FOR the first time in its 64 year history the plug had to be pulled on the Eurovision contest because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Fans suffering withdrawal symptoms were able to wander down musical memory lane and, quoting a line from an iconic Euro winning tune, make their mind up on Eurovision's greatest hits.

Abba's Waterloo was named the greatest Eurovision song by UK viewers, as the BBC staged an evening's celebration of the competition to replace this year's cancelled event.

It was a night of pure Eurovision nostalgia. Those old enough to remember and devotees of the longest running annual international TV contest would have recalled that 40 years ago a Southampton singer came close to snatching Eurovision glory.

Kevin Finn, whose stage name was Danny Finn, was watched by millions in 1980 when as lead singer of the group Prima Donna, the UK's catchy entry, Love Enough For Two, came third.

It was the pinnacle of his career for Kevin who died four years ago, aged 71 after a short illness.

He cut his musical teeth in his home city of Southampton where he spent his Saturday mornings at a teenage show at The Gaumont (now The Mayflower) which included a DJ, dancing and a live band.

It fuelled his desire to break into showbiz and he eventually began playing with a local band, The Whirlwinds

Kevin, a pupil at Southampton's St Mary's College, recalled: “Part of the audition was not whether I was a good singer but more important was that I knew words to songs !”

His major showbiz breakthrough came when he answered an advert in the Southern Evening Echo, placed by a local show business entrepreneur who was looking for a singer and he promptly changed his name to Kevin Scott and helped him to record a couple of songs with The Whirlwinds.

Southampton's budding pop star then became Kevin Scott & The Kinsmen and played society gigs, once performing for The Queen Mother.

His next band was Time, for which he sang lead vocals and with whom he cut two singles. When he heard that Camberley-based Wishful Thinking was looking for a new lead singer, he joined the group and his professional singing career really took off.

They toured and enjoyed a measure of success, particularly in Denmark, chalking up a number of hits. Their album Hiroshima, released in 1971, initially failed to make an impact and the band decided to concentrate on other things.

Finn joined the Walt Disney Company and was a session singer on records and TV shows featuring artists such as Cliff Richard and Olivia Newton John plus live shows with groups including The Kinks. He was also in the 1973 film That’ll Be The Day, featuring David Essex and Ringo Starr, when he appeared with Wishful Thinking.

Kevin later joined The New Seekers where he met lead singer Eve Graham and they married.

For as long as he could remember Kevin wanted to be on stage. Little could he have dreamed as he mimed his childhood party piece – a Rosemary Clooney number- that he would end up on the world stage as part of one of the 70s most iconic bands.

After the couple left the chart topping group they became a singing duo and and toured the United Kingdom with American sixties superstar Gene Pitney.

Kevin decided to quit life on the road and became a theme park designer. He worked on rides, shows, radio and television commercials for parks and attractions throughout Europe and latterly toured New Zealand with Eve and Paper Lace.

The couple who had lived in Norfolk retired to Eve's native Perthshire. She still tours showcasing those New Seekers' hits which made her a household name.

And Kevin Finn's name is cemented in Eurovision history for coming so close to a UK victory.