Maxi, Dick and Twink
Encyclopedia
Maxi, Dick and Twink were an all-girl singing trio in Ireland
in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Maxi
is Irene McCoubrey (born 23 February 1950), Dick is Barbara Dixon (born 4 April 1952) and Twink is Adele King
(born 4 April 1951). The group emerged out of the 'Young Dublin Singers' who were playing in the Gaiety Theatre, Dublin one summer when producer Fred O'Donovan
said he wanted backing singers for recordings. He chose McCoubrey, Dixon and King, and initially they did vocal backings for showbands on singles such as "Old Man Trouble" by The Royal Blues, "Nora" by Johnny McEvoy, "Quick Joey Small" by The Real McCoy, "Cinnamon" by The Trixons, "Joys Of Love" by The Dixies and "Papa Sang Bass" by The Ranchers. In 1967 O'Donovan suggested they be launched as a group.
They performed on Hughie Green
's British TV showcase Opportunity Knocks
and had a thirteen week stint on Irish television series Steady As She Go-Goes. They made two 45 singles with Columbia Records
, "Things You Hear About Me" (which had taken second place behind Dana
's "All Kinds Of Everything
" in the Irish National Song Contest in 1970) b/w "Catch The Bride's Bouquet" and "Tangerines Tangerines" b/w "Sweet Eye". The group toured Ireland and Britain before travelling to Canada in the freezing winter of 1970 with one of the top Irish bands of the time, The Bye-Laws; together they were known as 'The Toybox'. The tour went badly, according to Twink: "We seemed to be on an endless safari through the most abandoned outposts in the arctic part of the country. Our nerves got more and more on edge." There was a great deal of bickering and rowing and tension between the girls, and The Bye-Laws announced that they were breaking away. "This was in the William Pitt Hotel in Chatham, Manitoba, a one horse town which even the horses had left!". They invited Twink to go with them and she decided to do so; thus 'Maxi, Dick and Twink' came to an end. Naturally the other two girls were upset but they too realised that it was over for them as a group.
The three members went on to considerable solo success. When they returned from Canada to Ireland that Spring of 1971, The Bye-Laws started to play around the cabaret joints as 'Twink and The Bye-Laws'. Soon afterwards Twink left to join Brendan Bowyer
's new band 'The Big 8' between 1971 and 1974. Barbara Dixon sang with Bowyer's former group, 'The Royal Showband', during 1972. Maxi sang with 'Danny Doyle and Music Box
' before going solo. She represented Ireland twice in the Eurovision Song Contest
: in 1973 singing "Do I Dream
"; and again in 1981 with "Horoscopes"
, as part of another all-girl trio, 'Sheeba
' with Marion Fossett and Frances Campbell. Sheeba also competed to be the Irish Eurovision entry in 1982 with "Go Raibh Maith Agat (Thank You)". Maxi then embarked on a career in radio and television broadcasting with the Irish national broadcaster RTÉ. Twink likewise entered the Irish national Eurovision competition in 1972 with "It'd Take A Miracle". Twink became an actress and regular TV celebrity. During an April 1982 episode of her RTÉ series Twink, Maxi, Dick and Twink staged a once-off reunion.
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Maxi
Maxi (singer)
Maxi is an Irish radio disc-jockey and producer; actor, journalist, and singer. Her real name is Irene McCoubrey. She was nicknamed Maxi in school because of the McC letters in her name. She came to fame as part of the popular girl band, Maxi, Dick and Twink, in Ireland in the late 1960s.She...
is Irene McCoubrey (born 23 February 1950), Dick is Barbara Dixon (born 4 April 1952) and Twink is Adele King
Adele King
Adele King is an Irish entertainer better known as Twink from her time as a member of a group called Maxi, Dick and Twink which was a girl band in Ireland in the late 1960s and 1970s. She is Chloë Agnew's mother....
(born 4 April 1951). The group emerged out of the 'Young Dublin Singers' who were playing in the Gaiety Theatre, Dublin one summer when producer Fred O'Donovan
Fred O'Donovan
Fred O'Donovan was an Irish theatre producer and businessman. He worked and associated with, Seán O'Casey, George Bernard Shaw, Peter O'Toole, Maureen Potter and Siobhán McKenna, amongst others....
said he wanted backing singers for recordings. He chose McCoubrey, Dixon and King, and initially they did vocal backings for showbands on singles such as "Old Man Trouble" by The Royal Blues, "Nora" by Johnny McEvoy, "Quick Joey Small" by The Real McCoy, "Cinnamon" by The Trixons, "Joys Of Love" by The Dixies and "Papa Sang Bass" by The Ranchers. In 1967 O'Donovan suggested they be launched as a group.
They performed on Hughie Green
Hughie Green
Hughie Green was the host of numerous British television shows.-Early life:Hugh H. Green was born in London; his Scottish father was a former British Army Major who made his fortune supplying tinned fish to the Allied forces in World War I, while his mother Violet was the Surrey-born daughter of...
's British TV showcase Opportunity Knocks
Opportunity Knocks
Opportunity Knocks is a British television and radio talent show originally hosted by Hughie Green, with a late-1980s revival hosted by Bob Monkhouse, and later by previous winner Les Dawson....
and had a thirteen week stint on Irish television series Steady As She Go-Goes. They made two 45 singles with Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
, "Things You Hear About Me" (which had taken second place behind Dana
Dana Rosemary Scallon
Dana Rosemary Scallon , known in her singing career simply as Dana, is an Irish singer and former Member of the European Parliament ....
's "All Kinds Of Everything
All Kinds Of Everything
"All Kinds of Everything" is a song written by Derry Lindsay and Jackie Smith which as performed by Dana won the Eurovision Song Contest 1970. "All Kinds of Everything" represented a return to the ballad form from the more energetic performances which had dominated Eurovision the previous years...
" in the Irish National Song Contest in 1970) b/w "Catch The Bride's Bouquet" and "Tangerines Tangerines" b/w "Sweet Eye". The group toured Ireland and Britain before travelling to Canada in the freezing winter of 1970 with one of the top Irish bands of the time, The Bye-Laws; together they were known as 'The Toybox'. The tour went badly, according to Twink: "We seemed to be on an endless safari through the most abandoned outposts in the arctic part of the country. Our nerves got more and more on edge." There was a great deal of bickering and rowing and tension between the girls, and The Bye-Laws announced that they were breaking away. "This was in the William Pitt Hotel in Chatham, Manitoba, a one horse town which even the horses had left!". They invited Twink to go with them and she decided to do so; thus 'Maxi, Dick and Twink' came to an end. Naturally the other two girls were upset but they too realised that it was over for them as a group.
The three members went on to considerable solo success. When they returned from Canada to Ireland that Spring of 1971, The Bye-Laws started to play around the cabaret joints as 'Twink and The Bye-Laws'. Soon afterwards Twink left to join Brendan Bowyer
Brendan Bowyer
Brendan Bowyer, born 12 October 1938 in Waterford, Ireland, is an Irish singer best known for fronting The Royal Showband, who had five number one hits in Ireland, and The Big Eight. He is also renowned for having The Beatles open for him at a concert in 1962 at the Liverpool Empire Theatre, and...
's new band 'The Big 8' between 1971 and 1974. Barbara Dixon sang with Bowyer's former group, 'The Royal Showband', during 1972. Maxi sang with 'Danny Doyle and Music Box
Danny Doyle
Danny Doyle is a solo Irish folk singer.- Background :Reportedly, the songs on which Doyle was raised came from his mother and great-grandmother and from the last of Dublin's street singers and from some of Dublin's contemporary writers, such as poet Patrick Kavanagh and playwright Brendan Behan,...
' before going solo. She represented Ireland twice in the Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
: in 1973 singing "Do I Dream
Do I Dream
Do I Dream, or with a question mark Do I Dream? as it states the Eurovision official website, was the Irish entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1973, performed in English by Maxi....
"; and again in 1981 with "Horoscopes"
Horoscopes (song)
"Horoscopes" was the Irish entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1981, performed in English by Sheeba.The song is an up-tempo number, with the girls singing about the fascination some people have with horoscopes and star signs. They explain that this is "crazy, crazy", because "It's we, not the...
, as part of another all-girl trio, 'Sheeba
Sheeba
Sheeba were an all-girl pop trio popular in Ireland in the late 1970s and early 1980s. They were Maxi, Marion Fossett and Frances Campbell. They are best known for representing the host nation, Ireland, in the Eurovision Song Contest in 1981 with "Horoscopes"....
' with Marion Fossett and Frances Campbell. Sheeba also competed to be the Irish Eurovision entry in 1982 with "Go Raibh Maith Agat (Thank You)". Maxi then embarked on a career in radio and television broadcasting with the Irish national broadcaster RTÉ. Twink likewise entered the Irish national Eurovision competition in 1972 with "It'd Take A Miracle". Twink became an actress and regular TV celebrity. During an April 1982 episode of her RTÉ series Twink, Maxi, Dick and Twink staged a once-off reunion.
External links
- Maxi, Dick & Twink at the Irish Showbands and Beat-Groups Archive
- Maxi, Dick & Twink tour Canada with The Bye-Laws