Michael Holliday

Channelling the easy-listening style of the classic, old time entertainers, Michael Holliday's velvet baritone voice and swaggering, laid-back cool made him one of Britain's big pop crooners of the 1950s, renowned for his charm and gentle manner. Holliday (real name Norman Alexander Milne) originally worked as a merchant seaman and would bring back jazz records from America to his home town of Liverpool and sell them in a small record shop run by Lilian Ablett, the mother of Elvis Costello. On one trip to New York he won a talent contest held at Radio City Music Hall and it encouraged him to try his luck in the world of showbiz. He went on to spend two summers performing at the Butlin's holiday camp at Pwllheli in North Wales, which in turn, resulted in tours of the UK and occasional radio broadcasts with the Eric Winstone Band. A BBC television appearance in 1955 was seen by top record producer Norrie Paramour, who signed him to Columbia Records. Impressed by his relaxed style, the label marketed him as a British version of Bing Crosby, on whom Holliday had modelled himself. He scored two UK number one singles with The Story Of My Life in 1958 (a Burt Bacharach composition) and Starry Eyed in 1959 and had other hits including Hot Diggity (Dog Ziggity), Nothing To Do and Stairway Of Love. He also became a regular on television shows, even hosting his own variety show called Relax With Mike. In time he adapted his laconic, easy listening style to encompass ragtime and show tunes. However, his career was blunted by chronic stage fright which prevented him from touring regularly and in 1961 he had a nervous breakdown. He died suddenly from a suspected drugs overdose in 1964, aged 38.