The Dave Clark Five Biography
Who were The Dave Clark Five, and why should they continue to be important? They were a spare, hook-driven London group who came to help lead the British Invasion across the Atlantic, pairing massive, stomping beats with bright harmonies and sax parts written for television and teen dance floors.
The name is The Dave Clark Five, occasionally abbreviated the DC5, and their history begins in Tottenham, North London, where the group began in 1958 and firmed up in its classic lineup in 1962.
Take that as the date and location of the birth for the group itself, growing out of a youth club scene that engendered ambition and hard touring. The group’s family history, in band terms, is one combination of strong personalities and supporting skills.
Behind the drums was Dave Clark, leading from behind the drums and from the office, with a soulful, iron-lunged lead vocal and keys supplied by Mike Smith, lead guitar that was sharp as a razor supplied by Lenny Davidson, low end nailed down on bass by Rick Huxley, and Denis Payton supplying signature punch on tenor and baritone sax, and occasionally on harmonica and rhythm guitar.
The group’s education was not classroom formal. It was the hard and ready apprenticeship of residencies, package tours, and long apprenticeships learning microphones and tape at Lansdowne Studios with engineer Adrian Kerridge.
Clark specified that he would produce and that the group would own the masters, a business decision that would dictate the group’s catalogue for generations. The latter career is rapid and narrow. They broke the UK top ten in January 1964 with Glad All Over, unseating The Beatles at number one at home and reaching the American top ten by April.
They were the Second British Invasion group to appear on The Ed Sullivan Show and would appear on a breathtaking eighteen occasions, making themselves a regular fixture in living rooms across the United States. Singles came quickly.
Bits and Pieces, Can’t You See That She’s Mine, Because, Any Way You Want It, Catch Us If You Can, I Like It Like That, Try Too Hard, and You Got What It Takes kept the airwaves busy, while their one and only US number one, Over and Over, topped the Billboard Hot 100 on Christmas Day 1965.
The sound was marketed as the Tottenham Sound, a hard-edged, beat-driven cousin to Merseybeat, and in 1965 they even topped a feature film, Catch Us If You Can, directed by John Boorman and subtitled in America as Having a Wild Weekend.
Major achievements are evident and measurable. Seventeen US top-forty hits between 1964 and 1967, a UK number one with Glad All Over, a US number one with Over and Over, and a ongoing television presence few competitors rivaled.
They were also remarkable for Clark’s production and rights ownership, a novelty at the time that safeguarded their body of work on their behalf. Big-life events supply the story with its transitions. As American tastes shifted late in the sixties, the group’s US chart action flatlined, though UK hits continued into 1970.
The group disbanded that year, with a brief Dave Clark & Friends interlude. Clark built a media empire and purchased rights to the groundbreaking TV show Ready Steady Go, later producing the West End musical Time in 1986.
The catalogue was for the most part unavailable for purchase from the late seventies onwards until the early nineties, when some deluxe compilations re-emerged, followed by mass digital releases many years later and subsequent reissues into the twenty twenties. Loss also came to the story.
Denis Payton passed away in 2006, Mike Smith in 2008 as a result of injuries received in a 2003 accident, and Rick Huxley in 2013, while Lenny Davidson dedicated years to transferring his skills as a guitar teacher. In 2008 the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted the Dave Clark Five, Tom Hanks doing the honors, a public acknowledgement to a group that codified the first wave of British pop’s global explosion and left an evergreen mountain of singalong hits.
Contents
The Dave Clark Five Top songs
- Glad All Over
The breakthrough UK chart-topper with the famous football-terrace chant of a chorus and Clark’s thundering floor toms. - Bits and Pieces
A stomper built on handclaps and a chant that shows off the band’s knack for crowd-pleasing hooks. - Because
A softer, harmony-rich ballad that broadened their sound and became a US favorite. - Can’t You See That She’s Mine
Punchy verses, urgent organ, and Smith’s commanding vocal riding the beat. - Catch Us If You Can
The theme to their John Boorman film, breezy and propulsive with a whistled hook. - Any Way You Want It
Fast, bright, and tailor-made for television stages and weekend dance halls. - I Like It Like That
Their brisk take on the Chris Kenner classic, full of organ jabs and call-and-response fun. - Try Too Hard
A hard-charging single that proves their energy did not flag as the sixties wore on. - Over and Over
A Bobby Day cover turned into a US number one with a pounding beat and singalong chorus. - You Got What It Takes
Their version of the Marv Johnson hit, carried by warm harmonies and steady groove. - Everybody Knows
A later, reflective single that showcased a more mature, melodic side. - Everybody Knows (I Still Love You)
Earlier upbeat cut with a catchy refrain that stayed popular with fans. - Do You Love Me
Their lively spin on the Contours’ dance-floor favorite with sax to the fore. - The Red Balloon
A late-sixties single that hints at the era’s changing pop textures while staying true to DC5 melody. - Good Old Rock ’n’ Roll
A medley of early rock standards that became a UK hit and a crowd pleaser on stage.
The Dave Clark Five Discography
- Studio albums
- Glad All Over (US, 1964)
- The Dave Clark Five Return! US 1964 / A Session with The Dave Clark Five UK 1964
- American Tour US 1964
- Coast to Coast US 1964
- Weekend in London US 1965
- Having a Wild Weekend US 1965 / Catch Us If You Can UK 1965
- I Like It Like That US 1965
- Try Too Hard US 1966
- Satisfied with You US 1966
- 5 by 5 US 1967
- You Got What It Takes US 1967
- Everybody Knows US 1968 / Everybody Knows UK 1967
- 5 By 5 1964–69 UK 1968
- If Somebody Loves You UK 1970
- The Dave Clark Five Play Good Old Rock & Roll UK 1971
- Dave Clark & Friends UK 1972
The Dave Clark Five Top albums
- Glad All Over 1964
The US debut that bottled their Tottenham Sound and delivered the title hit plus early staples that defined their attack. - A Session with The Dave Clark Five 1964
The UK counterpart to their early US releases, capturing the raw, energetic studio identity that fans first fell for. - Having a Wild Weekend 1965
A smart tie-in to their film, mixing chart-ready singles with cinematic pop that kept their momentum hot. - Try Too Hard 1966
A focused set that balances harder-edged tracks with melodic turns, showing a band keen to keep pace with a fast-moving decade. - Everybody Knows 1967 UK
Late-period DC5 that leans into melody and craft, a snapshot of their shift from stompers toward polished pop songwriting.
The Dave Clark Five Awards
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Class of 2008
Inducted in recognition of a chart run that helped power the British Invasion, their record number of Ed Sullivan appearances for a UK band of the era, and a catalogue of enduring hits that still fill classic pop playlists.
The Dave Clark Five Singles
| Year | Single | UK | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | I Knew It All the Time | — | 53 |
| 1962 | Chaquita | — | — |
| 1962 | First Love | — | — |
| 1963 | The Mulberry Bush | — | — |
| 1963 | Do You Love Me | 30 | 11 |
| 1963 | Glad All Over | 1 | 6 |
| 1964 | Bits and Pieces | 2 | 4 |
| 1964 | Can’t You See That She’s Mine | 10 | 4 |
| 1964 | Thinking of You Baby | 26 | — |
| 1964 | Because | — | 3 |
| 1964 | Everybody Knows (I Still Love You) | 37 | 15 |
| 1964 | Any Way You Want It | 25 | 14 |
| 1965 | Come Home | 16 | 14 |
| 1965 | Reelin’ and Rockin’ | 24 | 23 |
| 1965 | I Like It Like That | — | 7 |
| 1965 | Catch Us If You Can | 5 | 4 |
| 1965 | Over and Over | 45 | 1 |
| 1965 | Having a Wild Weekend | — | — |
| 1966 | At the Scene | — | 18 |
| 1966 | Try Too Hard | — | 12 |
| 1966 | Look Before You Leap | 50 | 101 |
| 1966 | Satisfied with You | — | 50 |
| 1966 | Please Tell Me Why | — | 28 |
| 1966 | Nineteen Days | 54 | 48 |
| 1967 | I’ve Got to Have a Reason | — | 44 |
| 1967 | You Got What It Takes | 28 | 7 |
| 1967 | Tabatha Twitchit | 51 | — |
| 1967 | You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby | — | 35 |
| 1967 | A Little Bit Now | — | 67 |
| 1967 | Red and Blue | — | 89 |
| 1967 | Everybody Knows | 2 | 43 |
| 1968 | No One Can Break a Heart Like You | 28 | — |
| 1968 | Please Stay | — | 115 |
| 1968 | The Red Balloon | 7 | — |
| 1968 | Live in the Sky | 39 | — |
| 1969 | The Mulberry Tree | — | — |
| 1969 | Paradise (Is Half as Nice) | — | — |
| 1969 | If Somebody Loves You | — | — |
| 1969 | Put a Little Love in Your Heart | 31 | — |
| 1969 | Good Old Rock ’n’ Roll | 7 | — |
| 1970 | Everybody Get Together | 8 | — |
| 1970 | Julia | — | — |
| 1970 | Here Comes Summer | 44 | — |
| 1970 | More Good Old Rock ’n’ Roll | 34 | — |
| 1971 | Southern Man | — | — |
| 1971 | Won’t You Be My Lady | — | — |
| 1993 | Glad All Over (re-release) | 37 | — |
Note: “—” = did not chart or not released in that territory. “101” indicates a Bubbling Under position.
Source: compiled from the singles table on Wikipedia’s discography page, which lists UK and US peaks for each release.