I can almost guarantee that, unless you live in the UK, you’ve probably never heard today’s classic song of the day. The song is “Make Him Mine” and it’s by a Brit singer named Susan Maughan. Ms. Maughan was semi-famous in the UK but not in the U.S., and this single was released in the UK only.
Susan Maughan got her professional start singing for the Ronnie Hancox Dance Band. After three years as that band’s lead vocalist, she moved on to singing with the Ray Ellington Quartet. She signed her first recording contract when she moved to London in 1961. Her biggest hit was a 1962 cover of “Bobby’s Girl,” a hit in the U.S. for singer Marcie Blaine. Ms. Maughan’s version got all the way to #3 on the British charts.
Ms. Maughan’s style, at least initially, was a little 1950s ballroom-gown old school. Post-Beatles, she decided to modernize her image and recorded some brassier tunes that were more in the vein of current hitmakers Petula Clark and Dusty Springfield. She released “Make Him Mine” (which was written by Bob Barratt) in 1964, on the Philips label; it failed to chart, unfortunately.
As I said, you’ve probably never heard of Susan Maughan or “Make Him Mine,” which is a shame. The song is fairly decent and she sings it well. By all rights, Ms. Maughan should have been bigger than she was. She had the big voice and dark-haired good looks, but she never caught on like Pet, Dusty, and all the Pye Girls of that era.
Susan Maughan did, however, make a lot of television appearances over the years, on shows like Ready Steady Go! and Morecambe & Wise. She had the female lead in the 1963 musical film, What a Crazy World and sang the title song for the 1966 low-budget spy film, Where the Bullets Fly. She still occasionally performs live today.
In addition, Ms. Maughan performed “Make Him Mine” in the 1965 British film Pop Gear (AKA Go-Go Mania). That music video-like performance is today’s daily bonus video of the day. I like it, even if few others have heard it.
