Merv & Maria Norfolk's Premier Country Music Duo

Merv & Maria's Latest News & Gossip Journal

Want to know what we are up to? well here's how. This is where we will post all our latest news and gossip to keep you best informed, why not have a read and then leave us a message on our guestbook.

7th December 2007 ~ New Page Added To Site ~ Ollie Austin "Best Of Friends" Tour

I've just added a new page to the website "Ollie Austin All Star Country Band Page" which has all the details about our new venture with Ollie Austin. It included details about the band, Tour Dates and Booking Numbers, so make sure you come and see us on the "Best Of Friends Tour 2008"

19th November 2007~ Ollie Austin & The All Star Band At Leiston Theatre....

Well what a night it was out very first show as the Ollie Austin All Star Band, at the Film Theatre, Leiston. We all arived early for a rehearsal before the show, and before we knew it we were approaching "Show Time".

We went out as Merv & Maria to open the show, to what was a full theatre of excited Ollie Fans looking forward to seeing the first showing of the band. Our part of the show went really well, then it was all quick change behind the scene for what everybody was waiting for.

Everybody was very nervous this being our first show and you could feel the pressure backstage, but there we were on stage a 5 Piece Band the announcment went out "Please Welcome Mr Ollie Austin" and we were off, the band kicked off, out strolled Ollie and the show was under way.

Ollie was there standing at the front of stage playing acoustic guitar backed by a band, the first song was coming to an end and each member of the band were all thinking the same thing, our they going to like Ollie with the band, we didn't have to wait long to find out. The first song finished and the applause was just magical.

From then on the 1hr 30mins set just flew by, Debbie Allen played two great accordian insrumentals, then Les treated the audience to a Steel special, "The Orange Blossom Special". There were also duets with Ollie "Storms Never Last" "Jackson"& "Good Hearted Woman" The band left the stage whilst Ollie played 3 songs just hime and an acoustic guitar and then we all returned to bring the show to an end.

This was it the last song, had the people that loved Ollie so much enjoyed what they had seen, well the last note played and the audience made no mistake they had loved every minute and they were on their feet to demonstrate the fact.

We have heard so many good reports since the show "Ollie was so relaxed" and "He looked like he enjoyed every minute" "We have never seen Ollie like that before" "he looked like a young Johnny Cash, Strolling around the Stage"

We have spoken to Ollie and he did love every minute and so did we and the rest of the band, we are getting back into rehearsals now, to rehearse for the next show, and we are alreadyt planning on adding more theatre dates for 2008.

We will we adding an Ollie Austin All Star Band Page to our website very shortly which will have all the information about the band, and future tour dates, so keep your eyes peeled and look out for us coming to you area soon.

19th November 2007~ Halloween Photo's Added To The Gallery

Fresh back from what was another great Halloween Weekend at The Royal Hotel, Great Yarmouth. I have just up-loaded the photo's onto the Photo Gallery Page. So why not have a giggle and have a look at some of what we got upto over the Halloween weekend 2007.

Also all the booking information for Halloween 2008 is now up on the website, it's already over half full so if you feel like joining us for a weekend of fun and laughter be sure to book for place now!! You can even print a booking form from the website.

July 19th 2007 ~ Exciting Breaking News....................

For a while now we have been in talks with Ollie Austin about putting together a theatre show, we have worked with Ollie many times and know he just has one of the finest voices on the circuit today. He wanted to put together a show thats completely different to what people can see in the clubs, he also really fancied the idea of a full band behind him.

So here it is the breaking news, we have all been working really hard to put together a band called Ollie Austin All Star Country Band. Which includes: Merv (Guitar), Maria (Bass) Debbie Allen (Keyboards), Les Wright (Steel) and Kevin Cayhill (Drums). We have been rehearsing for a couple of months now and the rehersals are really starting to come together. Everybody is starting to relax get to know the songs and really enjoy themselves.

We all get on really well and have some good fun at the rehersals, so we have decided that there is no better time to launch the show than now, it's the Ollie Austin's Best Of Friends Tour. The very first date is the 4th November 2007 at Leiston Film Theatre, Leiston, Suffolk. Box Office - 01728 830549. We are hoping to book a few dates for the end of this year and then hopefully fingers crossed even more dates for 2008, and to more theatre's. So keep and eye on our gig guide for when we might be coming to a theatre near you.

May 18th 2007 ~ Christmas Special At Richmond Park Skeggness

March 23rd 2007 ~ Charity Show In Aid Of Air Ambulance 22nd April In Norwich.

Here are some more details about the show being held at the Wild Stallion, Norwich on Sunday 22nd April 2007. Doors open at 12 -12.30pm and the event goes on until 9.30pm all proceeds towards the Air Ambulance. There are a number of acts lined up for the event including Diesel Cowboys - Arizona Flame - John C King - Merv & Maria (We are appearing in the Afternoon Only). There will be a Bar - Fish & Chip Dinners & a Prize Draw. Tickets £10.00 each in advance call Peter on 01603 429547 or John 01953 604873.

March 15th 2007 ~ Spring Photo's Added To The Gallery

We are all recovered and half awake after the great Spring Weekend we have just had at the Royal Hotel. I've been working hard and just finished putting the Photo's from the weekend on the Website for you all to have a look at March 2007 Photo's

March 13th 2007 ~ The Spring Weekend At Great Yarmouth

We are just fresh back from the March Weekend at Great Yarmouth which was a wonderful weekend, everybody seemed to really enjoy themselves and made lot's of new friends. We will be adding some pictures of the weekend to the Photo Gallery Page very soon so keep an eye out. We have already arranged next years line up March 2008 and are pleased to say we are half full already, so if you would like to join us please book your place soon to avoid dissapointment. You can even print off a booking form now from the site to save on time.

March 1st 2007 ~ Change Of Date For The Old Mill Upwell

Just to let you know that we were booked to appear at the Old Mill Upwell in May, but as many of you may already know the Old Mill Upwell is sadly closing. They have however been able to put on an extra date before it closes, so we will now be there on March 18th 2007, so it won't be long. Look forward to seeing you there for a great afternoon show.

January 10th 2007 ~ New Year Party Photo's Are On The Website

We had a ball at Great Yarmouth for New Year and we have been working hard on getting the Line Up for next New Years sorted out, we are nearly there so there will be news about that very soon. I've just got the photo's from New Year all downloaded and onto the website, so please take a moment to take a look at the Photo Gallery, there are some really great photo's of the games and fancy dress costumes from the Party Night. Look out for news about next years it's coming soon!!!!

January 3rd 2007 ~ Happy New Year To You All

We would just like to wish you all a very Happy New Year. A big thank you to you all for you wonderful support throughout 2006 which was quite a difficult year. We are delighted to finally be able to say that Dad is back on top form and feeling so much better. He has been back to the hospital today and been given the all clear. In fact the Dr told him "he is the finest male specimen he has ever seen" or are those just the words dad wanted to hear.

Wednesday 15th November 2006 ~ A Few Places Left On The New Year Holiday

In the last few days we have had a couple of cancellations for the "New Year Party Holiday" due to illness and unforseen circunstances. So we now have a few places available. If you would like to join us in Great Yarmouth for New Year then why not take a look at the New Year Details and then give us a call on 01553 617546 to book your place.

Monday 6th November 2006 ~ Merv's Health Worries

As many of you have already heard Dad has been taken poorly again. Just before our Halloween Weekend he had a few days of pains in his stomach the same as before when he had gallstones. Having his Gall Bladder removed in March this seemed almost impossible.

A couple of days after the initial pain Dad had started to turn Jaundice again which was not good news. Knowing the symptoms so very well from last time dad wasted no time in booking into see the Dr and get this sorted out. He then went for scans and blood test which proved he was jaundice and there was once again a blockage in his bile duct causing the pain and the problem.

He was booked into hospital on Wednesday 25th October where he underwent a small operation where they found another gallstone in his bile duct. They were able to remove the stone and think that it was missed in the initial operation in March, somehow when they clamped the gall bladder to remove it they think it must have pushed this sneaky little stone out.

Dad hoped to feel better within a couple of days but sadly the Yellow Colour remained, along with the nausea and feeling very tired, unwell and the constant itching. On returning to the Dr they were too baffled that he didn't feel better. After further tests they are sure that inflammation in the bile duct caused by the latest surgery is the cause for the slow recovery. Once that inflammation has gone down and allows the bile to flow clearly in the bile duct he should start to feel better.

The good news is that today is the 3rd day in a row that he has felt a lot better in himself, his head is starting clear, the itching has started to decrease and the nausea slowly starting to disappear so we are really keeping our fingers crossed that he is now back on the road to good health again.

We would like to thank everybody for their cards, phone calls and kind words. It really is wonderful to have so many people care. Keep your fingers crossed that this time they have got all the stones and he'll be back on top form before you know it. Once again thank you to you all for your friendship.

Wednesday 1st November 2006 ~ A Great Halloween In Great Yarmouth

Here we are fresh back from the Merv & Maria Halloween Weekend at the Royal Hotel, Great Yarmouth and what a weekendit was, take a look at the Photo Gallery. From start to finish we had a ball and can hardly wait until next years.

The Royal Hotel is a lovely old fashioned hotel with real character. We were joined by 3 of the finest acts working the circuit today : Richard Palmer, Pure Country & Arizona Flame and what a weekend they gave us. Even the weather was on our side and gave us 3 wonderful days of sunshine.

Friday evening and it all kicked off with Richard Palmer a 19 year old from Scunthorpe. This man is really making a name for himself on the scene and it's easy to see why. He gave us an evening of wonderful country music and dad was bit annoyed he was young, good looking and talented.

Saturday morning and with the sun shining we all took a stroll into Great Yarmouth to visit the market and spend some of dad's money.

Saturday Evening the multi talented Pure Country who we were delighted to be able to book for the weekend. With their very own style they stick to as their name suggest Pure Country and what a hit the were, everybody really enjoyed their music.

No rushing of to bed after the entertainment because Saturday evening it's Late Night Cheese & Biscuits. A chance for everybody to sit back and relax, mingle and chat with new found friends.

Sunday morning and another day of sunshine we took an early morning stroll along the beach and met with several of our guests enjoying a light jog (Well I did see Bernard run for and Ice Cream does that count??)

Sunday Afternoon and is was fun and games in the main ballroom along with some music from ourselves and our dear friend Alf Gosling.

Sunday Evening and it's party night. The theme being Halloween it's always a delight to see what people are going to dress up as and once again they didn't let us down. There were some wonderful costumes and some people I didn't even recognise. It amazes us the effort that people will go to, a real big thank you to everybody for joining in with the fun. Take a look at the costumes on our Photo Gallery Page.

Arizona Flame were our final act for the weekend and what better act to have for party night. They gave us a great show and joined in with the fun, got everybody up dancing and really made for a wonderful end to the weekend.

The Halloween 2007 weekend is already selling fast with many people re-booking for next year, so if you are interested in joining us you can book your place for £20pp deposit and secure your place. We already have the acts booked for 2007 Friday: the very talented Jonny Williams, Saturday: Father & Son Duo Clear Cut and Sunday Party Night our dear friends Nashville Numbers.

Booking forms are available for Halloween 2007 so why not give us a call 01553 617546 or send us an Email and we will pop you a booking form in the post.

Tuesday 26th September 2006 ~ All Went Well At POTTERS

Here we are just back from the POTTERS Country Music Weekend, Hopton On Sea, Norfolk. What a weekend it was, each act did us proud and did a fantastic job making for a truly wonderful time. We have added some pictures taken at the weekend to the Photo Gallery.

Friday Evening it was good to see the Nicky James Band, Nicky has a wonderful voice and the band were just first class. Also on was The Bill Conlan Band, I haven't seen Bill since I was about 11 but Bill still has a wonderful voice and is still as good as ever.

Roy & Dad prepared for the big tennis match facing them saturday afternoon. We were a bit worried about the crowds the match might attract but luckily we were able to find seats for all 3 of them ha ha. The match was very close with dad storming ahead with a 4-1 lead, only to lose the next 3 games to make it 4-4 it was tight all the way until the end where dad was victorious winning 8-6. So if you see Roy Waller on your travels don't mention the TENNIS, ok do ha ha. (see photo gallery for pictures)

Saturday Evening: we opened the show and were delighted to get the chance to work with Kalibre again who took Potters by storm, they were followed by the very talented Steve Cherelle Band. They were very popular treating us to his John Denver songs which went down very well.

Sunday Morning: Ten Pin Bowling for those who wanted to join in where sadly Roy Waller wasn't having much luck and was beaten there also, I think he's still sulking about it!!!

Sunday Afternoon Show: Broken Wing opened the show, very popular boys from Scotland, John Permenter the Texas Fiddle Man. We have been so very lucky to be able to use John on our albums he has just got the sweetest fiddle tone and boy can he make it sing. Then to finish the afternoon show the very popular Swing Commanders. There very different style of country was a real hit with the crowds and they went down a storm.

Sunday Evening: the final night we were joined by local talent Kevin Barry, (one half of New Dawn) Kevin has got a fantastic voice a wowed the 600 strong crowd with his voice and fine banjo playing. He had them eating out of the palm of his hand. To finish of the weekend who better than The Indians. The first time we have seen the Indians with their brand new Chief, what a voice that man has got. We've worked with the Indians on several occasions and they are always great fun.

The weekend was wonderful and people are already starting to book up for next year so if you are interested in joining us at Potters next year for either the June Irish Weekend 22nd June - 25th June or the September Country Irish Weekend Sept 21st -24 please call Potters direct 01502 730345, or log onto their website POTTERS for more information.

Wednesday 20th September 2006 ~ Getting Ready For POTTERS

Everything is really quite manic here at head quaters. We are trying to get everything done before we head off to POTTERS this Friday. Potters is always a fantastic weekend very tiring but great, great fun.
Dad has been busy training for the famous Potters Tennis Match between himself & Roy Waller, Roy is reigning Potters Champion but dad is hoping to wipe the smile off his face with a win this year.

You will also be pleased to know that Dad has still given up smoking, he's doing really well. He went to the Dr's yesterday just for a follow up about his giving up smoking and the nurse said "You are the bravest person I have ever known, it must have been so very difficult for somebody with all your worries to have given up smoking, I don't think anybody else could have done it Merv" Do you think those are the words of a professional nurse or more likely what dad wanted to hear.

Tuesday 15th August 2006 ~ Maria's Sponsored Run

On the September 3rd 2006 I'm taking part in a sponsored run in Birmingham. It's a 3 mile course and I'm raising money for The Cystic Fibrosis Trust. This charity is very close to my heart after losing her very dear friend Nicola Cowen to the disease. If you would like support me by sponsoring me you can Sponsor Me on-line and leave a message of encouragement which I can have a look at before the run. I have set up a website www.runittogether.co.uk which will tell you all about my charity Cystic Fibrosis Trust and the events that I am taking part in, so please take a moment to have a quick look at my site. Many thanks for all your support and I'll up-date this page of the amount raised and how the day went.

Thursday 3rd August 2006 ~ Maria Enters London Marathon

It has always been my dream to run the London Marathon, I have entered 3 times already and sadly not been lucky enough to get in, so this year fingers crossed and this will be my year. I've been and got my entry form, filled it in and sent it off, so keep them crossed and as soon as I hear anything I'll let you know.

Tuesday 1st August 2006 ~ Merv's Given Up Smoking One Month Today

I have to say we can remove the tin hats dad's doing really well, it's one month today and he's doing better than any of us could have imagined. He's really proud that he has given up for one month and has decided that this is it, there's no going back now. I can honestly say Dad hasn't even had one smoke so keep it going Dad.

Saturday 1st July 2006 ~ Merv Gives Up Smoking

Ok so it's the day we've all been dreading, we've got our tin hats, built a bunker and we are ready to lay low for a while. Dad has decided to give up smoking, it's not something that come up overnight he's been talking about it for a while and decided that today July 1st is the day he's finally going to give up. I have to say it's something he has decided himself and he seems pretty set on it, so good luck dad.

Contact:
Merv & Maria

Tel: 01553 617546

Maria Is Running The London Marathon



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All Proceeds To
The Cystic Fibrosis Trust