Alma Cogan

With a bubbly personality, exotic looks and a strong voice, Alma Cogan became one of the most successful pop singers in the United Kingdom in the period just before rock and roll took over popular music in the 1960s. She had a series of singles, many of them covers of hit records from America, from the early 1950s until her death at the age of 34 from stomach cancer. Her 1955 release 'Dreamboat' went to number one on the UK's Official Singles Chart and she had 20 other records on the chart from 'Bell Bottom Blues', which reached number four in 1954, to 'Cowboy Jimmy Joe', which peaked at number 37 in 1961.

Born in East London she won a talent contest as a child, performed in local venues and became resident singer at a hotel lounge until a record producer signed her to HMV in 1949. Her recording debut was on the single 'To Be Worthy of You' and she began to appear on popular British radio comedy shows of the day such as 'Gently Bentley' and 'Take It from Here'. Her 1954 single 'Little Things Mean a Lot' went to number eleven in the UK followed by 'I Can't Tell a Waltz from a Tango', which reached number six. Other popular songs included 'Never Do a Tango With an Eskimo' which went to number six in 1955, 'Willie Can' which hit number 13 in 1956, 'You, Me and Us' which peaked at number 18 in 1957 and 'Sugartime' which placed at number 16 in 1958.

Cogan was noted for a little giggle in her voice that endeared her to audiences and became one of the first pop singers to appear regularly on television. NME readers named her Outstanding British Female Singer four times but as rock groups began to dominate the charts in the 1960s, her popularity faded although she attempted to remain current with recordings of some Beatles songs in the mid-1960s before her untimely death.