Tuesday, 7 March 2023

Namesakes #24: The Avons

We had a load of bloody Tourists to deal with last week. As I write this, I'm not sure which of them came out on top, but they left a right mess when they were gone. 

Ding Dong! Avons calling! Hence the picture above, the mighty Paul Darrow: everyone's main reason for watching Blake's 7 back in the day.

Here are some bands named after the river, former English county, cosmetics company and dastardly second captain of the Liberator.

THE AVONS #1

Let's start, as we so often do on this feature, with some doo wop. 1957, Englewood, New Jersey, brothers Bob, Bill and Wendel Lea (and their mates) were originally known as The Robins... but... well, you can guess the rest. They settled on The Avons after Bill read about the river Avon while doing his Shakespeare homework. 


THE AVONS #2

Valerie and Elaine Murtagh were the English / Irish siblings (one was born in London, the other in County Cork) who recorded as The Avon Sisters before dragging in Elaine's husband, Ray Adams, at rechristening themselves The Avons.

Their biggest hit came with this little classic - originally recorded in the States by Paul "Hello, This Is Joanie" Evans - which will no doubt make the moral guardians of today flip their collective lids. Seven little girls all "kissing and a hugging with Fred"?!? Where's Mary Whitehouse when you need her?

Altogether now, 1,2,3...


THE AVONS #3

From 1963, this Nashville soul trio would enjoy a second blast of glory in the Northern Soul scene with this, their biggest "hit"...


THE AVONS #4

A joyful rush of 80's indie from East Anglia, and a band made up of former members of The Farmers Boys...


THE AVONS #5

"The Avons are a collective of music-minded people from central Illinois who try to shape music after their own tastes, whether good or bad." 

Fair enough.

No video, just this...


Five Avons to choose from... but which one rings your bell?


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7 comments:

  1. Ernie Goggins7 March 2023 at 09:16

    3 for me please.

    Me and some friends once performed "Seven Little Girls" at a school singing competition and were reprimanded for not treating the occasion with the seriousness it deserved.

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    Replies
    1. Rol7 March 2023 at 21:11

      I suppose nobody had a video camera back then to capture it for posterity, Ernie?

      (When I think of some of my school performances, I'm thankful for that.)

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    2. Ernie Goggins8 March 2023 at 06:00

      No, but I believe there may be a primitive etching on a cave wall somewhere

      Delete
  2. Jim Dubai7 March 2023 at 18:46

    Number 4 for me, i was a fan of The Farmers Boys, so easy choice for me.

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  3. Rigid Digit7 March 2023 at 19:08

    I'm going for Number 4. Have a vague recollection of The Farmers Boys, so will be further investigating them too.

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  4. Alyson7 March 2023 at 20:34

    I get why #4 has gone down best but anything that takes me back to that Enchantment Under the Sea dance is a winner in my book - #1.

    I remember being really surprised when I found out that the Paul Evans that recorded 'Joanie' was the same Paul Evans that did 7 Little Girls. Quite a leap but 20 years apart so maybe not unreasonable.

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  5. Rol7 March 2023 at 21:31

    Ernie & Alyson vote-split shocker!

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