The Avons were a British pop vocal group originally consisting of sisters-in-law Valerie Murtagh and Elaine Murtagh, who initially performed as the Avon Sisters before adding Raymond S. Adams and adopting the name the Avons. In 1959, the group released their debut single, “Seven Little Girls (Sitting in the Back Seat)”, which reached number 3 on the UK Singles Chart and remained on the chart for 13 weeks. Subsequent singles include “We're Only Young Once” (1960), “Four Little Heels” (1960), and “Rubber Ball” (1961). The group also wrote “Dance On!” (1963), which was recorded as an instrumental by the Shadows and later as a vocal version by Kathy Kirby in 1964, and they penned Billy Fury's number 5 hit “In Summer” (1963). Valerie Murtagh later transitioned to songwriting under the pen name Valerie Avon, achieving recognition with the 1974 Eurovision entry “Long Live Love”, which was performed by Olivia Newton-John.
