Malcolm Vaughan (22 March 1929 – 9 February 2010)
was a Welsh
traditional pop music
Traditional pop (also known as classic pop and pre-rock and roll pop) is Western pop music that generally pre-dates the advent of rock and roll in the mid-1950s. The most popular and enduring songs from this era of music are known as pop standards ...
singer and actor. Known for his distinctive
tenor
A tenor is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The lo ...
voice, he had a number of
chart
A chart (sometimes known as a graph) is a graphical representation for data visualization, in which "the data is represented by symbols, such as bars in a bar chart, lines in a line chart, or slices in a pie chart". A chart can represent tabu ...
hits
Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* ''H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block
* ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998
* ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014 - a British compilation album se ...
in the United Kingdom during the 1950s.
Biography
Born Malcolm James Thomas, in
Abercynon
Abercynon (), is both a village and a community (and electoral ward) in the Cynon Valley within the unitary authority of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. The community comprises the village and the districts of Carnetown and Grovers Field to the south, ...
,
South Wales
South Wales ( cy, De Cymru) is a loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire, south Wales extends westwards ...
,
he spent much of his childhood in the village of
Troedyrhiw
Troed-y-rhiw (, translation: foot of the slope) is a large community village in the county borough of Merthyr Tydfil, Wales. Its population at the 2011 census was 5,296. It features the Troed-y-rhiw railway station.
Governance
The community sh ...
, near
Merthyr Tydfil
Merthyr Tydfil (; cy, Merthyr Tudful ) is the main town in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, Wales, administered by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council. It is about north of Cardiff. Often called just Merthyr, it is said to be named after Tydf ...
after his family relocated there, and sang with the local choir.
He first appeared as a stage actor in 1944 when he was cast in
Emlyn Williams
George Emlyn Williams, CBE (26 November 1905 – 25 September 1987) was a Welsh writer, dramatist and actor.
Early life
Williams was born into a Welsh-speaking, working class family at 1 Jones Terrace, Pen-y-ffordd, Ffynnongroyw, Flintsh ...
's comedy ''The Druid's Rest'' at the
St. Martin's Theatre in London's West End and went on to appear at the
London Hippodrome
The Hippodrome is a building on the corner of Cranbourn Street and Charing Cross Road in the City of Westminster, London. The name was used for many different theatres and music halls, of which the London Hippodrome is one of only a few survi ...
in the musical comedy ''Jenny Jones'', where his singing abilities were first noted by the critic
James Agate
James Evershed Agate (9 September 1877 – 6 June 1947) was an English diarist and theatre critic between the two world wars. He took up journalism in his late twenties and was on the staff of ''The Manchester Guardian'' in 1907–1914. He later ...
who said of him that he was "allowed to talk too much and sing too little". He followed this up with a role in a variety show organized by the bandleader and impresario
Jack Hylton
Jack Hylton (born John Greenhalgh Hilton; 2 July 1892 – 29 January 1965) was an English pianist, composer, band leader and impresario.
Hylton rose to prominence during the British dance band era, being referred as the "British King of Jazz" a ...
, and a part in the
Thornton Wilder
Thornton Niven Wilder (April 17, 1897 – December 7, 1975) was an American playwright and novelist. He won three Pulitzer Prizes — for the novel ''The Bridge of San Luis Rey'' and for the plays ''Our Town'' and ''The Skin of Our Teeth'' — a ...
play ''The Skin of Our Teeth'' at the
Piccadilly Theatre
The Piccadilly Theatre is a West End theatre located at 16 Denman Street, behind Piccadilly Circus and adjacent to the Regent Palace Hotel, in the City of Westminster, London, England.
Early years
Built by Bertie Crewe and Edward A. Stone ...
, which was directed by
Laurence Olivier
Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier (; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director who, along with his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud, was one of a trio of male actors who dominated the Theatre of the U ...
and also appeared in the first stage production of the popular BBC
Children's Hour
''Children's Hour'', initially ''The Children's Hour'', was the BBC's principal recreational service for children (as distinct from "Broadcasts to Schools") which began during the period when radio was the only medium of broadcasting.
''Childre ...
programme ''The Adventures of Larry the Lamb'' in which he was Dennis the Dachshund, and was an errand boy in the film ''
Bedelia'' alongside
Margaret Lockwood
Margaret Mary Day Lockwood, CBE (15 September 1916 – 15 July 1990), was an English actress. One of Britain's most popular film stars of the 1930s and 1940s, her film appearances included ''The Lady Vanishes'' (1938), ''Night Train to Munich' ...
.
[
He was called up for ]National Service
National service is the system of voluntary government service, usually military service. Conscription is mandatory national service. The term ''national service'' comes from the United Kingdom's National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939.
The l ...
in 1947, and served with the Army
An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
in Egypt and Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
, but returned to acting after being demobbed and appeared in Aladdin and Dick Whittington on ice in Brighton
Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London.
Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...
, and in 1952 teamed up with three other vocalists to form the ''Welsh Street Singers'' and also went on to support Old Mother Riley
Old Mother Riley is a fictional character portrayed from about 1934 to 1954 by Arthur Lucan and from 1954 to the 1980s by Roy Rolland as part of a British music hall act.
Old Mother Riley (full comedy name: Daphne Bluebell Snowdrop Riley) is an I ...
in pantomime, then appeared in the revue ''Going Gay in Eastbourne'' in 1953, where he befriended the comedian Kenneth Earle. The pair decided to form a double act, but did not like the sound of "Earle and Thomas". However, after trying out different names they settled on "Earle and Vaughan". In 1963, Malcolm Thomas changed his name by deed poll
A deed poll (plural: deeds poll) is a legal document binding on a single person or several persons acting jointly to express an intention or create an obligation. It is a deed, and not a contract because it binds only one party (law), party.
Et ...
to Malcolm Vaughan.
Alongside Earle, Vaughan became the straight man in half of a comedy double act in variety theatre
Variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is entertainment made up of a variety of acts including musical performances, sketch comedy, magic, acrobatics, juggling, and ventriloquism. It is normally introduced by a compère ...
. It was here that his singing career began to develop thanks to his strong voice and after the BBC disc jockey Jack Jackson saw Earle and Vaughan performing at the Chiswick Empire
The Chiswick Empire was a theatre facing Turnham Green in Chiswick that opened in 1912 and closed and was demolished in 1959. A venue for touring artists, some of the greatest names in drama, variety and music hall performed there including George ...
in 1955. Jackson was impressed with Vaughan's impersonation of Mario Lanza
Mario Lanza (, ; born Alfredo Arnold Cocozza ; January 31, 1921 – October 7, 1959) was an American tenor and actor. He was a Hollywood film star popular in the late 1940s and the 1950s. Lanza began studying to be a professional singer at ...
and arranged an audition with the head of HMV Records
His Master's Voice (HMV) was the name of a major British record label created in 1901 by The Gramophone Co. Ltd. The phrase was coined in the late 1890s from the title of a painting by English artist Francis Barraud, which depicted a Jack Russ ...
Wally Ridley
Wally may refer to:
Music
* Wally (band), British prog rock band
** ''Wally'' (album), a 1974 album by Wally
* ''La Wally'', an opera by Alfredo Catalani
Other uses
*Wally (given name), a list of people and fictional characters
*WALLY, a propose ...
. Ridley encouraged Vaughan to record popular ballads of the day and Vaughan had his first hit with " Ev'ry Day of My Life" in 1955. The song reached No. 5 in the UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
.[ "Ev'ry Day of My Life" was the first of many hits he achieved throughout the latter half of the 1950s, three other major releases being " St. Therese of the Roses" in 1956, 1957's "]My Special Angel
"My Special Angel" is a popular song by Jimmy Duncan, published in 1957.
It was first recorded by the Sonny Land Trio and released by them in 1957, and was a crossover hit that year for Bobby Helms. "My Special Angel," which Bobby Helms record ...
" and "More Than Ever" ("Come prima
"Come prima" (English: "As Before") is an Italian song, with lyrics by Mario Panzeri and music by Vincenzo Di Paola and Sandro Taccani. First made popular by Tony Dallara in Italy in 1957, a version by the Marino Marini Quartet was a hit in the ...
") in 1958.
In October 1956, he was scheduled to appear on BBC TV's '' Off The Record'' to promote the release of " St. Therese of the Roses". However, the appearance was cancelled after a BBC committee decided that the song was unsuitable for broadcast because "the lyric is contrary both to Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
doctrine and to Protestant
Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...
sentiment."[ The resulting controversy coupled with airplay on ]Radio Luxembourg
Radio Luxembourg was a multilingual commercial broadcaster in Luxembourg. It is known in most non-English languages as RTL (for Radio Television Luxembourg).
The English-language service of Radio Luxembourg began in 1933 as one of the earlies ...
ensured the record's success. It climbed to No. 3 and stayed in the UK Singles Chart for five months and ultimately sold half a million copies.[
Also in 1956, Earle and Vaughan made their debut at the ]London Palladium
The London Palladium () is a Grade II* West End theatre located on Argyll Street, London, in the famous area of Soho. The theatre holds 2,286 seats. Of the roster of stars who have played there, many have televised performances. Between 1955 an ...
in '' The British Record Show'', and in January 1957 they appeared on ITV
ITV or iTV may refer to:
ITV
*Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of:
** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
's ''Sunday Night at the London Palladium
''Tonight at the London Palladium'' is a British television variety show that is hosted from the London Palladium theatre in the West End. Originally produced by ATV for the ITV network from 1955 to 1969, it went by its original name ''Sunday ...
''. Later in 1957 Vaughan appeared in that year's ''Royal Variety Show
The ''Royal Variety Performance'' is a televised variety show held annually in the United Kingdom to raise money for the Royal Variety Charity (of which King Charles III is life-patron). It is attended by senior members of the British royal ...
'' alongside other 1950s stars, including Ronnie Hilton
Ronnie Hilton (born Adrian Hill; 26 January 1926 – 21 February 2001) was an English singer and radio presenter. According to his obituary in ''The Guardian'' newspaper, "For a time Hilton was a star – strictly for home consumption – with ...
, Dickie Valentine
Richard Bryce ( Maxwell; 4 November 1929 – 6 May 1971), known professionally as Dickie Valentine, was a British pop singer who enjoyed great popularity in Britain during the 1950s. In addition to several other Top Ten hit singles, Valentine ha ...
and David Whitfield
David Whitfield (2 February 1925 – 15 January 1980) was a popular British male tenor vocalist from Hull. He became the first British artist to have a UK No.1 single in the UK and in the United States with " Cara Mia", featuring Mantovani an ...
.[ In 1960, he took part in the national preselection to represent the United Kingdom in that year's Eurovision Song Contest, singing "Each Tomorrow", but he was beaten by Bryan Johnson, whose "Looking High, High, High" went on to finish in second place. In 1961 Vaughan was inducted into the exclusive entertainment fraternity, the ]Grand Order of Water Rats
The Grand Order of Water Rats is a British entertainment industry fraternity and charitable organisation based in London. Founded in 1889 by the music hall comedians Joe Elvin and Jack Lotto, the order is known for its high-profile membership a ...
.
The rise in popularity of rock and roll
Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from Africa ...
saw a dramatic change in musical tastes, and unlike many of his contemporaries, Vaughan's musical career barely survived into the 1960s. However, he continued to act, mostly doing theatre work, and his music continues to be played on the radio. Earle and Vaughan continued as a double act throughout the 1960s before deciding to split up in 1972. Kenneth Earle went on to become an agent, while Vaughan continued on stage, touring in productions of '' The Good Old Days''.[ He retired in 1982.][ Vaughan spent a few of his latter years working on the switchboard at the RAF Central Medical Establishment in London. In his later years, Vaughan was diagnosed with ]Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegeneration, neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in short-term me ...
. In 2009, his wife published his autobiography, which helped to raise money for a local Alzheimer's charity.
He died, at the age of 80, on 9 February 2010 in Eastbourne
Eastbourne () is a town and seaside resort in East Sussex, on the south coast of England, east of Brighton and south of London. Eastbourne is immediately east of Beachy Head, the highest chalk sea cliff in Great Britain and part of the la ...
, East Sussex, England. He is survived by his widow, Gay(née Hands), and two sons, Daryl Earle Haydn Samuel (born in 1957) and Damon Charles Michael (born in 1963).
Hit songs
All chart hits were on the His Master's Voice
His Master's Voice (HMV) was the name of a major British record label created in 1901 by The Gramophone Co. Ltd. The phrase was coined in the late 1890s from the title of a painting by English artist Francis Barraud, which depicted a Jack Russ ...
label.
* " Ev'ry Day of My Life" / "Mama" (1955) UK No. 5
* "More Than A Millionaire" / "Take Me Back Again" (1955)
* "With Your Love" / "Small Talk" (1955) UK No. 18
* "Only You (And You Alone)
"Only You (And You Alone)" (often shortened to "Only You") is a pop song composed by Buck Ram. It was originally recorded by The Platters with lead vocals by Tony Williams in 1955.
The Platters versions
The Platters first recorded the song for ...
" / "I'll Be Near You" (1956)
* "St. Therese of the Roses" / "Love Me as Though There Were No Tomorrow" (1956) UK No. 3
* "The World is Mine" / "Now" (1957) UK No. 26
* "Chapel of The Roses" / "Guardian Angel" (1957) UK No. 13
* " Oh My Papa" / "What Is My Destiny" (1957)
* "My Special Angel
"My Special Angel" is a popular song by Jimmy Duncan, published in 1957.
It was first recorded by the Sonny Land Trio and released by them in 1957, and was a crossover hit that year for Bobby Helms. "My Special Angel," which Bobby Helms record ...
" / "The Heart of a Child" (1957) UK No. 3
* "To Be Loved" / "My Loving Arms" (1958) UK No. 14
* "Ev'ry Hour Ev'ry Day of My Life" / "Miss You" (1958)
* "More Than Ever" ("Come prima
"Come prima" (English: "As Before") is an Italian song, with lyrics by Mario Panzeri and music by Vincenzo Di Paola and Sandro Taccani. First made popular by Tony Dallara in Italy in 1957, a version by the Marino Marini Quartet was a hit in the ...
") / "A Night to Remember" (1958) UK No. 5
* "Wait for Me" (Ti dirò) / "Willingly" (1959) UK No. 13
* "You'll Never Walk Alone
"You'll Never Walk Alone" is a show tune from the 1945 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical ''Carousel''. In the second act of the musical, Nettie Fowler, the cousin of the protagonist Julie Jordan, sings "You'll Never Walk Alone" to comfort and enco ...
" / "The Holy City" (1959)
* "Oh So Wunderbar" / "For Everyone in Love" (1960)
* "My Love For You" / " Lady of Spain" (1960)
* "There's No Other Love" / "Dolce Vita" (1961)
* " The Wedding" / "Guardian Angel" (1961)
* "This Side of Heaven" / "The Love of a Lifetime" (1963)
Further reading
* ''The Reluctant Star: A Biography of Malcolm Vaughan'' by Edward Thomas (2009)
References
External links
A biography
Singers of the Fabulous Fifties
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vaughan, Malcolm
People from Abercynon
1929 births
2010 deaths
Welsh male film actors
Welsh male singers
Welsh tenors
20th-century British Army personnel