Frankie Vaughan (born Frank Fruim Abelson; 3 February 1928 – 17 September 1999) was an English singer and actor who recorded more than 80

easy listening Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to 1970s. It is related to middle-of-the-road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit songs, ...

and

traditional pop Traditional pop (also known as classic pop and pre-rock and roll pop) is Western culture, 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 ...

singles in his lifetime. He was known as "Mr. Moonlight" after his signature song " Give Me the Moonlight, Give Me the Girl". Two of Vaughan's singles topped 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 ...

– " The Garden of Eden" (1957) and " Tower of Strength" (1961). He starred in several films, including a role opposite

Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe (; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1 June 1926 4 August 1962) was an American actress. Famous for playing comedic " blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as wel ...

in '' Let's Make Love'' (1960).

Life and career

Marilyn Monroe Frankie Vaughn Let's Make Love 1960

Vaughan was born Frank Fruim Abelson on Devon Street in the

Islington Islington () is a district in the north of Greater London, England, and part of the London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the ...

district of

Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...

on 3 February 1928, one of four children of Isaac and Leah Abelson. He came from a family of Russian Jewish descent, and derived his stage surname from his grandmother; as he was her first-born grandson, she called him "Frank my 'number one' grandson", and her Russian accent made "one" sound like "Vaughan". In his early life, he was a member of the Lancaster Lads' Club, a member group of the

National Association of Boys' Clubs National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...

; having started out at the club intending to become a boxer, he was a major contributor to them during his career, dedicating his monetary compensation from one song each year to them. He was an evacuee during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. He attended the Lancaster College of Art on a scholarship and was a vocalist in their dance band. After a stint in the

Royal Army Medical Corps The Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) is a specialist corps in the British Army which provides medical services to all Army personnel and their families, in war and in peace. The RAMC, the Royal Army Veterinary Corps, the Royal Army Dental Corps ...

(where he spent most of his time boxing) he returned to art school, this time at the Leeds College of Art. An early appearance was in the Leeds students rag revue “It’s Rag Time” which opened on June 20, 1949 at the Empire Theatre in Leeds when he was described as the show’s main vocalist. He was still known as Frank Abelson at that time. When he won a prize in a design contest, he left for London, where he won second prize on a radio talent show. He auditioned for the agent Billy Marsh who quickly booked him in for a week at the Kingston Empire in May 1950 with

Jimmy Wheeler Ernest Alfred Henry Remnant (16 September 1910 – 8 October 1973), known professionally as Jimmy Wheeler, was a British variety theatre comedian and pioneer of radio and television. Earlier in his career he worked with his father in the double ...

. His debut went well with press comment stating "Frankie Vaughan gives a promising performance when singing some new and old songs in a crooning style. He receives a warm reception." This led to further bookings on the variety circuit and he appeared with the veteran male impersonator

Hetty King Winifred Emms (4 April 1883 – 28 September 1972), best known by her stage name Hetty King, was an English entertainer who performed in the music halls as a male impersonator over some 70 years. Early life She was born in New Brighton, Chesh ...

on several occasions. Her guidance helped change Vaughan's style for the rest of his career. He became known as a fancy dresser, wearing

top hat A top hat (also called a high hat, a cylinder hat, or, informally, a topper) is a tall, flat-crowned hat for men traditionally associated with formal wear in Western dress codes, meaning white tie, morning dress, or frock coat. Traditional ...

bow tie The bow tie is a type of necktie. A modern bow tie is tied using a common shoelace knot, which is also called the bow knot for that reason. It consists of a ribbon of fabric tied around the collar of a shirt in a symmetrical manner so that t ...

, tails, and

cane Cane or caning may refer to: *Walking stick or walking cane, a device used primarily to aid walking * Assistive cane, a walking stick used as a mobility aid for better balance *White cane, a mobility or safety device used by many people who are ...

. Vaughan made his first television appearance on October 13, 1951 in a variety show from the Theatre Royal, Leeds starring

Gracie Fields Dame Gracie Fields (born Grace Stansfield; 9 January 189827 September 1979) was an English actress, singer, comedian and star of cinema and music hall who was one of the top ten film stars in Britain during the 1930s and was considered the h ...

. He was introduced by

Donald Peers Donald Rhys Hubert Peers (10 July 1908 – 9 August 1973) was a popular Welsh singer. His best remembered rendition and signature song was "In a Shady Nook by a Babbling Brook". Biography Early life Peers was born in the Welsh mining town of ...

and sang "Lucky Me". He made his first records in 1950 for

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 ...

but they were not popular. In August 1952 he joined the dance band of

Nat Temple Nat Temple (18 July 1913 – 30 May 2008)
- accessed May 2011 was an English

Give Me the Moonlight, Give Me the Girl". He recorded a large number of songs that were

cover Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of copy ...

s of United States hit songs, including

Perry Como Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como (; May 18, 1912 – May 12, 2001) was an Italian-American singer, actor and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century, he recorded exclusively for RCA Victor for 44 years, after signin ...

's " Kewpie Doll", Jimmie Rodgers' " Kisses Sweeter than Wine",

Boyd Bennett Boyd Byron Bennett (December 7, 1924 – June 2, 2002) was an American rockabilly songwriter and singer. His two biggest hit singles, both written with John F Young and performed by him (Boyd) were " Seventeen" with his band, the Rockets (U. ...

's " Seventeen" (also covered in the US by the Fontane Sisters),

Jim Lowe James Ellsworth Lowe (May 7, 1923 – December 12, 2016) was an American singer-songwriter, best known for his 1956 number-one hit song, " The Green Door". He also served as a disc jockey and radio host and personality, and was considered ...

's "

The Green Door "The Green Door" (or "Green Door") is a 1956 popular song, with music composed by Bob "Hutch" Davie and lyrics by Marvin J. Moore. It was first recorded by Jim Lowe which reached number one on the US chart in 1956. The song has been covere ...

", and (with the Kaye Sisters), the Fleetwoods' "

Come Softly to Me "Come Softly to Me" is a popular song recorded by The Fleetwoods, composed of Gretchen Christopher, Barbara Ellis, and Gary Troxel, who also wrote it. The original title was "Come Softly", but was changed en route to its becoming a hit. Bob Reisdo ...

". In 1956, his cover of "

" reached No. 2 in the

. The same year he was voted 'Showbusiness Personality of the Year'. In early 1957, his version of " The Garden of Eden", reached No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart. In 1957 he was voted the eighth most popular star at the British box office. Managed at this time by former journalist and theatrical agent Paul Cave, Vaughan stayed in the United States for a time to make a film with

, '' Let's Make Love'' (1960), and was an actor in several other films, but his

recordings A record, recording or records may refer to: An item or collection of data Computing * Record (computer science), a data structure ** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity ** Boot sector or boot record, r ...

were never chart hits in the US, with the exception of "Judy", which reached No.100 on the Billboard Hot 100 in August 1958. In 1961, Vaughan was on the bill at the

Royal Variety Performance 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 ...

at the Prince of Wales Theatre,

Coventry Street Coventry Street is a short street in the West End of London, connecting Piccadilly Circus to Leicester Square. Part of the street is a section of the A4, a major road through London. It is named after the politician Henry Coventry, secretar ...

, London. That December, Vaughan hit No. 1 in the UK again, with " Tower of Strength", written by

Burt Bacharach Burt Freeman Bacharach ( ; born May 12, 1928) is an American composer, songwriter, record producer and pianist who composed hundreds of pop songs from the late 1950s through the 1980s, many in collaboration with lyricist Hal David. A six-time Gr ...

and Bob Hilliard. The rise of

beat music Beat music, British beat, or Merseybeat is a British popular music genre that developed, particularly in and around Liverpool, in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The genre melded influences from American rock and roll, rhythm and blues, skiffl ...

eclipsed Vaughan's

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 ...

career before he returned to the Top 10 in 1967 with "There Must Be a Way". Chart success eluded him after this although he did have two more Top 40 singles; " Nevertheless" and "So Tired". In the late 1960s, Vaughan, involved himself with a youth project in

Easterhouse Easterhouse is a suburb of Glasgow, Scotland, east of the city centre on land gained from the county of Lanarkshire as part of an expansion of Glasgow before the Second World War. The area is on high ground north of the River Clyde and south ...

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popu ...

. He was appalled by the level of violence amongst young people. Vaughan held meetings with the gang leaders and appealed for them to surrender their weapons. In 1985, Vaughan starred in a stage version of '' 42nd Street'' at

Drury Lane Drury Lane is a street on the eastern boundary of the Covent Garden area of London, running between Aldwych and High Holborn. The northern part is in the borough of Camden and the southern part in the City of Westminster. Notable landmarks T ...

in London, opposite his old friend

Shani Wallis Shani Wallis (born 14 April 1933) is a British actress and singer, who has worked in theatre, film, and television in both her native United Kingdom and in the United States. A graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, she is perhaps best ...

who appeared in their first film together, ''

Ramsbottom Rides Again ''Ramsbottom Rides Again'' is a 1956 British western comedy film produced and directed by John Baxter. The film features radio, film and stage star Arthur Askey in the lead role of Bill Ramsbottom, with Sid James, Shani Wallis, Betty Marsden a ...

''. After a year, he nearly died of

peritonitis Peritonitis is inflammation of the localized or generalized peritoneum, the lining of the inner wall of the abdomen and cover of the abdominal organs. Symptoms may include severe pain, swelling of the abdomen, fever, or weight loss. One part o ...

and had to leave the cast. Vaughan was married to

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popul ...

-born Stella Shock (1924–2022) from 1951 until his death; the couple had three children, a daughter Susan (b.1963) and two sons, singer and yoga elder David Sye (b.1961) and actor-singer Andrew Abelson (b.1968). In 1994, he was one of a few to be honoured by a second appearance on ''

This Is Your Life This Is Your Life may refer to: Television * ''This Is Your Life'' (American franchise), an American radio and television documentary biography series hosted by Ralph Edwards * ''This Is Your Life'' (Australian TV series), the Australian versio ...

'', when he was surprised by Michael Aspel. Vaughan had been a subject of the show previously in April 1970 when

Eamonn Andrews Eamonn Andrews, (19 December 1922 – 5 November 1987) was an Irish radio and television presenter, employed primarily in the United Kingdom from the 1950s to the 1980s. From 1960 to 1964 he chaired the Radio Éireann Authority (now the RTÉ A ...

surprised him at the Caesar's Palace nightclub in Luton. Despite frequent bouts of ill-health, Vaughan continued performing until shortly before his death from heart failure in 1999.

Awards and honours

Vaughan was awarded an OBE in 1965, a CBE in 1996, and as a long-time resident of

High Wycombe High Wycombe, often referred to as Wycombe ( ), is a market town in Buckinghamshire, England. Lying in the valley of the River Wye, Buckinghamshire, River Wye surrounded by the Chiltern Hills, it is west-northwest of Charing Cross in London, ...

had been a Deputy Lieutenant of

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-e ...

since 1993. He was an

Honorary Fellow Honorary titles (professor, reader, lecturer) in academia may be conferred on persons in recognition of contributions by a non-employee or by an employee beyond regular duties. This practice primarily exists in the UK and Germany, as well as in ...

Liverpool John Moores University Liverpool John Moores University (abbreviated LJMU) is a public university, public research university in the city of Liverpool, England. The university can trace its origins to the Liverpool Mechanics' School of Arts, established in 1823. This lat ...

. He also received the Variety Club of Great Britain Award for "Showbusiness Personality of the Year" in 1957.

Death

Vaughan died from

heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, ...

at his home in

aged 71. His wife Stella donated archival materials, including scores and

sheet music Sheet music is a handwritten or printed form of musical notation that uses musical symbols to indicate the pitches, rhythms, or chords of a song or instrumental musical piece. Like its analogs – printed books or pamphlets in English, ...

he had collected throughout his career to

in 2000.

Discography

Filmography

* ''

'' (1956) as Elmer * '' These Dangerous Years'' (1957) as Dave Wyman * ''

Wonderful Things! ''Wonderful Things!'' is a 1958 British comedy romance film directed by Herbert Wilcox and starring Frankie Vaughan, Jocelyn Lane and Wilfrid Hyde-White. It was written by Jack Trevor Story. The screenplay concerns two fishermen brothers who cl ...

'' (1958) as Carmello * '' The Lady Is a Square'' (1959) as Johnny Burns * '' The Heart of a Man'' (1959) as Frankie Martin * '' Let's Make Love'' (1960) as Tony Danton * '' The Right Approach'' (1961) as Leo Mack (final acting role) * '' It's All Over Town'' (1964) as Himself * ''Full Dress Affair'' (1966, Broadcast 23 May 1966 : penultimate episode of the television show '' Mrs Thursday'', starring

Kathleen Harrison Kathleen Harrison (23 February 1892 – 7 December 1995) was a prolific English character actress best remembered for her role as Mrs. Huggett (opposite Jack Warner and Petula Clark) in a trio of British post-war comedies about a worki ...

)

References

External links

*
Discography on UK Artists siteBBC obituary
* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20110710134022/http://www.discoogle.com/wiki/Vaughan,_Frankie_Discography Frankie Vaughan Discography at Discoogle
Jewish Lives Project profile of Frankie Vaughan
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vaughan, Frankie 1928 births 1999 deaths Male actors from Liverpool Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Deputy Lieutenants of Buckinghamshire English crooners English Jews English male singers Jewish singers English people of Russian-Jewish descent Musicians from Liverpool Traditional pop music singers Columbia Graphophone Company artists Pye Records artists Alumni of Leeds Arts University 20th-century English male actors 20th-century English singers 20th-century British male singers 20th-century British Army personnel Royal Army Medical Corps soldiers