One of the most under-rated groups of the ’60’s - and the only band who gave The Beatles a run for their money - is finally getting into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (a somewhat dubious shrine in Cleveland probably chosen to get people to come there).
During their formative years The Dave Clark Five were a favorite on The Ed Sullivan Show ( try Letterman and Leno multiplied by 10) and appeared 13 times. They were formally the first British band to follow the Beatles’ success in the States and actually knocked The Beatles off the top of the charts with Glad All Over. Now they are finally getting their due with regard to mainstream music.
Despite being musically inferior to The Beatles The Dave Clark Five had a lot of good things going for them. First and foremost, they were one of the first bands to write most of the own material from the get-go. It wasn’t until the third album that Lennon/McCartney became entrenched in music history.
Another great plus was that Dave Clark, although being a mediocre drummer, was the band’s manager and producer, an unheard of in that time. Despite rumors to the contrary Clark did play his own drums in the sessions. I believe this because the drums , although on time, were simple, primievel beats that no session drummer would have wanted to admit playing. However, Mike Smith was an accomplished keyboard player and there were few sax players at the time that could play as well as Denny Payton. As well, Mike Smith’s full, bluesy voice was as good as anyone’s in the business.
As for business, Clark was shrewd. Unlike The Beatles, the Rolling Stones and other top groups Clark owned the copywrite to the band’s songs so they never had to deal with crooks like Allen Kline, Shel Talmy or Stan Polley who made pauper out of musicians who had generated millions of dollars. These vile creatures should be burned at the stake but, like the crooked Lew Grade, are sometimes given a knighthood.
(One of my favorite songs is the classic Because. It’s a cross-over song that, like Yesterday and Something by The Beatles, is transferable into many genres of music)
So a big tip of the hat to Dave Clark and the rest of the guys because it’s been a long time coming. They are officially feted on March, 10, 2008.
Here is the lineup of the band:
Dave Clark - drums
Lenny Davidson - guitar, vocals
Rick Huxley - bass
Denny Payton - saxophone (died December 17, 2006)
Mike Smith - keyboards, vocals
Kim, I’ve been in contact with various sources close to the DC5 (including Ron Ryan, whose brother, Mick, preceded Len as guitarist with the group) and each one has confirmed that, in fact, it was Bobby Graham who drummed for Dave on the studio recordings.
This wasn’t unusual, though; many groups used session musician to sub for the stars back-in-the-day. The Kinks, Herman’s Hermits, The Animals and others used them as well.
And many of the hits prior to 1965 were actually written by Ron Ryan (formerly of “The Riot Squad”).
That doesn’t take away from the impact of the group, or the amazing sounds of Mike (proof: “You’ve Got What It Takes”) or Denis (proof: the early “Chiquita” and “Yakety Sax” cover).
[...] I’ve said in a previous posting the Dave Clark 5 was one of the most under-rated bands in the mid-’60’s rivaling with The Beatles in [...]
The DC5 was one of the best British Invasion bands. Every member was a good musician and they could sing well. I saw the band perform in West Hempstead, L.I., N.Y. during their first US tour and they “kicked ass” Dave might not have played on all their studio recordings but he sure could do a great job playing live!