Abergavenny

Album: Greatest Hits: Born to Rock and Roll (1968)
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Songfacts®:

  • Abergavenny, the gateway to Wales, is known in Welsh as Y Fenni (mouth of the River Gavenny); it began its existence as a Roman fort and was later a medieval walled town.
  • The Marty Wilde recording "Abergavenny" on the Philips label was credited to Frere Manston and Jack Gellar, although it was written by Wilde himself and Ronnie Scott (not the famous jazz musician). The original B Side was "Alice In Blue". In the United States the song was released under the name Shannon.
  • Ian Hunter was given the Key to the City by the Mayor of Cleveland after writing "Cleveland Rocks"; according to the Daily Mirror of March 5, 1997, the Abergavenny Chamber of Trade bought the copyright of Wilde's song for fifty pounds in order to promote the town.
  • The soccer club Abergavenny Thursday also based their team song on "Abergavenny".
  • In April 2010, Wilde performed the song with the Band of the Irish Guards; the arrangement was by musical director, composer and arranger Cy Payne who had first worked with Wilde half a century before. >>
    Suggestion credit:
    Alexander Baron - London, England, for all above

Comments: 3

  • Stephen Vaughan from Salisbury What a great song... I've been to Abergavenny many times and I worked with cy Payne and Phil Shannon(DoM Irish guards)
  • Philip Shannon Mbe from LondonI was the Director of Music of the band of the Irish Guards in 2010 when Cy and Marty performed the song in our practice room in Wellington Barracks. What a treasured memory!
  • Aurora from IndianaI love this song.
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