The Complete Package

"Further to your excellent obituary of Tommy Vaughan aka “The Dirty Cabaret Singer” who died recently at the age of 76, I thought your readers might be interested in another perspective on this most quirky of entertainers", writes Mrs June Baversedge of Buckland Ripers.

Fan June Baversedge awaits the arrival of Tommy Vaughan at the Wagon Wheel Club, Cerne Abbas. The rest of the crowd had gathered in the mistaken belief that The Beatles were in town - a rumour spread by Tommy in an attempt to increase press interest. The older man is believed to be a reporter from the then fledgeling Sydling St Nicholas Sun

Your obituarist speculates that his mis-rendering of the lyrics to All of Me in Burton Bradstock on November 22nd 1969 might not have been a slip of the mind/tongue but rather an expression of frustration at the state of his marriage by this time. It was certainly a "mistake" he repeated many times.

For those of us who knew Tommy well the line “Take my c**k, I’ll never use it”* takes on a certain ironic twist. Though his wife Lauderdale may have been immune to its charms by this time, Tommy certainly made good enough use of it elsewhere. There can scarcely be a female cabaret attendee in the Pulham district who couldn't tell you that his Y-fronts were from Marks and Spencer or that they were more than adequately filled.

I cannot say whether this in any way contributed to his reputation amongst fellow professionals as being "a huge prick in the dressing room".

Either way, a man's achievements deserve to be recognised and remembered.