The Congregation was a British pop
ensemble
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* Ensemble (band), a project of Olivier Alary
* Ensemble cast (drama, comedy)
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, formed by
Roger Cook and
Roger Greenaway
Roger John Reginald Greenaway, (born 23 August 1938) is an English singer, songwriter and record producer, best known for his collaborations with Roger Cook. His compositions have included "You've Got Your Troubles" and the transatlantic mill ...
in England.
In the United States it ws credited as The English Congregation.
The band's biggest
hit
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was a
cover version
In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...
of "
Softly Whispering I Love You
"Softly Whispering I Love You" is a song written by Roger Greenaway and Roger Cook originally recorded by the duo under the name of David and Jonathan. This version peaked at No. 23 in Australia on ''Go-Set''s National Top 40 Singles ...
" (originally recorded by Cook and Greenaway's previous group,
David and Jonathan
David and Jonathan were, according to the Hebrew Bible's Books of Samuel, heroic figures of the Kingdom of Israel, who formed a covenant, taking a mutual oath.
Jonathan was the son of Saul, king of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, and David w ...
), which peaked at No. 4 on 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 1971,
No. 29 on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in the US, No. 1 in South Africa, No. 12 in Australia
and
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
and No. 10 in Germany. The group's lead singer was the former
Plastic Penny
Plastic Penny were a British 1960s pop band, formed in November 1967 before splitting up in August 1969. The group had one hit single early in 1968: the song "Everything I Am". Most of the members went on to greater fame with other bands or in s ...
vocalist, Brian Keith, who later became a
session musician
Session musicians, studio musicians, or backing musicians are musicians hired to perform in recording sessions or live performances. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a recording artist on a ...
.
With no further top 40 hits, The Congregation was a
transatlantic
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* ''Transatlantic'' (1931 film) ...
one-hit wonder
A one-hit wonder or viral hit is any entity that achieves mainstream popularity, often for only one piece of work, and becomes known among the general public solely for that momentary success. The term is most commonly used in regard to music p ...
.
The band changed its name on releases in the United States to avoid confusion with the
Mike Curb Congregation, which also recorded "Softly Whispering I Love You".
Discography
(All UK releases on
Columbia of Columbia Graphophone Co./EMI; US releases leased to
Atco Atco or ATCO may refer to:
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and Signpost)
;Singles
*"
Softly Whispering I Love You
"Softly Whispering I Love You" is a song written by Roger Greenaway and Roger Cook originally recorded by the duo under the name of David and Jonathan. This version peaked at No. 23 in Australia on ''Go-Set''s National Top 40 Singles ...
"/"When Susie Takes the Plane" (Columbia DB 8830 & Atco 6865, 1971)
*"Lovers of the World Unite"/"Love Is the Sweetest Thing I Know" (Columbia DB 8894 & Signpost 70002, 1972)
*"Jesahel"/"Sing Me a Love Song" (Columbia DB 8906 & Signpost 70004,
[B-side: "If I Could Have My Way"] 1972)
*"I Will Survive"/"If I Could Have My Way" (Columbia 006-05 170, Germany, 1972)
*"It Didn't Matter"/"Loving Your Neighbour" (Columbia DB 8980, 1973)
*"Jubilation"/"Love Is the Sweetest Thing I Know" (Columbia DB 9006, 1973)
;Albums
*''Softly Whispering I Love You'' (Columbia SCX 6490 & Signpost 7217, 1972)
*''Jesahel'' (Signpost 8405, 1972)
*''Greatest Hits'' (EMIdisc 1 C 048-51 828, Germany, 1972)
*''The Congregation'' (Columbia SCX 6517, 1973)
See also
*
List of number-one singles in 1972 (New Zealand)
*
List of 1970s one-hit wonders in the United States
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby unio ...
References
External links
*
English pop music groups
Musical groups established in 1971
{{UK-pop-band-stub