Maureen Evans

Maureen Evans (born 23 March 1940, Cardiff, Wales)^[1] is a Welsh pop singer who achieved fame briefly in the 1960s.

Career

Evans career began as a singer with Waldini's Gypsy Band in the mid 1950s, mainly doing summer seasons at UK holiday resorts such as Llandudno.^[2]

She released her first singles in 1958 on the Embassy Records label.^[1] Embassy was Woolworth's budget price record label. She reached the UK Singles Chart in 1960 with the song "The Big Hurt", but her biggest hit was 1962's "Like I Do", which peaked at #3 in the UK in early 1963.^[3]

The song had been recorded in the U.S. by Nancy Sinatra and was based on a piece of classical music, Dance of the Hours. The tune was also used for the comedy record, "Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh", by Allan Sherman and made the Top Ten of the Billboard Hot 100. Sinatra's version of "Like I Do", topped the chart in both Japan and Italy.^[1]

In 1963, Evans competed in the British trials for the Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Pick the Petals", but came in third; Ronnie Carroll represented the UK that year in the competition. She continued releasing singles into the 1960s, as well as one EP (1963's Melancholy Me, on Oriole Records) and an album, Like I Do, also on Oriole (1963).

Evans owned the Maureen Evans Theatre School in West Grove, Cardiff for many years, which taught children aged 6 to 18 years old, how to sing, dance and act. In 2010, however, the Theatre School was shut down.^[4]

Singles

Embassy Records

• 1958 "Stupid Cupid" / "Carolina Moon"
• 1958 "Fever" / "Born Too Late"
• 1958 "Hula Hoop Song" / "Hoopa Hoola"
• 1958 "I'll Get By" / "Someday (You'll Want Me to Want You)"
• 1958 "You Always Hurt the One You Love" / "The Day The Rains Came"
• 1958 "Kiss Me Honey Honey Kiss Me" / "To Know Him Is to Love Him"
• 1959 "May You Always" / "Goodbye Jimmy Goodbye"
• 1959 "Lipstick On Your Collar" / "What a Diff'rence a Day Made"
• 1959 "Broken Hearted Melody" / "Plenty Good Lovin'"
• 1959 "Among My Souvenirs" / "Happy Anniversary"

Oriole Records

• 1959 "Don't Want The Moonlight" / "The Years Between"
• 1960 "The Big Hurt" / "I Can't Begin to Tell You" - UK #26
• 1960 "Love Kisses and Heartaches" / "We Just Couldn't Say Goodbye" - UK #44
• 1960 "Paper Roses" / "Please Understand" - UK #40
• 1961 "Mama Wouldn't Like It" / "My Little Corner of the World"
• 1961 "As Long as He Needs Me" / "Where Is Love"
• 1961 "Till" / "Why Don't You Believe Me?"
• 1962 "My Foolish Heart" / "Oh Gipsy Oh Gipsy"
• 1962 "Never In a Million Years" / "We Had Words"
• 1962 "Like I Do" / "Starlight Starbright" - UK #3
• 1963 "Pick The Petals" / "Melancholy Me"
• 1963 "Oh What A Guy" / "What a Diff'rence a Day Made"
• 1963 "As You Love Her" / "Like You Used To Do"
• 1964 "I Love How You Love Me" / "John John" - UK #34
• 1964 "Don't Believe Him" / "He Knows I Love Him Too Much"
• 1964 "Get Away" / "I've Often Wondered"

CBS Records

• 1965 "All The Angels Sing" / "Speak Sugar Speak"
• 1965 "Never Let Him Go" / "Poco Sole"
• 1967 "Somewhere There's Love" / "It Takes A Little Time"
• 1968 "I Almost Called Your Name" / "Searching For Home"

^[3]

See also

• List of people from Cardiff

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} BBC.co.uk mini-biography
2. ^ 1956 programme of Waldini's Gypsy Band featuring Maureen Evans
3. ^ ^{a b} Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. pp. 189. ISBN 1-904994-10-5. 
4. ^ Walesonline.co.uk

External links

• Maureen Evans at 45rpm.org

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Name	Evans, Maureen
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Date of birth	23 March 1940
Place of birth
Date of death
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