ALMA COGAN Safeguardingalma COGAN Our Heritage
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The Worthing Society Conserving, Preserving Heritage Leaflet No: 8 and Safeguarding our Heritage Heritage Leaflet No: 9 ALMA COGAN SafeguardingALMA COGAN our Heritage (1932 – 1966) This is one of a series of leaflets being produced by the Worthing Society to accompany the plaques erected throughout the Town to commemorate notable people, buildings, and events in the town’s history. For more information about the Society and its activities go to our Web Site at: www.worthingsociety.org.uk Reg. Charity No. 286899 Alma’s radio career began with regular appearances on Variety Shows and enjoyed cabaret seasons in New York Alma Cogan Gently Bentley, starring Dick Bentley, in 1952 but her big and at The Talk Of The Town. break came when Joy Nichols left the hit radio show Take Popular Singer, Star of Stage, Radio, Records It From Here in 1953 and the BBC decided to replace Joy At the height of her fame Alma and TV with two ladies: June Whitfield to join the comedy team did return to appear on stage in and Alma to supply the songs. Take It From Here, listened Worthing. On 26th July 1959 she Known as ‘The Girl With The Laugh In Her Voice’, Alma to by millions, was a wonderful shop window for Alma’s topped the bill in a Sunday Cogan was one of the most popular singing stars to talent and she stayed with the show for over two years. concert at the Pier Pavilion and emerge in Britain in the 1950s and was reputed to be the Soon, she was in demand for all the variety shows of the that Christmas starred in highest paid British female star during that era. She had day, making frequent appearances on Midday Music Goldilocks And The 3 Bears at more hit records in the British charts in that decade than Hall, Workers’ Playtime, Henry Hall’s Guest Night, the Connaught Theatre from any other girl singer (18 in total), and in the 1960s she Blackpool Night and many others. 21st December 1959 - 23rd became an international star, topping the charts in Japan January 1960. (where she knocked Elvis Presley off the No. 1 spot), Her recording career began in 1952 and at a recording Sweden and Israel as well as having hits in India, session the following year she had a fit of the giggles and Germany, Denmark, Norway and Iceland. Wally Ridley, her HMV recording manager, noticed that Alma never married, although her name was linked with this gave Alma’s voice a very attractive bubbly quality Alma was born in London on the 19th May 1932. Her Cary Grant and John Lennon, but towards the end of her and ‘the laugh in the voice’ trademark was born. Ridley parents were Mark and Fay Cogan and she had an older life she did find romance with Brian Morris, manager of gave Alma mainly novelty songs to record and in 1954 brother Ivor and a younger sister Sandra. The family later London’s Ad Lib club. Alma died, tragically young, of she entered the charts with Bell Bottom Blues where it moved to Slough and Reading before arriving in ovarian cancer on 26th October 1966. She was just 34 climbed to No. 4 and sold 100,000 copies. She quickly Worthing in the 1940s when Mark opened a shop in years of age. followed that with Little Things Mean A Lot, I Can’t Tell A Warwick Street. The family lived above the shop for a Waltz From A Tango, Never Do A Tango With An Eskimo, while before moving to Placilla, 29, Lansdowne Road. At Twenty Tiny Fingers, Sugartime, Willie Can and that time Alma fancied a career as a fashion designer and Dreamboat, which took her to the coveted No.1 spot in Thanks to generous enrolled at Worthing College of Art studying dress and the charts in 1955. donations from members textile design. This proved useful in her later career as of the Alma Cogan she used her expertise to design the huge, extravagant Television proved an ideal medium for the glamorous International Fan Club, a dresses that became a trademark of the singer. Miss Cogan and her flamboyant gowns. In 1957 she was Blue Plaque was unveiled given her own show by the BBC and also made many at 29, Lansdowne Road Alma loved singing and entered the Sussex Queen Of appearances on the fledgling ITV channel, and in the late by Alma’s close friend, Song competition in Brighton and won first prize. It was ‘50s and early ‘60s was the star and commere of a high the entertainer Lionel whilst living in Worthing that Alma first auditioned for budget series of variety shows. Blair, on 22nd September the BBC and, at just 16 years of age, successfully 2017 auditioned for the chorus of a new West End musical, Live appearances figured large in the Cogan diary. She High Button Shoes. The show ran for almost a year and headlined variety tours all over the country and the constant commuting between Worthing and London appeared in summer seasons and pantomimes. She each day eventually became too much for Alma so the starred at the London Palladium for eight months of 1956 Copyright Geoff Bowden 2017 family moved back to London. in the revue Rocking The Town; appeared in three Royal .