Andy Evans

Penarth in South Wales is famed for its role in the rock'n'roll pantheon in the UK. It has been a hotbed of talent ever since the 1950's and any weekend of the year you will still hear bands banging out rock'n'roll classics in a pub or club in Penarth. Its most successful export was Shakin' Stevens who later took the charts by storm in the 1980s. At the age of 14 Andy Evans joined forces with Richard Minchin a friend from the age of about seven or eight, school friend Howard Smith and bass player Martin Ford in the band "Feedback", with piano player Steven Meredith, this band went on to become the locally successful rock 'n' roll combo "Ricky and the Ricochets". The group were courted by Magnum Force Records and were signed to record a single by legendary rock'n'roll manager Paul "Legs" Barratt but it never came to be. The two songs were a re-working of Patsy Cline's "She's Got You" and Shakin' Stevens and the Sunsets' "I Fell Apart". Somewehere along the line Andy was also encouraged to audition for the revival of Jack Good's TV show "Oh Boy" but as filming clashed with O level examinations, Andy took the path to academic glory instead! Although the group disbanded in 1981, Andy Evans the lead singer remained a faithful fan of the genre and has recently re-recorded some of thee old numbers that he used to love singing and performing as a part of Ricky and the Ricochets. Enjoy these and take a trip back to the 1950's as a tribute to Andy's former band mates...