In 1961, with Dave Dee having decided that the music business was more to his liking than the police force, which had been his original choice, he joined forces with Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich to formed the band Dave Dee & The Bostons. The boys worked their way around the local clubs, and served their seemingly obligatory time in Hamburg. After a summer season at Butlins in Clacton, they were spotted by "Honeycombs" managers Ken Howard and Alan Blaikley, who took over their management, changed their name, and won them a recording contract with Fontana.

The bands first couple of singles didn't make any impression, but "You Make It Move" reached the Top-30, whilst the thumping rouser "Hold Tight" heralded the true arrival of the band, peaking at No-4 in the UK charts.

As success grew, so the stage clothes became more outrageous, and the act more dramatic. Top-10 hit "Hideaway" was followed by the controversial "Bend It", with Dave dee wringing every ounce of double entendre out of the lyric. It was initially banned in the USA, but reached No-2 in the UK. "Save Me", "Touch Me" and "Okay" were also big hits, as was "Zabadak"….did anyone ever find out the meaning of the words?

1966 was a particularly successful year, with Dave Dee, Dozy Beaky Mick & Tich spending more weeks in the UK singles chart than any other band, a total of 50 weeks out of 52."The Legend of Xanadu" finally took the band to the well deserved No-1 slot in the UK singles chart. The combination of music and drama caught on, and their next three hits were in a similar vein; "Last Night In Soho", "Wreck of the Antoinette" and "Don Juan".

After the 1969 hit "Snake In the Grass", Dave Dee left to pursue a solo career as a singer and actor. He also became more involved in the administration side of the music business, joining record company WEA as Head of Artiste & Repertoire.

Following Dave's departure, Dozy Beaky Mick & Tich achieved further chart success in their own right with the album "Fresh Ear", from which came the hit single "Mr President". They spent a sensational 141 weeks in the UK charts with their 13 major hit singles, and undertook sell out tours of Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Europe which ensured similar chart success in those countries too.

The '70s and early '80s saw Dozy Beaky Mick & Tich undertake extensive tours of Europe and the Middle East, various individual recording projects by group members and a brief period of European chart success. The late '80s saw The Lads entertaining the rich and famous at the Club '60s Bar in Marbella, and the '90s saw them back home - to claim their rightful place as one of the Great British pop groups!

Dave Dee still appears on stage whenever possible, recently joining forces with Dozy Beaky Mick & Tich for a successful UK tour in 1999, with another taking place in 2001. Nowdays Dave is heavily involved in the Nordoff Robins Music Therapy charity, a commitment that has spanned the last twenty-five years, and serves on the bench as a Magistrate in Cheshire where he now lives with his wife Joanne and young daughter Olivia.


For more information, or to book DDDBMT please email abbie@halcarterorg.com