Dave Clark Five consists of Dave Clark (drums, percussion, vocals), Denis Payton (various instruments, vocals), Lenny Davidson (lend and acoustic guitar, vocals), Mike Smith (lend vocals, piano, organ), Rick Huxley (bass, acoustic guitar, vocals).
The Dave Clark Five (DC5) were a British rock and roll group in the 1960s, and one of the few that were able to present something of a commercial threat to The Beatles, the dominant group of the period.
Although the group was named after him, Dave Clark was the drummer; lead vocals were provided by Mike Smith, who also played the keyboards. The rest of the band was Lenny Davidson on lead guitar, Rick Huxley on bass guitar, and Denis Payton on tenor and baritone saxophones, harmonica, and guitar. Songwriting credits went to Clark, Clark and Smith, Clark and Davidson, and Clark and Payton. Some early songs were also credited to Clark and Ron Ryan, who was the brother of early group member Mick Ryan.
Originating in North London, the band promoted themselves as the vanguard of the 'Tottenham Sound', a response to the Mersey Beat stable managed by Brian Epstein. They had a series of memorable hits, including "Glad All Over" that in January 1964 knocked the Beatles out of the #1 position on the UK Singles Chart.
The Dave Clark Five had 24 records in Billboard's Top 100 and 17 Top 40 hits between 1964 and 1967, including "Because" and "Bits and Pieces". Their song "Over and Over" went to #1 in the U.S. on the Billboard Charts Hot 100 at the end of December 1965, and they played to sell-out crowds on their tours of the U.S. Heavily promoted as having a "cleaner" image than the Beatles, the Dave Clark Five holds the distinction of having made 18 appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show, more than any other UK group.
Unusual for a group of that (or any) era, the leader was the drummer Dave Clark who would play and sing with his drums positioned at the front of the stage, relegating the guitarists and keyboard to his rear and sides. The group was unique in the British Invasion because it was not a guitar-based sound. The beat was prominent and the DC5 was one of the few groups of the era to feature a sax. Smith's growling, blues-tinged vocals were in the lead on almost all of the hit singles.
