Raymond William Froggatt (13 November 1941 – 23 July 2023) was an English songwriter and singer.
Biography
Froggatt (otherwise known as "Froggy") was born in Bordesley Green, Birmingham on 13 November 1941. 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. However chart success eluded them, although the Dave Clark Five had a No. 7 hit in the UK Singles Chart with Froggatt's "The Red Balloon" in 1968. His own original version of the song, under the title "Callow-la-vita", reached No. 3 in the Netherlands.
Another Froggatt song, "Big Ship", was a No. 8 UK Singles Chart hit for Cliff Richard in 1969, 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.
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.
Froggatt later became an internationally recognised country music performer, releasing Here's to Everyone (1993) on his Red Balloon record label. Froggatt's autobiography, Raymond Who, followed in 1995.
Raymond Froggatt died at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital on 23 July 2023, at the age of 81.
Discography
1968 - The Voice And Writings Of Raymond Froggatt
1972 - Bleach
1974 - Rogues And Thieves
1978 - Southern Fried Frog
1979 - Songs From A Minstral
1980 - Stay With Me
1982 - Sooner Or Later
1984 - Why? 1988 - Is It Rollin' Bob 1991 - Here's To Everyone 1993 - At The London Palladium 1995 - Someday 1996 - The Collection 1997 - Moonshine 1980 - Runaway 1998 - Southern Fried Frog & Rogues And Thieves 1998 - In Concert At The Birmingham Town Hall 1998 - There Goes That Song Again 1999 - Now And Then 2002 - Milestones 2003 - Cold As A Landlord's Heart 2003 - Coast To Coast 2003 - Shantytown 2004 - The Voice And Writing Of Raymond Froggatt 2004 - Songland 40 2004 - Adaos 2004 - Just One Night In Concert Symphony Hall Birmingham 2006 - Dream Of You 2007 - Songwriter 2007 - The Lights Of Amsterdam 2010 - Songs With Reasons 2010 - Warm Days Summer Nights 2011 - Blue And Gold 2011 - America 2011 - Fields Of Rock And Roll 2012 - Movin' On 2013 - Birmingham Rain 2014 - Closer To You 2015 - The Classic Collection Vol 2 2018 - In Concert (Hunstanton & Birmingham)