December 15: Dave Clark of The Dave Clark Five "Glad All Over, "Catch Us if You Can" is 71-years-old today.

The Dave Clark Five, the first big British Invasion band to follow The Beatles to America in 1964. Dave was the leader and played the drums. David 'Dave' Clark is an English musician, songwriter and record producer. He was the leader and drummer of the 1960s beat group also known as "The DC5."

Born in Tottenham, North London, Clark left school at 15 and became a film stuntman, performing in over 40 films.

 

In the late 1950s Clark bought himself a set of drums, taught himself how to play them, and formed a skiffle band to raise funds so that his football team could travel to Holland. The skiffle band grew into The Dave Clark Five with Clark their leader, chief songwriter, manager and producer.

Clark often positioned his drum kit at the front of the stage with the other band members behind and on either side of him. But not on the two clips accompanying this post!)

The Dave Clark Five grew in popularity in England. They unseated The Beatles' "I Want to Hold Your Hand" from its number one spot on the British singles charts in January 1964 with "Glad All Over."

They appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show more times than any other English group.

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Originating in North London, the band was promoted as the vanguard of the "Tottenham Sound," a response to the Mersey Beat stable managed by Brian Epstein. From the outset, the band's sound was complemented by the inclusion of a saxophone.

The band started out as The Dave Clark Quartet in 1957, the band became The Dave Clark Five with Clark on drums, Stan Saxon lead vocalist, Rick Huxley on rhythm guitar, Roger Smedley on piano and Johnny Johnson on lead guitar. There were minor lineup changes before and after this one.

The Dave Clark Five had several more hit songs in the United States during 1964-67, including "Bits and Pieces" (#4, April 1964), "Can't You See That She's Mine" (#4, June 1964), "Because" (#3, August 1964), "Anyway You Want It" (#14, November 1964), "I Like It Like That" (#7, June 1965), "Catch Us If You Can" (#4, August 1965), "Over And Over" (#1, December 25, 1965), and "You Got What It Takes" (#7, April 1967). The group disbanded in late 1970.

In the late 1960s, in addition to managing his band, Clark began directing and producing for television. In 1968 he made a "very successful" television production, Hold On, It's the Dave Clark Five. The band broke up in 1970, and in 1972 Clark stopped drumming after he broke four knuckles in a tobogganing accident.

In 1986 Clark wrote a science fiction stage musical, Time that played for two years in London's West End, starring Cliff Richard (replaced later by David Cassidy) and featuring Laurence Olivier's huge holographic image.

Clark became a successful entrepreneur and a multi-millionaire. He owned the rights to all The Dave Clark Five music and in 1993 he released remastered versions of all their singles on a CD, Glad All Over Again.

In 2008, marking the 50th anniversary of the founding of the band, The Dave Clark Five was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and Clark, making a rare public appearance, and the two other surviving band members accepted the award on behalf of the group.

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