Michael Valentine "Val" Doonican, known professionally as Val Doonican, was born on 3 February 1927 in Waterford, Ireland. He was a singer from a musical family who began performing at the age of six and had his first taste of the spotlight as a duo with Bruce Clarke in 1947. In 1951, he moved to England and joined The Four Ramblers, appearing on BBC radio serials such as The Riders of the Range. He left the group in 1960 to pursue a solo career, which began with appearances on shows like Variety Bandbox and his own radio show, Your Date With Val, in 1961. His breakthrough came in 1964 when he appeared on Sunday Night at the Palladium, leading to his own TV series, Singalong Saturday. His relaxed crooner style and easy listening songs became popular, with hits including "Walk Tall" (1964), "Elusive Butterfly" (1966), and "If The Whole World Stopped Loving" (1967). His TV show, The Val Doonican Show, ran from 1965 to 1986 and featured a variety of guests. He released over 50 albums, including Val Doonican Rocks, But Gently, which reached number one on the UK Albums Chart in December 1967, I Love Country Music (which went to number 37 in the UK), and Quiet Moments in 1981. He won the Variety Club of Great Britain's BBC-TV Personality of the Year award three times and appeared in three Royal Variety Performances. He passed away on 1 July 2015.
