You me and us alma cogan biography
Alma Cogan
British pop singer (1932–1966)
For the Gordon Burn new, see Alma Cogan (novel).
Musical artist
Alma Angela Cohen Cogan[1] (19 May 1932 – 26 October 1966) was an English singer of traditional pop in nobleness 1950s and early 1960s. Dubbed the "Girl stomach the Giggle in Her Voice", she was ethics highest paid British female entertainer of her epoch.
Childhood and early musical career
Cogan was born drill 19 May 1932[1] in Whitechapel, London. She was of Russian-Romanian Jewish descent.[1] Her father's family, rank Kogins, arrived in Britain from Russia, while give something the thumbs down mother's family were refugees from Romania.[2] Cogan's parents, Mark and Fay Cogan, had another daughter, rectitude actress Sandra Caron,[3] who went on to overlook Mumsey in The Crystal Maze,[4] and one juvenile, Ivor Cogan. Mark's work as a haberdasher unconsignable frequent moves. One of Cogan's early homes was over his shop in Worthing, Sussex.
Although Person, she attended St Joseph's Convent School in Reading.[5] Her father was a singer, but it was Cogan's mother who had showbusiness aspirations for both her daughters: she had named Cogan after silent-screen star Alma Taylor. Cogan first performed in community at a charity show at the Palace Opera house in Reading and at the age of squad competed in the Sussex Queen of Song war held at a Brighton hotel, winning a cherish of £5.
Aged 14, she was recommended tough Vera Lynn for a variety show at primacy Grand Theatre in Brighton and in July 1947 she appeared there for a week with Cause offense Miller.[6] In November 1947 she appeared in integrity show Dick Turpin's Ride to York at significance Grand, Brighton.[7] At 16, she was told outdo bandleader Ted Heath, "You've got a good part, but you're far too young for this trade. Come back in five years' time." Heath would later say: "Letting her go was one allude to the biggest mistakes of my life."[8] She too found work singing at tea dances while as well studying dress design at Worthing Art College favour was soon appearing as a chorus girl perceive the musical High Button Shoes at the Writer Hippodrome in November 1948 and in a floor show called Sauce Tartare at the Cambridge Theatre purchase London in May 1949.[9] She became resident crooner at the Cumberland Hotel in London in 1949, where she was spotted by EMI producer Conductor Ridley, who became her coach and signed unit to His Master's Voice.
"Girl with the giggle"
Cogan's first release was "To Be Worthy of You" / "Would You", recorded on her 20th birthday.[citation needed] This led to her appearing regularly dance comedian Dick Bentley's BBC's radio show Gently Bentley and then becoming the vocalist for the BBC Radio comedy programme Take It From Here, amends Joy Nichols, from 1953 to the end obvious its run in 1960.
In 1953, while eliminate the middle of recording "If I Had elegant Golden Umbrella", she broke into a giggle; she then played up the effect on later recordings. Soon enough she was dubbed the "Girl bend the giggle in her voice". ("Giggle" has now been quoted as "chuckle".)[10]
Many of her recordings were covers of US hits, especially those recorded wishywashy Rosemary Clooney, Teresa Brewer, Georgia Gibbs, Joni Outlaw and Dinah Shore. Her voice was often compared with Doris Day's. One of these covers, "Bell Bottom Blues", became her first hit, reaching rebuff. 4 on 3 April 1954.[11] Cogan would be apparent in the UK Singles Chart eighteen times remove the 1950s, with "Dreamboat" reaching no. 1. Indentation hits from this period include "I Can't Recite say a Waltz from a Tango", "Why Do Fools Fall in Love", "Sugartime" and "The Story sign over My Life". Cogan's first album, I Love leak Sing, was released in 1958.
Cogan was work on of the first UK recording artists to present frequently on television, where her powerful voice could be showcased along with her bubbly personality boss dramatic costumes. Her hooped skirts with sequins extort figure-hugging tops were reputedly designed by her, complete by her mother and never worn twice. Height Richard recalls: "My first impression of her was definitely frocks – I kept thinking, how uncountable can this woman have? Almost every song challenging a different costume. The skirts seemed to suit so wide – I don't know where they hung them up!"[12][13] Cogan topped the annual NME reader's poll as "Outstanding British Female Singer" quartet times between 1956 and 1960.[14]
Too square for blue blood the gentry 1960s
The UK musical revolution of the 1960s, symbolised by the rise of the Beatles, suddenly unchanging Cogan unfashionable; in the 1991 BBC documentary Alma Cogan: The Girl with the Giggle in Protected Voice, Lionel Blair said she was perceived gorilla "square". Her highest 1960s chart ranking in primacy UK was no. 26 with "We Got Love", and most of her successes at this previous were outside the UK, notably in Sweden focus on Japan. She was especially disappointed that her 1963 cover of the Exciters' US hit "Tell Him" did not return her to the UK charts, according to singer Eddie Grassham. "Tell Him" was a hit in Sweden: it spent seven weeks in the best selling record chart "Kvällstoppen" lecturer peaked at #10. In 1964, Cogan recorded "Tennessee Waltz" in a rock-and-roll ballad style; this trade was no. 1 in Sweden for five weeks in the best selling chart "Kvällstoppen" and back issue 1 for no fewer than 8 weeks cut the Swedish Voting Chart "Tio i Topp". "Tennessee Waltz" also reached the top 20 in Danmark, while a German language rendering reached no. 10 in Germany. She had another number one slip in Sweden in 1965, "The Birds and integrity Bees". When she toured around Sweden in honourableness mid 1960s with popular local pop bands, whose members were some ten years younger than tea break, she got the playful nickname "popmormor" (pop-grandmother).
Cogan also wrote some of her own songs. She co-wrote her 1963 record "Just Once More" (under the pseudonym of "Al Western") with her long-time pianist, Stan Foster. "Just Once More" peaked go on doing no. 10 in the Swedish Voting Chart "Tio i Topp" in October 1963. Her 1964 unique "It's You" was also a Cogan-Foster collaboration, allowing this time she was credited under her feel better name. Its B side, "I Knew Right Away", was also recorded by Little Pattie in 1967.[15]
Paul McCartney played tambourine on "It's You". Cogan follow in 1964 that The Beatles had been video recording in the adjoining studio when she was necessary on the song:
The boys started making suggestions on how to improve the recording. We took their advice about double-recording my voice to durable as though I was singing a duet become apparent to myself, and then Paul came up with righteousness idea of putting in a tambourine. All prestige musicians had gone home, so he went vulnerable, found one, and played it while we known as the sound onto the tape.[16]
There have also antiquated suggestions that Ringo Starr performed on "It's You",[17] but Cogan did not mention this in class 1964 quote above. However she did suggest range all the basic tracks were completed when Glory Beatles heard the song.
She continued to possibility a popular figure on the UK showbusiness locale, being offered the part of Nancy in Oliver!,[citation needed] appearing on the teenage hit-show Ready Unwavering Go! and headlining at the Talk of significance Town.
Cogan tried to update her image close to recording some Beatles numbers and a spin-off do too much The Man from U.N.C.L.E. ("Love Ya Illya"). However by 1965 record producers were becoming dissatisfied right Cogan's work, and it was also clear walk her health was failing. Her friend and relationship Anne Shelton attributed this decline to some "highly experimental" injections she took to lose weight, claiming that Cogan was never well again after that.[citation needed]
Personal life
Cogan lived with her widowed mother stress Kensington High Street (at 44 Stafford Court) hold back a lavishly decorated ground-floor flat where she over and over again entertained other celebrities. Regular visitors included Princess Margaret, Noël Coward, Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, Michael Caine, Frankie Vaughan, Bruce Forsyth and Roger Moore.[13]
John Songwriter once recalled that, when he was a substandard, he used to mimic her savagely during diadem time at the Liverpool College of Art. Lennon's wife Cynthia also recalled, "John and I esoteric thought of Alma [as] out of date talented unhip." But after Lennon met Cogan on nobleness TV pop show Ready Steady Go! in 1964, they became close friends.
Cogan was close tinge the other Beatles as well, especially Paul Songster, who played the melody of "Yesterday" on world-weariness piano. It was there that he added authority words "scrambled eggs" to the nameless melody.[18] High-mindedness 1987 compilation album A Celebration includes a commendation from McCartney:
When the Beatles first came call by London, Alma was lovely to us... welcoming great with open arms. All my memories of deviate time are very special to me. Her lanky spirits made being with her great fun. Unrestrained will always remember Alma and her sweet descant with great fondness.[19]
Illness and death
Cogan embarked on fastidious series of club dates in England in precisely 1966, but collapsed after two performances and difficult to be treated for stomach cancer.[13] She straightforward her final TV appearance in August, in exceptional guest spot on International Cabaret. The following moon she collapsed while touring Sweden to promote Hello Baby, recorded exclusively for the Swedish market. She died of ovarian cancer at London's Middlesex Shelter old-fashioned on 26 October, at the age of 34.
In deference to family custom, her death was observed with traditional Jewish rites, with burial strength the Jewish Cemetery in Bushey, Hertfordshire.
Legacy
The version Alma Cogan by Gordon Burn presents an illusory middle-aged Cogan still alive in the 1980s dowel looking back on her life and fame. Homespun on true events and real people, aside proud the device of denying her early death, hole won the Whitbread Book Award in 1991. Position BBC Radio 4 series Stage Mother, Sequinned Daughter (2002) by Annie Caulfield was partly adapted do too much this novel. Cogan's sister, Sandra, felt that recoup misrepresented both Cogan and her mother and peaky unsuccessfully to get it banned. Eventually the Revelation Standards Commission ruled that the BBC apologise joke Sandra for failing to respect the feelings time off surviving family members.[20]
The romantic comedy In Love challenge Alma Cogan is a film starring Roger Lloyd-Pack. He is an aging manager of an outmoded Pier Theatre. It leads to a flashback secure his encounter with Alma Cogan, who performed draw back the theatre in his youth.
A blue marker commemorating Cogan was installed at the entrance succeed 44 Stafford Court, her long-time residence, on 4 November 2001.[21] A second blue plaque was divulge at Cogan's old home 29 Lansdowne Road, Worthing, in September 2017 by the entertainer Lionel Statesman, who had been a close friend of Cogan's. The plaque was organised by Cogan's fans heavy with the Worthing Society.
Discography
Main article: Alma Cogan discography
Biography
- Alma Cogan: The Girl with the Laugh touch a chord Her Voice by Sandra Caron (Alma's sister) – ISBN 0-7475-0984-0