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Alma's career spanned an era of British popular music that saw the transfer of most record purchases go from adults to teenagers. She managed to embrace the musical tastes of both and survived the dramatic changes taking place in the music industry better than many of her contemporaries. Alma was born in London's East End although other places are frequently quoted in other biographical references. She moved to Worthing in Sussex while still a young child and later went to school in Reading, Berkshire. She owed her first name to her mother's enthusiasm for the movie actress Alma Taylor, and it was also her mother who encouraged her to enter show business. This led to an audition for Ted Heath while still a child. However, it was Walter Ridley, an executive at HMV who really spotted Alma's potential as a singer -while Alma was an art student during her teenage years. Indeed, her professional singing career began while she was still a teenager- singing songs for each evening's diners at the Cumberland Hotel- and she began recording during 1952 with "To Be Worthy Of You" /"Would You" (HMV 78rpm). Arguably, Alma's biggest break came when Joy Nichols left the BBC Radio programme "Take It From Here", and Alma was invited to take over duties as resident singer. Alma sang a great variety of material with great accomplishment, but was most successful with up-beat ballads and novelties. Her first chart success came in 1954 with Bell Bottom Blues, a record that set the trend for the style of much of her later material . Unfortunately, most of her original early singles are available only as 78s. |
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Alma Cogan had only four EP releases in the UK and they are all relatively hard to find. The one shown on the left is from 1958; "She Loves To Sing" (7EG8437) and is probably the most sought after. The cover shows Alma in one of her famous 'frocks' and in a typically exhuberant pose. |
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Alma liked to appear as a fun-loving, though glamorous, 'party girl' rather than the romantic type portrayed by most other female singers of the era. She frequently wore hooped skirts, often heavy with sequins, and figure hugging tops. Her gowns were indeed extravagent and her dress always caught the eye during her many TV appearances. She exuded a vivacity which comes across in her recordings, and was even promoted as 'the girl with the laughter in her voice'. She changed her musical material to suit the times and her list of songs included several rock and roll numbers- 'Pink Shoe Laces', 'Tell Him' and the highly collectable 'Eight Days A Week' Sadly, Alma's sparkling personality and zest for life were cut short and she died at the tragically young age of 34. Although she managed to work almost right to the end of her life, she died of cancer in a London Hospital on 26th October 1966. |
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