Donna Jones went to school with Lyn Paul. In the '60s the two girls sang together in a trio called the Chrys-Do-Lyns. In the '70s, while Lyn was hitting the big time with the New Seekers, Donna joined Springfield Revival. After that she became the face and voice of Pussyfoot, scoring a number 1 hit in Australia and causing something of a sensation in the 1980 Song For Europe. In the '80s, having originally stepped in as a temporary replacement, Donna became a full-time member of the New Seekers.
Donna Jones gained her early showbiz experience with Lyn Paul when, as teenagers, the two of them sang together in an all-girl trio called the Chrys-Do-Lyns (the group's name was taken from the names of it's three members - Christine, Donna and Lyn). They performed at working men's clubs in the UK and toured Europe, appearing in France, Germany and Italy.
During the early 1970s Donna was a member of Springfield Revival - a trio that revived the old Springfields formula in much the same way that the New Seekers had initially imitated the original Seekers. The other two members of the group were Mick Flinn and Ray Martin. Together, the trio released three albums, made numerous TV appearances in the UK and supported the Osmonds on two world tours. Their career highlight was an appearance at the 45th Academy Awards show. Manager Glenn Wheatley remembered the night in his autobiography: "I was more excited by the fact that Michael Jackson was on the show too, singing 'Ben', a nominee for Best Song. We even had to share the same dressing room." (Paper Paradise, page 74). Springfield Revival split up in 1975.
In the late 1970s and early 1980s Donna was a big hit "down under" with an act called Pussyfoot. In 1977 her début single The Way You Do It rocketed to number 1 in Australia and stayed on the top spot for eight weeks. The record became the biggest selling single of the year and was EMI's biggest hit in Australia for seven years. The follow-up, Dancer Dance, was a Top 20 hit in Australia and in South America, achieving more modest success in the UK where it got to number 3 in the Disco charts.
Donna Jones as Pussyfoot.
In March 1980Pussyfoot entered the Song For Europe contest, with Donna now fronting a band that included Mick Flinn (lead guitar), Jude Allen (synthesizer / keyboards), Jackie Dixon (drums), Annabel Rees (synthesizer / keyboards) and Fiona Tucker (bass guitar). Although the song I Want To Be Me was catchy, Donna's performance on television proved a bit too raunchy for British voters, who opted instead for the more wholesome group Prima Donna, fronted by ex-New Seeker Danny Finn. The New Seekers themselves had also entered the contest that year but were disqualified when it emerged that they had already performed their song on television.
Reporting on the 1980 Song For Europe journalist Penny Allen wrote:
"Unlike international sporting competitions, where objective criteria exist and contestants know their relative standard and therefore the likely result, the entrants to the Eurovision Song Contest direct their material and image at some hypothetical Senor / Fraulein / Monsieur or Ms. Average, and in the UK even the representative song is selected with a gesture at democracy - or a guarantee that nothing too original or extreme will get through.
At this year's A Song For Europe, it was the group Pussyfoot that tested the rule. Eurovision audiences are familiar with the male pop group with snazzy guitars and glitter ties and sweet young couples in matching t-shirts and jeans. But an all-but-one-woman rock band singing; 'I want to be free, I want to be me', though it caught the imagination and support of the theatre audience, drew wildly varying scores from the regional panels.
'This group,' said Terry Wogan sagely, 'polarises audiences', and turned back to the scoreboard where the race between the two leading songs, Love Enough For Two and Happy Everything, was gathering momentum."
Song For Europe 1980
Artist / Song
Points
Pos.
Prima Donna
Love Enough For Two
131
1st
Maggie Moone
Happy Everything
131
2nd
Kim Clark
Surrender
129
3rd
Pussyfoot
I Want To Be Me
111
4th
Plain Sailing
Easy
111
4th
Scramble
Don't Throw Your Love Away
97
6th
Duke & The Aces
Love Is Alive
94
7th
Jacqui Scott
Symphony For You
67
8th
Midnite
Love Comes, Love Grows
62
9th
Roy Winston
Everything Is All Right
58
10th
Sonia Jones
Here We'll Stay
56
11th
The Main Event
Gonna Do My Best
45
12th
Donna Jones first sang with the New Seekers in 1979 when she stepped in as an emergency replacement for Vivien Banks. She stepped in again in November 1980 after Vivien's full-time replacement, Nicola Kerr, also left the group. This time Donna stayed for good.
In addition to singing with the New Seekers, Donna has developed her interest in comedy writing and performance. After a year as a stand-up comedienne, she teamed up with Jean Heard and Julia Munrow to write Mutton, a comedy sketch show poking fun at the trials and tribulations of the menopausal years. In 2004 the trio took Mutton to the Edinburgh Fringe. The success of the show, described in the Edinburgh Metro as "very funny", encouraged them to make further appearances at theatres around Britain.
Mutton Tour 2007
Friday, 23rd March - Wolverhampton Arena Theatre
Friday, 20th April - Bognor Regis Hotham Arts Centre
Thursday, May 17th - Swansea Arts Centre
Saturday, 19th May - Redditch Palace Theatre
Wednesday, 30th May and Friday, 1st June - Lowry Theatre Studio, Manchester
Thursday, June 28th - Colchester Arts Centre
Friday, 29th June - Wyllyotts Theatre, Potters Bar
Thursday, 5th July - Saturday, 7th July - Yvonne Arnauds'' Mill Studio, Guildford
Friday, 28th September - Hertford Castle Hall
Friday, 12th October - Limelight Theatre, Aylesbury
Friday, 26th October - Epsom Playhouse Studio Theatre
Wednesday, 12th December - Havant Arts Centre
You'll Always Be On My Mind / Gypsy Rover
(Polydor 2058 261) 1972 Mama Was Right All Along / Round And Round And Up And Down
(Polydor 2058 308) 1972 Come Follow, Follow Me / Someone
(USA: MGM / Verve MV 10717) 1973 Does Anybody Love You / Music
(Polydor 2058 357) May 1973 Something Out Of A Dream / Love Only One
(Polydor 2058 388) July 1973 Riverboat Queen / Need To Be With You
(Polydor 2958 416) October 1973 Stand By Your Man / Don't Ask Me
(Polydor 2058 455) 1974 It Doesn't Cost Much (To Make People Happy) / Green
(Polydor 2058 490) 1974 EPs (Thailand)
Various Artists: Top Of The Pops Side 1: Mardi Gras, Too Busy Thinking About My Baby
Mary Wells, My Guy
Side 2: Pagliaro, Some Sing, Some Dance
Springfield Revival, You'll Always Be On My Mind
(KS-002)
Various Artists Side 1: Pagliaro, Some Sing, Some Dance
Cliff Richard, Living In Harmony
Side 2: Springfield Revival, You'll Always Be On My Mind
Faron Young, It's Four In The Morning
(4 Track M. 088)
Various Artists Side 1: Elton John, Crocodile Rock
Lobo, I'd Love You To Want Me
Side 2: Albert Hammond, It Never Rains In Southern California
Springfield Revival, You'll Always Be On My Mind
(M. 144)
Various Artists Side 1; Quicksilver Messenger Service, Don't Cry My Lady Love
Michael Jackson, Ben
Side 2: Springfield Revival, You'll Always Be On My Mind
Roberta Flack, Killing Me Softly With His Song
(TKR-090)
Springfield Revival's début album opened with Cottonfields, an American folk song recorded by the original Springfields for their 1963 album Folk Songs From The Hills (Philips 632 304 BL). The song was covered by the Seekers on their 1964 album The Seekers (WRC ST 422), which was released in the UK under the title Roving With The Seekers. The Irish folk song Gypsy Rover was another Seekers' favourite from the same album.
Side 1: Cottonfields | Wonderful | Gypsy Rover | San Francisco Bay Blues | Temma Harbour | Shake A Hand (Carol Carmichael) Side 2: You'll Always Be On My Mind | Glory Land | Green | Open The Door (Song for Judith) | Boom Sha La | Morning Of My Life
Springfield Revival's second album included Silver Threads And Golden Needles, a song released as a single by the Springfields in 1962. The Springfields version reached number 1 in Australia and number 20 in the USA.
Side 1: Mama Was Right All Along | Music | San Fernando Line | Someone | Neon Rose | Penny Farthing Band Side 2: Down By The Lazy River | Storm In A Teacup | Peace Will Come | Meet Me In The Valley | Silver Threads And Golden Needles | Lifeboat
Springfield Revival
(US release, MGM SE 4905)
Side 1: Come Follow, Follow Me | Music | Peace Will Come | Neon Rose | San Francisco Bay Blues | Someone Side 2: It's A Musical World | San Fernando Line | There's An Island (Where The Sun Shines Its Light On Everyone) | Mamma Was Right All Along | Silver Threads And Golden Needles | Penny Farthing Band
Springfield Revival
pictured on the front cover of a Thai EP
featuring You'll Always Be On My Mind (KS-002).
Mick and Donna
Singles
Love Me I Love You / Our New Home
(EMI 2362) February 1975 Hey Paula / The Only One For Me
(EMI 2423) February 1976
The Way You Do It / I Think I Like It
(EMI 2313) July 1975 Ooh Ja Ja / I Want You To Love Me
(Australia: EMI International 11376) Dancer Dance / Dancer Dance Part II
(EMI 2755) March 1978 Gotta Move On / A Night To Remember
(EMI 2825) 1978 Lay Your Love On The Line / Gotta Move On
(EMI 2952) June 1979 I Want To Be Me / What'll We Do With The Money
(EMI 5045 / Germany: Bellaphon 100 7017) March 1980 Mind Over Matter / Hallowed Ground
(Australia: Powderworks POW 0203) 1984
