Breakaways / Signs / Cade's County
Story (1963-1974)
Photo Gallery -
Band Lineups -
Discography
- Audio samples -
Where Are They Now?
The Story
From what we can gather through archival newspaper research, the
Breakaways hit the road sometime late in 1963. They were based out
of Magherafelt in Co. Derry and managed by E. Regan. The original
line-up was: Brendan Quinn (guitar), Robin Averill (bass and vocals), Billy Cushley (guitar), Dave Quinn
(drums), Tommy McCullough (sax), Des Kerr (sax) and Albert Kerr
(perhaps trumpet). Tracking the history of the band has been made
somewhat difficult by the fact that there were actually three
different bands using the name, Breakaways, during the era including
one based in Naas and another based in Cork.
Originally advertised as "Robin
and the Breakaways," the band would soon also be known as the
Breakaways Showband. It seems they were slow to get going as we
found a newspaper advert for the band from February 1966 for the
Pavesi Ballroom in Donegal which described them as "a new sensation
in the showband world."
Around 1968 Jimmy Devlin from
Cookstown in Co. Tyrone took over the management of the band.
We have found an advertisement for
Robin and the Breakaways Showband in February, 1969. At the same
time, the band had gone into the studio to record a new single which
was written by Ray Doherty called "There's Nothing In This World"
and featured Robin on vocals. In conjunction with the new record the
band decided to change their name, having grown tired of "being
confused with other bands called the Breakaways." The new name would
be the Signs Showband.
By early 1970, the band was being
managed by Finbarr Burns, who immediately put to rest rumours that
Robin was leaving the band for a solo career. However by September,
1971, Brendan did take over the lead singer role when the band
released Help Me Make It Through the Night as his debut
single on the Velvet label. The band, now known as Brendan Quinn and
the Signs, were doing well across the nation, but mainly in the
North.
In March, 1972 an article in the
Evening Herald reported that the band was now changing its
name yet again, this time to "Cade's County" (copied from an
American TV show of the same name from 1971 which starred Glenn
Ford). At this time, there was both a change in musical direction
from pop to country as well as yet another new manager, Tom Murray.
In late 1974, the Mighty Avons were
undergoing a series of changes and they asked Brendan Quinn to join
the band as one of the featured lead singers, which he did, bringing
with him at least one member of Cade's County. As far as we know,
this meant the end of Cade's County.
More to come....
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