The Dave Clark Five

The Dave Clark Five
Background information
Origin	Tottenham, London, England
Genres	Pop rock, beat
Years active	1957–1970
Labels	Columbia (EMI), Epic, Capitol
Past members	Dave Clark Mike Smith Lenny Davidson Rick Huxley Denis Payton

The Dave Clark Five were an English pop rock band formed in Tottenham in 1957. In January 1964 they had their first UK top ten single, "Glad All Over", which knocked the Beatles' "I Want to Hold Your Hand" off the top of the UK Singles Chart. It peaked at number 6 in the United States in April 1964.^[1] Although this was their only UK #1, they topped the US chart in December 1965, with their cover of Bobby Day's "Over And Over". Their version of Chet Powers' "Get Together" reached number 8 on the UK Singles Chart retitled as "Everybody Get Together".^[2]

They were the second group of the British Invasion to appear on The Ed Sullivan Show in the United States (for two weeks in March 1964 following the Beatles' three weeks the previous month). They would ultimately have 18 'Ed Sullivan Show' appearances. The group disbanded in late 1970. On 10 March 2008, the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.^[3]

History

The Ed Sullivan Show in 1966. From left: Denis Payton, Dave Clark, Mike Smith, Rick Huxley and Lenny Davidson.

The band started out as the Dave Clark Quintet in 1957, with Clark on drums, Dave Sanford on lead guitar, Chris Walls on bass, Don Vale on piano. In 1958, Sanford was replaced by Rick Huxley and Vale was replaced by Roger Smedley. People were confused by the meaning of the word quintet, so the band renamed themselves the Dave Clark Five, with Stan Saxon on lead vocals, Huxley on rhythm guitar, Smedley on piano and Johnny Johnson on lead guitar. Mick Ryan replaced Johnson in 1958 and Jim Spencer joined on saxophone, while Smedley left. Walls left in 1959 and Huxley became the bass player. Mike Smith joined on piano in 1960, and Lenny Davidson replaced Ryan in 1961. In 1962, the band changed its name to the Dave Clark Five when Saxon left. The group was Clark on drums, Huxley on bass, Smith on organ and lead vocals, and Davidson on lead guitar, adding Denny Payton on tenor and baritone saxophone,^[4] harmonica and guitar.

Originating in north London, the band was promoted as the vanguard of a "Tottenham Sound" (a response to Liverpool's Mersey Beat sound). Dave Clark, who formed the group, struck business deals that allowed him to produce the band's recordings and gave him control of the master recordings.^[5] Songwriting credits went to Clark, Clark and Smith, Clark and Davidson, and Clark and Payton.

The Dave Clark Five had 12 Top 40 hits in the UK between 1964 and 1967, and 17 records in the Top 40 of the US Billboard chart. Their song "Over and Over" went to number one in the US on the Billboard Hot 100 on Christmas Day 1965, despite less impressive sales in the UK (it peaked at number 45 on the UK Singles Chart). They made 18 appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show^[6] – more than any British Invasion group.

The band released a film, Catch Us If You Can (directed by John Boorman) in 1965. It starred Barbara Ferris, and was released in the United States as Having a Wild Weekend. The short film Hits in Action highlighted a series of Dave Clark Five hits.

Other than the songs "Inside and Out", "Maze of Love" and "Live in the Sky", the band did not follow the psychedelic music trend.^[7] The Dave Clark Five disbanded in 1970, having had three singles on the UK chart that year, two of which reached the Top Ten. In 1970, Davidson, Huxley and Payton left, and Alan Parker and Eric Ford joined on lead guitar and bass. That line-up, renamed "Dave Clark & Friends", lasted until 1973.

Between 1978 and 1993, none of their music was available to be purchased in any commercial format due to rights-holder Clark declining to license the band's recordings. In 1993, a single CD "Glad All Over Again" was produced by Dave himself and released by EMI in Britain.^[8][9] After a 1989 deal with the Disney Channel to rebroadcast the 1960s ITV show Ready Steady Go! (which Clark owned), he made a deal with Disney-owned Hollywood Records to issue in 1993 a double CD "History of the Dave Clark Five".^[10] No DC5 material was then legally available until 2008, when the "Hits" compilation was released by Universal Music in the UK. In 2009 selections from the band's catalogue were released on iTunes, but their catalogue remains unavailable on Spotify.

Post break-up

Dave Clark was also the band's manager and producer of their recordings. Following the group's break-up, Clark set up a media company. In the process, he acquired the rights to the 1960s pop series Ready Steady Go!. Additionally, he wrote and produced the 1986 London stage musical Time – The Musical where he directed the last performance of Sir Laurence Olivier. A two-disc vinyl album was released in conjunction with the stage production featuring music recorded by Julian Lennon (singing DC5's song "Because"), Freddie Mercury, Stevie Wonder, Cliff Richard, Ashford & Simpson and Olivier's selected dialogue. This double album was digitally remastered and released on iTunes in May 2012.

Mike Smith released a now-scarce CD in 2000 titled It's Only Rock & Roll and returned to performing in 2003 after a hiatus of 25 years. He formed Mike Smith's Rock Engine and did two mini-tours of the U.S. He died on 28 February 2008 in London from a spinal injury sustained after scaling a fence at his home in Spain.^[11]

Denis Payton died on 17 December 2006 at the age of 63 after a long battle with cancer. Rick Huxley died from emphysema on 11 February 2013 at the age of 72. Lenny Davidson taught guitar for many years at a school in Cambridgeshire, where he still lives.

Induction into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

The Dave Clark Five made the list of nominees for the class of 2008, and on 13 December 2007 it was announced that the band would be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on 10 March 2008.^[3] The group was inducted by Tom Hanks, who wrote, directed and starred in the 1996 film That Thing You Do!, which was about an American one-hit wonder band that became popular in the wake of the British Invasion.

In attendance with the three surviving members of the DC5 were the families of Lenny Davidson and Rick Huxley, and Denis Payton's two sons. Mike Smith had planned on attending but died eleven days before the induction. Dave Clark opened up his acceptance speech by saying that he felt like he was at the Oscars. Davidson's family mentioned that they arrived in New York City for the ceremony on 8 March, exactly 44 years after the group's first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show.

Joan Jett honoured the Dave Clark Five by performing "Bits and Pieces" with John Mellencamp's band. To perform "Glad All Over", Jett was joined by John Fogerty, John Mellencamp, Billy Joel and other artists who performed throughout the evening.

In March 2008 a 28-track collection, The Dave Clark Five: The Hits, was released on iTunes.

Personnel

The Dave Clark Five comprised:^[12]

• Dave Clark (born David Clark, 15 December 1942, Tottenham, North London, England) – Drums.^[13][14]
• Mike Smith (born Michael George Smith, 6 December 1943, North Middlesex Hospital, Edmonton, North London – died 28 February 2008, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire) – Lead vocals, keyboards^[13]
• Lenny Davidson (born Leonard Arthur Davidson, 30 May 1944, Enfield, Middlesex) (ex the Off Beats, the Impalas) – Lead guitar^[13]
• Rick Huxley (born Richard Huxley, 5 August 1940, Livingstone Hospital, Dartford, Kent – died 11 February 2013) (ex the Riverside Blues Boys, the Spon Valley Stompers) – Bass guitar.^[13]
• Denis Payton (born Dennis Archibald West Payton, 11 August 1943, Walthamstow, East London – died 17 December 2006,^[15] in Bournemouth, Dorset) (ex the Renegades, the Les Heath Combo, the Blue Dukes, the Mike Jones Combo) – Tenor and baritone saxophones, harmonica, guitar.^[13]

Singles

The Dave Clark Five's UK Top Ten singles (1963–70) were as follows: "Glad All Over" (No.1 for 2 weeks from 14 January 1964); "Bits and Pieces" (No.2, March 1964); "Can't You See That She's Mine" (No.10, June 1964); "Catch Us If You Can" (No.5, August 1965); "Everybody Knows" (No.2, November 1967); "The Red Balloon" (No.7, October 1968); "Good Old Rock'n'Roll" (No.7, January 1970) and finally, "Everybody Get Together" (a cover version of "Get Together", the Chet Powers' song popularised by the Youngbloods in the US), which peaked at No.8 in April 1970.

The Dave Clark Five's United States singles hits included "Glad All Over" (No.6, April 1964),"Bits and Pieces" (No.4, May 1964),^[16] "Can't You See That She's Mine?" (No.4, July 1964), "Because" (No.3, August/September 1964), "Any Way You Want It" (No.14, December 1964), "I Like It Like That" (No.7, July 1965), "Catch Us If You Can" (No.4, October 1965), "Over And Over" (No.1, 25 December 1965) and "You Got What It Takes" (No.7, May 1967).

The Dave Clark Five's Canadian singles hits as listed in RPM Magazine (Sept.1964 onwards) included "Because" (No.3, September 1964), "Everybody Knows" (No.21, November 1964), "Any Way You Want It" (No.7, January 1965), "Come Home" (No.6, March 1965), "Reelin' & Rockin'" (No.10, May 1965), "I Like It Like That" (No.3, July 1965), "Catch Us If You Can" (No.5, September 1965), "Over And Over" (No.1, 25 December 1965), "At the Scene" (No.1, March 1966), "Try Too Hard" (No.5, May 1966), "Please Tell Me Why" (No.5, July 1966), "Satisfied With You" (No.32, September 1966), "Nineteen Days" (No.23, November 1966), "I've Got To Have A Reason" (No.31, February 1967), "You Got What It Takes" (No.7, May 1967), "You Must Have Been A Beautiful Baby" (No.37, July 1967) and "Red And Blue" (No.42, December 1967).

Discography

Studio albums

• Glad All Over (US, 1964)
• The Dave Clark Five Return! (US, 1964) / A Session with The Dave Clark Five (UK, 1964)
• American Tour (US, 1964)
• Coast to Coast (US, 1964)
• Weekend in London (US, 1965)
• Having a Wild Weekend (US, 1965) / Catch Us If You Can (UK, 1965)
• I Like It Like That (US, 1965)
• Try Too Hard (US, 1966)
• Satisfied with You (US, 1966)
• 5 By 5 (US, 1967)
• You Got What It Takes (US, 1967)
• Everybody Knows (UK, 1967) / Everybody Knows (US, 1968)
• 5 by 5 = Go! (UK, 1969)
• If Somebody Loves You (UK, 1970)
• Good Old Rock'n'Roll (UK, 1970)

References

External links

• Official website
• Dave Clark Five biography at the Allmusic website.
• "The Dave Clark Five". Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.