congregation

This British mixed choir and accompanying orchestra was a one-shot studio creation of composers Roger Cook and Roger Greenaway. It was fronted by veteran session vocalist Brian Keith (ex-Plastic Penny) who was ideal for ‘Softly Whispering I Love You' which, hinged on an eminently hummable melody, went to number 4 in the UK chart, and was a 1972 Christmas hit. Too cumbersome for concert tours, Congregation was laid to rest after the single's television promotions but the song itself proved sufficiently durable to be revived successfully by Paul Young in 1989.