John Godfrey Owen "Paddy" Roberts was a British songwriter and singer who lived in Devon, England having previously been a lawyer and a pilot. He then joined BOAC and flew Lockheed Constellations for that airline in the late 1940s/1950s.
Roberts, who was born in Durban, Colony of Natal, enjoyed success with a number of songs in the 1950s and 1960s and wrote songs for several films. He released several LPs and EPs of his own material, often featuring what were, for the time, slightly risqué lyrics. One of his most popular and amusing compositions that he recorded himself was titled "The Ballad of Bethnal Green", which was also recorded by Beatrice Lillie.
Roberts was five times the winner of an Ivor Novello Award, four for songwriting and one for services to the British Music Industry. He co-wrote the 1955 UK chart-topper, "Softly, Softly", as sung by Ruby Murray, and "Lay Down Your Arms" by Anne Shelton, which reached No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart in 1956.
Roberts died in August 1975 in Dartmouth, Devon, England.