The Avons & The Mudlarks - At The Best 1958-62

The Avons 

The Avons were a British pop vocal group. Originally composed of Valerie Murtagh (born 1936, Willesden, London) and Elaine Murtagh, (born 1940, County Cork, Ireland) and known as 'The Avon Sisters', they added Raymond S. Adams (born 1938, Jersey, Channel Islands), and changed their name to 'The Avons'.

The two sisters-in-law Valerie and Elaine (sometimes known as Eileen) Murtagh, performed as 'The Avon Sisters' at the 1958 BBC Radio Exhibition, in the Olympia Exhibition Halls, Earls Court, London. There they were heard by Norrie Paramor, who signed them to the UK's Columbia label.

Their first recording was with The Mudlarks on the B-side of their 1958 single "My Grandfather Clock", a cover of "Which Witch Doctor".[2] Following this they added Ray Adams from Nat Gonella's band, and changed their name to 'The Avons'.

The Avon's first single release in 1959 was a cover version of "Seven Little Girls (Sitting in the Back Seat)", written by Bob Hilliard and Lee Pockriss. The record reached number 3 in the UK Singles Chart, and stayed on the chart for thirteen weeks.

The Avons had three other chart entries in the Top 50 up to 1961, but never achieved the same success as their first record. The charting follow-ups were "We're Only Young Once", "Four Little Heels", and another cover, of Bobby Vee's "Rubber Ball". The Avons were approached to perform the song "Pickin' Petals" in the UK heat of the 1960 Eurovision Song Contest, but their participation was cancelled due to a European Broadcasting Union rule that stated that trios could not compete.

Their song "Dance On!" (1963) was recorded as an instrumental by The Shadows.[ A vocal version was recorded by Kathy Kirby the next year.They also wrote "In Summer", a number 5 UK hit for Billy Fury in 1963.

The Mudlarks 

The Mudlarks were an English pop vocal group of the late 1950s and early 1960s. They had two Top 10 UK hit singles in 1958.

The Mudlarks were a family group from Luton, Bedfordshire, England,originally comprising Fred Mudd , Jeff Mudd , and Mary Mudd . According to press releases at the time, they all had jobs at the Vauxhall motor plant in Luton, and spent their spare time singing together. In 1958, they attracted the attention of BBC Radio music presenter David Jacobs, who won them an appearance on the Six-Five Special TV show, and a recording contract with EMI's Columbia label.

The Mudlarks' first release, "Mutual Admiration Society", was unsuccessful but their second, a cover of the American novelty song "Lollipop", originally recorded by the duo Ronald and Ruby, and more successfully by The Chordettes, rose to No. 2 in the UK Singles Chart.They followed this with another UK Top 10 hit, a cover of The Monotones' "Book of Love". At the end of 1958, The Mudlarks were voted top British vocal group by readers of the New Musical Express.Jeff Mudd then left the group as he was called to do National Service.[1] He was replaced by David Lane (born David Burgess a compere and entertainer on the Manchester club circuit. The Mudlarks continued to release records until 1964, but had only one more hit – "The Love Game", a No. 30 hit in 1959.

The Avons & The Mudlarks - At The Best 1958-62 @ 192

 1. The Mudlarks - Lollipop 

 2. The Mudlarks - Young Dove's Calling 

 3. The Mudlarks - Book Of Love 

 4. The Mudlarks - Yea Yea 

 5. The Mudlarks - There's Never Been A Night 

 6. The Mudlarks - Lightnin' Never Strikes Twice 

 7. The Mudlarks - [You've Got To] Move Two Mountains 

 8. The Mudlarks - The Love Game 

 9. The Mudlarks - Abdul The Bulbul Amer Cha-Cha 

 10. The Mudlarks - Tell Him No 

 11. The Mudlarks - Time Flies 

 12. The Mudlarks - Waterloo 

 13. The Mudlarks - The Mountains High 

 14. The Mudlarks - Don't Gamble With Love 

 15. The Mudlarks - I've Been Everywhere 

 16. The Avons - Seven Little Girls Sitting In The Back Seat 

 17. The Avons - Alone At Eight 

 18. The Avons - Pickin' Petals 

 19. The Avons - We Fell In Love 

 20. The Avons - We're Only Young Once 

 21. The Avons - I Keep Dreaming 

 22. The Avons - Four Little Heels 

 23. The Avons - This Was Meant To Be 

 24. The Avons - Rubber Ball 

 25. The Avons - Cool And Cozy 

 26. The Avons - A Wonderful Dream 

 27. The Avons - Hey Paula 

 28. The Avons - I Wanna Do It 

 29. The Avons - I Am The Girl 

 30. The Avons - Once Upon A Summers Day 

 31. The Mudlarks & The Avons - Which Witch Doctor

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