Posted on 02/28/2008 5:25:47 PM PST by My Favorite Headache
Dave Clark Five Singer Dies of Pneumonia By JILL SERJEANT, Reuters
LOS ANGELES (Feb. 29) - Mike Smith, the lead singer of the 1960s British band the Dave Clark Five, died on Thursday of pneumonia at an English hospital, his U.S. agent said.
Mike Smith, Feb. 28: The singer and keyboardist, right, helped lead the British Invasion with the Dave Clark Five -- scoring hits with 'Glad All Over' and 'Because.' Smith died of pneumonia just days away from being inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame. He was 64. Pictured with him in 1965 are Dennis Payton and Dave Clark, seated. Smith, 64, was admitted to the hospital on Wednesday morning with a chest infection resulting from complications of a 2003 spinal cord injury that had left him paralyzed from the waist down, his New York agent, Margo Lewis, said in a statement.
His death at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, north of London, came just two weeks before the Dave Clark Five -- one of the leading bands of the 1960s "British invasion" -- was due to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in New York.
The Dave Clark Five, whose hits included "Glad All Over," "Bits and Pieces" and "Because," were one of the first British bands to find major success in the United States after the Beatles.
According to a biography of the band on the Web site allmusic.com, it was the Dave Clark Five who knocked the Fab Four's hit "I Want to Hold Your Hand" off the top of the British charts with "Glad All Over."
Four Out of Five
'She's All Mine'
'Because'
'Everybody Knows'
News Reel: 'Glad All Over' And they made more appearances on "The Ed Sullivan Show" than any other English act of their era.
Despite a string of more than 10 other hits, the group disbanded in 1970. It had sold more than 50 million albums by the end of 2007.
The Dave Clark Five was due to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at a March 10 ceremony in New York that Smith had hoped to attend despite his September 2003 injury.
Smith, who was both lead singer and keyboard player with the quintet, had spent the years since his injury hospitalized until December 2007, when he moved into a specially prepared home with his wife, Arlene, the statement said.
"These last five years were extremely difficult for Mike, Lewis said.
"He was extremely excited and honored to have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and I am glad that he will be remembered as a Hall of Famer, because he was in so many ways," she added.
” I honestly can’t figure out why anyone would think the Dave Clark 5 belong in the Hall of Fame - they were kind of a second tier, and didn’t really add anything or create anything new “
Second tier ?
” The Dave Clark Five placed 17 records in Billboard’s Top 40 to go with 12 Top 40 United Kingdom hits between 1964 and 1967. Their song “Over And Over” went to number one in the U.S. on the Billboard Charts Hot 100 at the end of December 1965 (despite less than impressive sales in the UK), and they played to sell-out crowds on their tours of the U.S. Heavily promoted as having a “cleaner” image than the Beatles, the Dave Clark Five holds the distinction of having made 18 appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show, more than any other UK group . “
” Unusual for a group of that (or any) era, the leader was the drummer Dave Clark who would play with his drums positioned at the front of the stage, relegating the guitarists and keyboard to his rear and sides. The group was unique in the British Invasion because it was not an exclusively guitar-based sound. The beat was prominent and the DC5 was one of the few groups of the era to feature a saxophone. Smith’s growling, blues-tinged vocals were in the lead on almost all of the hit singles.”
I didn’t know Dennis Payton had died in 2006 from cancer until I just did a Wikipedia check .
Sleep well Mike.
We will yell with all of our might...
I am lucky to have a brother nine years older than me. At the time of the British Invasion, he was in his early teens, so I got firsthand, childhood exposure to the DC5, and the musical revolution in general, of that era.
Many here may not recall, but in the early years of the Beatles, the Dave Clark 5 was right there with them. Sure the Beatles were revolutionary, but the DC5 skillfully incorporated elements from the great black R&B music of the 50’s: the big beat, the wailing up-front sax and the raw vocals by the aforementioned Mr. Smith.
My comments from another thread:
“I can remember back in high school in 1964, girls would ask which group you liked the best, The Beatles or D.C. Five. Getting a date depended on the correct answer.”
an elvis hugger?
Boy oh boy. I missed that one altogether. I thought you meant some heroic efforts at hospital had pulled him from the brink. Thanks for clarifying
Yeah...forgot about posting that article but I know I have ranted about him for a long time when it comes to musical injustice.
Boston, Journey, and Foreigner are the definition of rock and roll. They are played thousands of times a day on rock radio. If you think they don’t deserve a place in the hall of fame...I would hate to see what you think actually does.
FR is full of politically correct youngsters who don’t know better.
or they have some personal issue clouding their otherwise conservative perspective
defend rap?....like it's defendable....it's a friggin g scourge....the music and the culture it represents
Here ?
“You can say that again.
FR is full of politically correct youngsters who don’t know better.”
And that is a real shame. Non-judgmentalism and the PC mindset are a fundamental problem with modern culture. We are literally soaked in it and the young have no idea how brainwashed they are. People speak to each other in carefully-measured, empty plain vanilla-speak, lest they “offend” someone. There are of course certain demographic groups who thrive on being “offended” perpetually and rely on guilt to bully everyone into acceptance of their agenda. It is disappointing and distressing to see it here on FR, which should be an oasis against the curse of “progressivism” .
“defend rap?....like it’s defendable....it’s a friggin scourge....the music and the culture it represents”
Unquestionably. Can you imagine how a similar cultural phenomenon driven by, let’s say, Hollywood’s favorite mythology “Neo-Nazis” or “white supremacists”, (you know those highly dangerous cults who are murdering scores of people every day), would be received?
I honestly can’t figure out why anyone would think the Dave Clark 5 belong in the Hall of Fame - they were kind of a second tier, and didn’t really add anything or create anything new.
When whole fan magazines were devoted to the choice - the Beatles Vs the Dave Clark Five - the answer wasn’t a sure thing back then.
“decade of hideous 80’s keyboard bands.”
some of the punk and new wave was pretty good.
“so you had better do what you are told - you better listen to the radio”.
time flies.
Loved that song when I was a little kid. I put this link on the other thread but figured I might as well put it here too.
http://www.daveclarkfive.com/daveclarkfive/index2.htm
There’s a jukebox where you can hear some DC5 songs. It includes “Because”.
Sad news. The DC5 rocked like crazy. Guess I need to crank up “Any Way You Want It” full blast when I get home tonight.
“We’ve been together for a long long time”!
Great tune.Because was played to death during the Summer of 1964 but thats another one I never get tired of.
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