Chart entered : 19 March 1954
Chart peak : 4
Number of hits : 21
At 21 Alma is the youngest artist we've covered so far ( and sadly the first to pass away ) . I think this is also the first hit with the word "blues" in the title.
Alma has a lot of links to previous artists covered. She was Jewish, the daughter of refugees from Eastern Europe. She tried to find work in Ted Heath's Orchestra as a sixteen year old but he rejected her as too young , went to art college and recorded a lot of covers of US hits, often the same songs as Joan Regan.
Alma was signed to HMV after being spotted singing in a hotel. Unbelievably "Bell Bottom Blues " was her 17th single; I wonder if anyone can top that. Alma's early releases showcase a sober , surprisingly mature vocal style on slow jazz shuffles like her first release "To Be Worthy Of You" and "If I Had A Penny" and lush ballads like "Till They've All Gone Home " . Although she wasn't making the charts these singles did get her a gig as the resident singer on the popular radio comedy Take It From Here. That may have helped her find her signature style on her thirteenth single "If I Had A Golden Umbrella" where she lightened up and acquired a helpful tag - "The girl with the giggle in her voice".
"Bell Bottom Blues " was a big hit in the States for Teresa Brewer ( who would start her own little run of UK hits in 1955 ) and I think it's the first hit here to feature the lyrics of Hal David. It's sung from the point of view of a girl keeping herself true to her sweetheart in the navy and doubtless was written with the Korean War situation in mind. Alma's version is fairly similar to Brewer's but less brassy and more intimate. It's a jaunty little number that suits Alma's style but isn't particularly memorable.
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