The Avons (2) (Great Britain)

Personnel :

Eileen (aka Elaine) Murtagh

Valerie Murtagh

Raymond S. Adams

Discography :

1959 - Seven Little Girls  / Alone At Eight (Columbia 4363)
1959 - We're Only Young Once / I Keep Dreaming    (Columbia 4461)
1960 - Four Little Heels / This Was Meant To Be (Columbia 4522)
1961 - Rubber Ball / Cool And Cosy (Columbia 4569)
1961 - Skin Divin' / Little Bo Peep (Columbia 4700)
1963 - Hey Paula/ I Wanna Do It    (Decca 11588)
1963 - Love Should Be True / All about You (Decca 11641)
1964 - I Am The Girl / Once Upon A Summer's Day (Fontana 442)

Biography :

Sisters-in-law Valerie (1936, Willesden, London, England) and Elaine Murtagh (b. 1940, County Cork, Eire) originally performed as the Avon Sisters. After being discovered singing at the 1958 BBC Radio Exhibition, they signed to UK Columbia Records where they recorded with producer Norrie Paramor. Their debut was ‚ Which Witch Doctor‚ with the Mudlarks and their debut solo release was a cover version of ‚ Jerri O‚ - both songs failed to chart.

They added Ray Adams (b. 1938, Jersey, Channel Islands), whom they spotted singing with Nat Gonella‚s Band, and then changed their name to the Avons. Their first single under the new name, a cover version of Paul Evans‚ ‚ Seven Little Girls Sitting In The Back Seat‚ in 1959, gave them their only UK Top 20 chart entry.

The light-pop trio had three minor hits and last charted with a cover version of ‚ Rubber Ball‚ in 1961.In 1962 a song they had written, Dance On‚ became a UK number 1 instrumental hit for the Shadows and it returned to the Top 20 the following year with a powerful vocal version by Kathy Kirby.

They recorded for Decca Records in 1963 and Fontana Records in 1964 but had no other hits. Valerie continued to have success as a writer and is still a well-known behind-the-scenes figure in the UK music business. Their only album is now much sought after, fetching high prices in the collector‚s market.



Songs :

   
Four little heels                     A Wonderful Dream

Seven Little Girls

1957 - L to R : Donald Trotter, Edward Wallace, Donald Burg, Houston Rice & William Keller

 

The Five Wings (Dyess AFB, Abilene, TX)




Personnel :

Donald Trotter (Lead)

William Keller (First Tenor)

Donald Burg (Second Tenor)

Houston Rice (Baritone)

Edward Wallace (Bass)




Biography :

Dyess AFB Vocal group, In Juin 1956, The boys got together and discovered that all had singing experience, several with professional groups. They began practice shortly after, and have sung many engagements both on and off base since. it is composed of Houston Rice, Edward Wallace, Donald Burgs, Donald Trotter and William Keller. Keller, first tenor of the group sand formally with the recording stars Five Keys, Trotter, lead tenor was with the Five Coins, a group out of Bakersfield, Calif. Burgs, second tenor, sang with the Selectones, when that Air Force group was on the AF show "Top In Blue" In 1955. Wallace, Bass, sang with the university's glee club, while Reece, the Baritone, sang in his high school chorus. Burgs is the Writer of the group, The Wings do his own special arrangement of "Hound Dog" and also sing a tune he wrote called "Paradise Hill" plus other compositions. They sang on the March of Dimes telethon, KRBC-TV and also sung over KRBC radio.





...

The Coachmen Five (River Edge N.J.)
aka Ginny & The Saints (2)

Personnel:

Ray Davis (Lead Singer)

Frank Zillitto (Lead Guitar & Vocal)

Rich Gangi (Rhythm Guitar & Vocal)

Ricky Keith  (Bass & Vocal)

Steve Bogue (Drums)

Discography :

The Coachmen Five Featuring Ray Davis
1962 - This I Know / Oh Joan (Janson 100)

Ginny Zee bb The Coachmen Five
1962 - Bobby Baby / You Can't Imagine (Atco 6218)

Ginny (Zee) & The Saints (2)
1962 - Wait, Wait, Wait / Please Be My Boy Friend (Alpene 100)

Biography :

Vocal & Instrumental group composed by Ray Davis, Frank Zillitto, Rich Gangi, Ricky Keith and Steve Bogue. They live in River Edge N.J., except Frank Zillitto, Oradell N.J.. Ginny Zee was actually Ginny Zillitto, who was the sister of Frankie Zillitto, a member of Ray Davis and the Coachmen Five .

Ray Davis wrote both songs for Ginny Zee, "Bobby Baby" and  "You Can't Imagine". Ginny also has another record on ALPAN records, "Wait,Wait,Wait" & "Please Be My Boyfriend", with the Coachmen backing her up under a new name : The Saints (Ray Davis wrote again both songs for Ginny).  Ray Davis  recorded two of his own , "Oh Joan" & "This I Know", before he passed away in 1962.

Songs:
(updated by Hans-Joachim) 

Ginny (Zee) & The Saints (2)

  
***Wait, Wait, Wait***                     Please Be My Boy Friend


Ginny Zee bb The Coachmen Five

  
Bobby Baby                            You Can't Imagine


The Coachmen Five Featuring Ray Davis

  
Oh Joan                             This I Know

...

The Big Five (Cleveland, Ohio)
aka The Fabulous Five Flames aka The Fabulous Five aka The Fabulous Flames (1)

Personnel :

Otis Carter

Harvey Hall

David McPhatter

Richard Fisher

Ernest Smith

Discography:

The Big Five
1958 - Wob-Ding-A-Ling / Baby, I Need You So (Junior 5000)
1960 - Blue Eyes / Stardust In Her Eyes (Shad 5019)

The Fabulous Flames  (1)
1958 - Josephine / My Joan (Rex 3000)

The Fabulous Five
1960 - Janie Made A Monster / Gettin' Old (King 45-5220)

The Fabulous Five Flames
1960 - Lonely Lover / No More Tears (Time 1023)

Biography :

This Vocal group from Cleveland was known locally as The Fabulous Flames. The group included  J. C. Tatum, Otis Carter, David McFadden, Ernest Smith, and Harvey Hall. The group started while some of the members were students at East Technical High School. The group performed at local clubs, and in Detroit. Their first single "Wop Ding A Ling" (also Known as "Wab Ding A Ling") plus the flip "Baby, I Need You So" was issued on the Shad predecessor Junior label (Junior 5000) on 29 October 1958. Bobby Shad renamed The Fabulous Flames by The Big Five. Their second single "Josephine" b/w "My Joan " released as their original name (The Fabulous Flames) was a local production, done for the short lived Rex label. Bill Jacocks, a local entrepreneur, wrote the songs and helped get the record released. Jacocks later became known as Cleveland's first African-American TV news anchor, along with producting some records in the mid 1970s.

  
Bobby Shad                                                                                                                        

The group was known as the Fabulous Flames, but changed for The Fabulous Five for their third record for the King label to prevent confusion with other groups with that name. The song "Janie Made A Monster" is a classic R&B Halloween record. Richard Fisher replaced J. C. Tatum. Four sides were recorded at Capitol Studios in New York on 4 December 1959, "Lonely Lover", "No More Tears", "Blue Eyes" and "Stardust In Her Eyes". The first two will be released on the Time (/Shad) Label on April 1960 as The Fabulous Five Flames, and the next two were released on 10 June 1960 on Shad 5019 as The Big Five.  Richard Fisher was the brother of Jesse Fisher. He wasn't with the group for long as he left for New York where he ended up joining the Jive Five. Art Blakey replaced him, not long before the group disbanded. Harvey Hall - later known as Harvey Nickerson-Hall - went on to lead Harvey and the Phenomenals. https://www.buckeyebeat.com/

Songs :

The Big Five

  
Wob-Ding-A-Ling                               Baby, I Need You So

  
      Blue Eyes                                     Stardust In Her Eyes

The Fabulous Flames  (1)

  
Josephine                                             My Joan

The Fabulous Five

  
Janie Made A Monster                            Gettin' Old       

The Fabulous Five Flames

  
Lonely Lover                                    No More Tears

...