Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich were an English rock band active during the 1960s. Formed in Salisbury in 1964, the band consisted of David John Harman (Dave Dee), Trevor Leonard Ward-Davies (Dozy), John Dymond (Beaky), Michael Wilson (Mick) and Ian Frederick Stephen Amey (Tich). Their novel name, zany stage act and lurid dress sense helped propel them to chart success with a string of hit singles penned by songwriters Ken Howard and Alan Blaikley including "Hold Tight!", "Bend It!" and "Zabadak!". Over the course of the band's career, they played several different genres, including freakbeat, mod and pop. Two of their single releases sold in excess of one million copies each, and they reached number one in the UK Singles Chart with the second of them, "The Legend of Xanadu". Unlike many other British bands of the 1960s who were associated with the British invasion of the United States, Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich had limited commercial US success. Since their original break-up in 1973, the band have reunited in various formations and a lineup featuring Dymond continues to perform today as "Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich".
Links to Peel[]
The band had several entries in Peel's KMEN British Pop Top Ten on the radio station KMEN, whilst he was working in San Bernardino, California, between 1966 and early 1967. It is highly likely that he played their music on the radio then. However, when he moved to the UK in 1967, he rarely, if ever, played much of their music on Radio London. As a commercially-oriented act who concentrated on hit singles and had no connection with the emerging hippy underground, they weren't the kind of band who interested him at that time. He may have played singles by them as part of the playlist rather than by choice, when doing a daytime show on the pirate ship, but there is no evidence of this on the few surviving show extracts.
In 1969 Dave Dee left the band and in the 1970s pursued a music business career, working for a time for WEA Records, which also employed Peel's manager Clive Selwood during the time WEA was distributing the Dandelion label. Peel may well have met him then, as one of his jobs was to promote new singles to DJs and radio show producers. Dave Dee briefly rejoined his former bandmates in 1974 and Peel reviewed their single, 'She's My Lady', in his Singles column in the 21st September 1974 issue of Sounds, describing the song as having a touch of the Hollies.
In 1982, Peel compered, with Tony Blackburn, the 'Heroes & Villains' event at the Hammersmith Odeon, where amongst 60's acts performing, were Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich. Later, Peel's favourite band, The Fall, covered the group's UK number one hit single, "The Legend Of Xanadu"; he played the original and The Fall's version on his 23 October 1992 programme. It seems to be the only track by Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich he ever played on the BBC.
Shows Played[]
- 23 October 1992: 'The Legend Of Xanadu (7")' (Fontana)