Don Fardon - The Youngblood Years, Vol. 1 - 2 (2024)

b. Donald Maughn, 19 August 1943, Coventry, West Midlands, England. As the vocalist with the Sorrows, Maughn was featured on this cult act’s most durable release, the pulsating ‘Take A Heart’. A number 21 hit in September 1965, its hypnotic, throbbing beat was maintained on subsequent releases, several of which the singer co-composed. Here, however, he preferred to use an alternative surname, Fardon, which was then retained for the artist’s solo career. His cover version of John D. Loudermilk’ s ‘(The Lament Of The Cherokee) Indian Reservation’ gave him his first and only US hit single in 1968, reaching the Top 20. He broke into the UK Top 40 in 1970 with ‘Belfast Boy’, a homage to the talented, but troubled Northern Irish footballer, George Best. This success paved the way for the re-issue of ‘Indian Reservation’ which, when resurrected, climbed to a respectable number 3 and became one of that year’s most distinctive chart entries. Yet despite several further releases in the early 70s, some of which were remakes of former Sorrows material, Fardon was unable to secure consistent success. He went into the licensing trade, running pubs in Coventry and Eathorpe, while continuing to work on the cabaret and country circuits. He later helped run a security firm looking after pop stars. Fardon re-released ‘Belfast Boy’ in December 2005 in honour of the recently deceased Best.