Malcolm Vaughan

Born in Abercynon, Mid Glamorgan, Wales, Malcolm Vaughan established himself as a popular ballad singer equipped with a strong tenor voice. During the early 1950s he first attracted notice while serving as the “singing straight man” in a comedy double act alongside Kenny Earle. The pair were working the UK variety circuit when EMI Records’ recording manager Wally Ridley discovered Vaughan. His debut Top 10 success arrived in 1955 on the HMV label with “Every Day Of My Life,” a single that remained on the chart for four months. Additional hits continued to appear through 1959, among them “With Your Love,” “St. Therese Of The Roses,” “The World Is Mine,” “Chapel Of The Roses,” “My Special Angel,” “To Be Loved,” “More Than Ever (Come Prima)” and “Wait For Me.” British television viewers saw him on programmes such as Sunday Night At The London Palladium, Startime, Saturday Spectacular, Music Shop, Melody Dances and The Jack Jackson Show. Although he weathered the first wave of rock ’n’ roll, Vaughan’s recording fortunes, like those of many singers in his vein, declined sharply once the 1960s beat boom took hold. Early in that decade he maintained his partnership with Earle, yet as variety theatre faded, clubs and cabaret became his principal venues. The 1990 compilation Malcolm Vaughan: The EMI Years later underscored his continued popularity as a nightclub performer in northern England.