1966 David and Jonathan – Michelle
Fishponds, Bristol, England was the home of Tony Burrows, Roger Greenaway, and Roger Maggs in the fifties. They formed a harmony group and added a fourth member with a distinctive falsetto, Geoff Williams.
The group began recording in 1959, but did not reach the charts. They performed as Beltones and then the Hi-Fi’s before finally settling The Kestrels. In 1964, Roger Cook joined the group.
The band mostly played covers of American songs, but the two Rogers began working on writing their own songs. You’ve Got Your Troubles became the first song they sold, and it became a top ten hit for the Fortunes in both the UK and the US.
The Kestrels disbanded, and Roger and Roger began performing as David and Jonathan. Their first single did not do well. The Beatles had decided not to release any singles from their Rubber Soul album, so in 1966, David and Jonathan worked with George Martin to create a cover version of Michelle.
Their single peaked at #11 in the UK and #18 on the Hot 100 in the US. It also reached #3 on the US Adult Contemporary chart.
David and Jonathan released a few more singles with little success, and in the early seventies they began recording as The Congregation. Once again, no hits.
The pair did write successful songs for other recording artists, including Green Grass by Gary Lewis and the Playboys, I Was Kaiser Bill’s Batman by Whistling Jack Smith, and the Coke commercial that became I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_and_Jonathan_(band)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelle_(song)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Cook_(songwriter)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Greenaway
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_songs_written_by_Roger_Cook_and_Roger_Greenaway
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