Dave Dee

Hook-laden tunes transformed Salisbury, Wiltshire, England-based quintet Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich into one the United Kingdom's top pop bands of the mid-'60s…

Granted, their success was nominal in the States and they fared significantly better throughout Europe, but Dave "Dee" Harman (guitar/vocals), Trevor "Dozy" Davies (bass), John "Beaky" Diamond (rhythm guitar), Michael "Mick" Wilson (drums), and Ian "Tich" Amey (lead guitar) were a highly underrated instrumentally self-contained unit with a penchant for aggressive pop leanings that remained buoyant and catchy, while simultaneously flirting with the subterranean freakbeat and mod scenes as well. That distinction can be heard between the pulsating rhythms of "Hold Tight," "No More Love," and "We Got a Good Thing Goin'" - recalling the unmistakable backbeat of the Dave Clark Five. This is especially true of the opener, the self-parodying "DDD-BMT," which is not a synthetic drug reference, but rather the group's initials and is instantly comparable to the Monkees' "(Theme From) The Monkees," which commenced their pre-fab debut LP…

Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich followed up their self-titled debut LP with the tongue-in-cheek If Music Be the Food of Love…Then Prepare for Indigestion (1968). The quintet of Dave "Dee" Harman (guitar/vocals), Trevor "Dozy" Davies (bass), John "Beaky" Diamond (rhythm guitar), Michael "Mick" Wilson (drums), and Ian "Tich" Amey (lead guitar) return with another batch of strong Brit-pop compositions, including a pair of their most prolific sides, "Bend It" and "Hideaway." While all but unknown stateside, the combo became hugely popular throughout Europe - which may well account for the distinctly conspicuous Mediterranean flavor on the former. Their left-of-center sense of humor surfaces on the Noel Coward-esque potty platter "Loos of England"…

Hook-laden tunes transformed Salisbury, Wiltshire, England-based quintet Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich into one the United Kingdom's top pop bands of the mid-'60s. Performing songs by their managers Ken Howard and Alan Blaikley, the group scored with such Top Ten U.K. hits as "Hold Tight," "Hideaway," "Bend It," "Save Me," "Okay," "Zabadak," "Last Night in Soho," and the chart-topper, "Legend of Xanadu." Formed as Dave Dee & the Bostons, Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich were led by vocalist Dee (born: David Harman), an ex-policeman who had been at the scene of the automobile accident that took the life of American rocker Eddie Cochran and injured Gene Vincent in April 1960.

There was a time in the mid-'60s when Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich could do no wrong on the British charts. They were very much a singles band, but with the team of Alan Blaikley and Ken Howard penning the songs, they were on a roll with unusual, ear-catching material like "Bend It" and "Hold Tight," which worked outside of the standard pop framework of the day…

Hook-laden tunes transformed Salisbury, Wiltshire, England-based quintet Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich into one the United Kingdom's top pop bands of the mid-'60s. Performing songs by their managers Ken Howard and Alan Blaikley, the group scored with such Top Ten U.K. hits as "Hold Tight," "Hideaway," "Bend It," "Save Me," "Okay," "Zabadak," "Last Night in Soho," and the chart-topper, "Legend of Xanadu." Formed as Dave Dee & the Bostons, Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich were led by vocalist Dee (born: David Harman), an ex-policeman who had been at the scene of the automobile accident that took the life of American rocker Eddie Cochran and injured Gene Vincent in April 1960. Dee had taken Cochran's guitar from the accident and held it until it could be returned to his family.