Gordon Waller

Gordon Waller
Born	Gordon Trueman Riviere Waller 4 June 1945(1945-06-04) Braemar, Scotland
Died	17 July 2009(2009-07-17) (aged 64) Norwich, Connecticut, United States
Spouse	Georgiana Steele Jen (?)

Gordon Trueman Riviere Waller (4 June 1945 – 17 July 2009) was a Scottish singer–songwriter–guitarist, best known as "Gordon" of the 1960s duo Peter and Gordon, whose biggest hit was "A World Without Love".

Biography

Waller was born in Braemar, Scotland. While attending Westminster School, he met fellow student Peter Asher, and they began playing together as a duo — Peter and Gordon. Asher mentioned in a 2006 interview that "Our voices are quite different, Gordon's and mine, but we tried singing together experimentally and we found that we could achieve this very nice harmony".^[1]

Asher is the older brother of actress and businesswoman Jane Asher, who in the mid-1960s was girlfriend of The Beatles' Paul McCartney. Through this connection he and Waller were often given unrecorded Lennon–McCartney songs to perform, most notably their first and biggest hit, 1964's decidedly Beatlesque "A World Without Love".

Peter and Gordon disbanded in 1968. Afterward, Waller attempted a solo career with little success, releasing one record, and Gordon. On this album Gordon used New York-based group White Cloud featuring Teddy Wender on keyboards. He also appeared in a production of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat as Pharaoh in 1971,^[1] a performance that he reprised on the LP. Gordon first performed "Joseph at the Edinburgh Festival, later reprising the role at the Albery Theatre in London's West End. In 1995 he came out to Los Angeles, CA. and started a publishing company, Steel Wallet International. Ltd. with long time friend and girlfriend, Georgiana Steele. After his divorce to Gay Robbins was final he and Georgiana married on 15 August 1998, they divorced in 2007. In 2007 Gordon released a solo album Plays the Beatles, featuring a new recording of "Woman", which was written by Paul McCartney (under the pseudonym "Bernard Webb") in the mid-1960s and made a hit by Peter and Gordon. In 2008 he followed up with his release of Rebel Rider. On 19 July 2008 Peter and Gordon performed together at The Cannery Casino in North Las Vegas, Nevada. Also on the bill that night were Chad & Jeremy; both duos sang the final concert song ("Bye Bye Love") together for only the second time ever. On 21 August 2008 they performed a free concert on the pier in Santa Monica, California, briefly accompanied by Joan Baez.

Gordon Waller lived in Ledyard, Connecticut in later life. He went into cardiac arrest on the evening of 16 July 2009 and died aged 64 of a heart attack early in the morning of 17 July 2009 at Backus Hospital in Norwich, Connecticut.

Waller married three times. The first two ended in divorce; his second marriage was to Georgiana Steele. His third marriage, to Jen, lasted from March 2008 until his death.^[2] He is survived by his two grown daughters, Phillipa and Natalie, both by first wife Gay, and a grand-daughter, Tyla, as well as both his sisters, Diana and Annie.^[3]

Discography

• In Touch With... (by Peter and Gordon) (1964)
• Peter and Gordon (by Peter and Gordon) (1964)
• World Without Love (by Peter and Gordon) (1964)
• Hurtin' 'n' Lovin' (by Peter and Gordon) (1965)
• I Don't Want to See You Again (by Peter and Gordon) (1965)
• I Go to Pieces (by Peter and Gordon) (1965)
• True Love Ways (by Peter and Gordon) (1965)
• Best of Peter and Gordon (by Peter and Gordon) (1966)
• Peter and Gordon Sing & Play the Hits of Nashville (1966)
• Somewhere (by Peter and Gordon) (1966)
• Woman (by Peter and Gordon) (1966)
• In London for Tea (by Peter and Gordon) (1967)
• Knight in Rusty Armour (by Peter and Gordon) (1967)
• Lady Godiva (by Peter & Gordon) (1967)
• Hot Cold & Custard (by Peter & Gordon) (1968)
• and Gordon (solo) (1972)
• Best of Peter and Gordon (by Peter & Gordon) (1983)
• Hits of Peter and Gordon (by Peter & Gordon) (1983)
• Best of Peter and Gordon (by Peter & Gordon) (1991)
• Ultimate Peter and Gordon (by Peter & Gordon) (2001)
• Definitive Collection: Knights in Rusty Armour (by Peter & Gordon) (2003)
• Plays the Beatles (by Gordon Waller) (2007)
• Rebel Rider (by Gordon Waller) (2008)

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Dennis McLellan (2009-07-20). "Gordon Waller dies at 64; half of the '60s British singing duo Peter & Gordon". Los Angeles Times. http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-gordon-waller21-2009jul21,0,4904989.story. 
2. ^ Guardian obituary
3. ^ Gordon Waller dies at 64; half of the 60s British singing duo Peter & Gordon

External links

• A biography of Gordon

Persondata
Name	Waller, Gordon
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	4 June 1945
Place of birth	Braemar, Scotland
Date of death	17 July 2009
Place of death	Norwich, Connecticut, United States