Brit Pack

While the likes of Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra were stealing ladies’ hearts with swing styles and crooning, we had our very own Rat Pack on this side of the Pond in the form of Matt Monro and Frankie Vaughan. Most famous for his themes to 'From Russia with Love' and the Oscar winning 'Born Free', Monro enchanted British lounge-oriented romantics after being plucked from obscurity by producer George Martin. The future Beatles guru asked him to make a demo disc for Peter Sellers to use as a guide to copying the voice and style of Frank Sinatra for his forthcoming album, 'Songs for Swinging Sellers'. And like his American model, Monro was also known to enjoy drink and women, he often appeared drunk on stage and was soon diagnosed with liver cancer. A crooner who found success and fortune copying his American heroes, it seemed, died by their ways too.

Crosby and Sinatra had started incorporating dance routines into their shows so Liverpudlian Frankie Vaughan took a leaf out of their book, combining effortless style, impeccable pitch and smooth vibrato with some slick moves. He became renowned for his sleek image and stylish clothes – tail suit, top hat and cane – and having made the successful transition from stage to vinyl, in 1955 he recorded the song that became his trademark and theme, 'Give Me The Moonlight'. Vaughan also became a film star, appearing in a string of international hits and even co-starring alongside Marylin Monroe in 'Let's Make Love' in 1960, with whom, like Sinatra, he was romantically linked. Having been plucked for stardom in a crooner competition, Mr Moonlight never stopped crooning until his death in 1999 but unlike Monro he kept the temptations of both women and alcohol at bay.