AVALONS
Toccoa, GA
The Avalons was one of the first successful Rock and Roll bands from Toccoa, Georgia. The original members consisted of: Lamar Collins – bass / vocals, Jimmy Sipes – keyboards / vocals, Roy Thompson – guitar / vocals, Sam Camp – saxophone / harmonica / vocals, and Ronny Crunkleton – drums / vocals. Some time after the band began performing, Tommy Owens, a studio drummer from Greenville, South Carolina, joined the band.
The group appeared roughly from 1963 thru 1967 in Georgia and South Carolina. The Avalons gained much popularity as the house band at a local teen club called The Chicken Shack located in Seneca, South Carolina. It was not uncommon to pack a thousand fans in on Saturday night where records and pictures were sold.
During the band’s popularity, we opened for several national acts including such names as The Swinging Medallions, Billy Joe Royal, Sam the Sham and the Pharohs, Keith, and The Impressions.
Avalons at the Chicken Shack
The Avalons recorded in the late sixties and the songs were composed by Collins and Thompson. The recordings were done at Arthur Smith studios in Charlotte, North Carolina and Mark V Studios in Greenville, South Carolina.
The two songs, “Come Back Little Girl” and “Mad Man’s Fate”, received airtime on many southeastern radio stations. "Mad Man's Fate" got the most air time and was the song that was #1 at WHYZ, a local radio station in Greenville, South Carolina. The record also received recognition in the Billboard Top 100 magazine.
(courtesy GARAGEHANGOVER)