of the Children'' and ''Funny World'' was produced by

Hugh Mendl Hugh Rees Christopher Mendl (6 August 1919, London – 7 July 2008) was a British record producer, A&R representative, and manager who worked for Decca Records for over 40 years. Mendl attended Radley College and then University College, Oxford, ...

CD releases

*''Strictly For Grown Ups/Paddy Roberts Tries Again'' *''Must Close Saturday Records MCSR 3022'' *''Songs For Gay Dogs/Funny World'' *''Must Close Saturday Records MCSR 3034 ''Strictly For Grown Ups'' has also been released without ''Paddy Roberts Tries Again'', but with various other Roberts compositions sung by others on MCSR 3046.

References

External links

Paddy Roberts
discography at

Discogs Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the la ...

Paddy Roberts
biography and discography at Sterlingtimes

at Bucksmusicgroup {{DEFAULTSORT:Roberts, Paddy 1910 births 1975 deaths South African songwriters 20th-century South African male singers Ivor Novello Award winners White South African people 20th-century British male singers