Mexican Whistler; Roger Whittaker

Roger Whittaker had already appeared here, whistling in the gorgeous song called “New World in the Morning”. Now he is only whistling and playing an acoustic guitar in this instrumental song, followed by another guitarist, a bassist and a drummer.

I admit that I liked the way Roger Whittaker whistled in “New World in the Morning”, but now listening to “Mexican Whistler” I am astonished! He is in fact the best of bests whistlers (sorry Andrew Bird)! I’m ashamed of the way I whistle...

He can whistle blowing and breathing the air, doing the vibratos look like a thing so easy to do. His technique is splendid! It seems that he does the vibratos and pitch variations through the throat, besides the usual bilabial whistling. Well, all I know is he is a master!

In Roger Whittaker’s website we can read a short history of this song:

By 1967, Roger was slowly beginning to make his name. He had enjoyed several record releases during this time, though the elusive big hit single had still escaped his clutches. Still, he was earning a healthy living and appearing occasionally on radio and television. Roger was asked to join a British team for the annual music festival at Knokke, Belgium. Singing “If I Were a Rich Man,” and his own composition “Mexican Whistler,” he helped Britain to win the competition. He also emerged as the hit of the entire contest and picked up the coveted and highly prestigious Press Prize as the personality of the festival. Issued on the Continent as singles shortly afterward, “Mexican Whistler” soon reached number one in three different European countries while “If I Were a Rich Man” peaked at number two. Suddenly, Roger was inundated with offers to tour Europe and star on the major television programs.