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The Second Most Popular British Invasion Band
The Dave Clark Five were early rivals of The Beatles
The Beatles are credited with starting the “British Invasion” in 1964, during which British rock bands became wildly popular in the United States.
The Beatles, of course, became the best known and most successful of the British bands. At the start of the British Invasion, second only to The Beatles in popularity were the Dave Clark Five. Like The Beatles, they were first heavily influenced by the early greats of American rock ’n’ roll.
The Dave Clark Five, also known as the “DC5,” were unusual in a few respects. The group was one of the few named after a band member — surprisingly, the drummer. Its make up was different; instead of the classic three guitarists and a drummer, the Dave Clark Five was comprised of drummer Dave Clark, lead vocalist/organ player Mike Smith, lead guitarist Lenny Davidson, Denis Payton primarily playing on saxophone and also on rhythm guitar and harmonica, and Rick Huxley on bass.
The band became known for the so-called “Tottenham Sound.” Hailing from Tottenham, a north London town, the DC5’s first two big hits, “Glad All Over” and “Bits and Pieces,” had distinctive drumming and a brash, pounding sound that very well could have been the forerunner of hard rock. As a teen who was an amateur drummer in a short-lived band, I connected immediately with Clark and his bandmates.
Early success
The DC5 rode on the coattails of The Beatles, becoming the second British Invasion group to enter the U.S. They appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show in March 1964, one month after The Beatles. While The Beatles would eventually do three live performances on The Ed Sullivan Show, the DC5 somehow managed to appear eighteen times, more than any other British Invasion group.
Their previously mentioned initial hit song, “Glad All Over,” reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States in April 1964, the first major British Invasion…
