The Avons (1) (Englewood, NJ)

 Personnel :

Bob Lea (Lead)

Wendell Lea (Second Tenor)

Bill Lea (Baritone)

Irvin Watson (First Tenor)

Curtis Norris (Bass)

Discography :

Singles :
1956 - Our Love Will Never End / I'm Sending S.O.S.(Hull 717)
1957 - Baby / Bonnie (Hull 722)
1957 - You Are So Close To Me / Gonna Catch You Nappin' (Hull 726)
1958 - What Will I Do / Please Come Back To Me (Hull 728)
1959 - What Love Can Do / On The Island (Hull 731)
1961 - Whisper (Softly) / If I Just (Had My Way) (Hull 744)
1962 - The Grass Is Greener On The Other Side / A Girl To Call My Own (Hull 754)

Lps :
1962 - The Avons (Hull LP 1000)
What Love Can Do / Baby / What Will I Do / Someone For Everyone / Bonnie / A Girl To Call My Own / On The Island / Once Upon A Time / You Are So Close To Me / Our Love Will Never End / Fairy Tales / Gonna Catch You Nappin'




 

Biography :

Formed in high school in Englewood, New Jersey, the group consisted of Bob Lea (lead), his brothers Bill (baritone) and Wendel (second tenor), Curtis Norris (bass) and Ervin Watson (first tenor). When they first got together in 1954, they called themselves the Robins. But once they learned of the West Coast group by that name, they started looking for a different name for the group.

     

While Bill was doing his homework on Shakespeare one day, he read about the river Avon in England and the name "clicked." In 1955 they went to New York City to see Blanche "Bea" Kaslin, owner of Hull Records, and they auditioned right in her office. Liking what she heard, she signed the Avons to her label. Before their second rel  ease (Baby, 1957), bass Curtis Norris joined the army and was replaced by Franklin Cole.  Cole enlisted after their third release (You Are So Close to Me, 1958) to be replaced by bass George Coleman, who went into the army two records later.By 1962, baritone Bill Lea went to Uncle Sam and was replaced by Sunny Harley for the Avons' last record, A Girl to Call My Own. Soon after this song's release, the group brokeup.


Songs :

  
Our Love Will Never End / I'm Sending S.O.S                          Baby / Bonnie

  
You Are So Close To Me / Gonna Catch You Nappin'         What Will I Do / Please Come Back To Me

  
What Love Can Do                     On The Island

  
Whisper (Softly) / If I Just  (Had My Way)       A Girl To Call My Own / The Grass Is Greener ....

     
Fairy Tales                    Someone For Everyone                Once Upon A Time


 

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