UK Number 40s: Maureen Evans - Paper Roses (1960)

This song is known to many as the only solo hit for Marie Osmond in the 70s when it reached number 2. However, it wasn't the original version and the song itself had quite an interesting chart story prior to this.

In the 60s it was quite common for UK record producers to go over to America and hear what the big records were over there, then come back to the UK and get their artists to record the song for the UK market.

Maureen Evans was one of these British artists who made her chart debut at the start of 1960 with a cover of "The Big Hurt" by Toni Fisher. It peaked at number 26, and remained in what was then the Top 30 for 2 weeks. After another 2 weeks, the original only managed number 30 and would be the last record to peak at number 30 before the singles chart expanded.

The original version of "Paper Roses" was by Anita Bryant and initially failed to make the Top 40, reaching 49 in the last week of May 1960. The following week this version by Maureen Evans also failed to make the Top 40 reaching 43, but a week later it did peak at number 40. It fell out the Top 40 the following week but remained in the Top 50 for a further 3 weeks. In it's final week, the Anita Bryant version reappeared at 45 but fell back out the Top 50 the following week.

The story doesn't end there though. A week later another version appeared in the charts, this time from Kaye Sisters at number 30. It fell to 42 the following week, but in the same week the Anita Bryant version finally broke the Top 40 reaching 24. Then a week later the Kaye Sisters went one better climbing to 23, whilst the Anita Bryant version fell to 48.

That would be the last we'd see of the Anita Bryant version, but the Kaye Sisters version would stay in the Top 40 and would eventually peak at number 7 in September and remained in the Top 40 till the end of October.

Maureen Evans would have a further 2 Top 40 hits, the next coming in 1962 with a cover of "Like I Do" by Nancy Sinatra which would be her most successful making number 3 whilst Nancy Sinatra was yet to make her UK chart debut. Her final hit came in 1964 with a cover of "I Love How You Love Me" by the Paris Sisters where again the originally failed to make the UK Top 40, but a previous version by Jimmy Crawford had charted in 1961.

Following her music career, Maureen Evans opened the Maureen Evans Theatre School in Cardiff which she ran from 1998-2010 and is now retired.