When Mike Smith had his accident and became handicapped that was the true end of the DC5. Mike was the mainstay of the Dave Clark five. He was the primary writer, arranger and lead singer.
Mike Smith was one of the greatest rock vocalists of all time and he doesn't get enough credit. For me, Smith's vocals and keyboards and Denny Payton's saxophone were what made the band great.
I agree it was so tragic and to lose his ability to play keyboards and sing must have been torture. So very sad, I was young then but still danced round and loved their songs. Still do.
I was the 'ghost writer' for the DC5, my Brother Mick was the guitarist in the Band and left just before they made it. As for Dave being 'close' to anyone in the Band, well let's put it like this he had the Band under contract and paid them a weekly wage, also if any of the Band wrote a song Dave had to have his name on it as 'co-writer' (the same went for me), so that he could claim 50% of the songs royalties. By the way I used to visit Mike in hospital and sadly he could only move one arm, not two as Dave stated. I used to cook curries the night before going to see him as he hated hospital food and take them in for him, the Nurses said they also knew when I had been to visit him as the Ward smelt like a Curry House!! I also used to take my guitar with me and sit by his bed and sing him his favourite Rock&Roll, Country, and old London sing-along songs, he could not sing or talk only in a whisper but I could see his lips moving as he mouthed the words.
@@kermsroomy The strange part is that everyone knew how good Mike was except one, and that was Mike himself!! he could never understand why people thought he was great. When I wrote a new song for the Band Dave would drop Mike over to my home, then he would go off somewhere as he didn't understand 'musicians speech', and Mike and I would sit at my piano and I would play and sing him the song, and then Mike would transpose it to a key that suited his voice as I mainly wrote in the key of 'C' as it suited my bass/baritone voice, Mike would sing in keys like in keys like 'A', F', 'G', for example I wrote 'Because' in 'C', and Mike ended up singing it in 'G'. He would often turn to me and say 'I wish I could sing deep like you Ron', and I always said, I don't mind swooping voices mate, but I don't think your fans would be to happy'!!!
Ron, I really wish you would write the definitive DC5 biography. I suspect it would be great and much closer to the truth than some of the other things I've read.
@@ijeff2005 The book on the DC5 has I bet already been written I suspect by someone who knows more about the DC5 than anyone outside the Band, his name is John Briggs who lives in Darlington in the North of England. John was a personal friend of Mike Smith, he is also a personal friend of Lenny Davison, and he also wrote the Bands fan magazine 'Bit's and pieces ' namde after one of the songs I wrote for the Band. If you want to know some of my involvement with the DC5 there is a long and very frank interview I did with John Briggs in an American magazine called 'Ugly Things', they have a website and sell back copies on-line, my interview is in issue #29.
@@b.j.doubleu3477 Depends what you call 'fair'?, if you think it's 'fair' to put the rest of the Band on a set weekly wage while he had the lions share of the Bands earnings to him self,'fair' and if you think that it was written in the other Band members contracts that every song a Band member wrote had to have Dave Clark's name on it as 'co-writer' even though he had nothing to do with writing the song so he could collect 50% of the song's royalty 'fair', then it's fair, myself I think it's very far from 'fair'.
Mike Smith had a great voice for the "pop" sound of the British invasion... Dave was the face of the DC5, but Mike was the voice of this popular band. We teenagers were "glad all over" for their music!
Pop speaks the Supremes and the Beatles during that time. DC5 was really putting their sound on the edge for that time, and it was fantastic party music.
So sad he passed just two weeks before they were inducted into the The Rock 🤘and Roll Hall of Fame. But I am sure his was there in spirit. Bless you Mike, you are missed.
@Susam Marks Yes it was bittersweet but at least he knew he was being inducted. He got the news from DC at the end of 2007 and shared it with his fans on his now defunct blog page. Even sadder is that the band was slated to be inducted in 2007 but were bumped in favor of someone else. ☹️
Dave Clark was probably the smartest for his time. He controlled EVERYTHING, from songs, to name, merchandise, gigs, production and everyone in the band was an "employee". Kind of like Don Henley/Glen Fry did w/ the Eagles,,,the band was incredible and he kept the $$$.
You are correct and that is the reason that they were on the Ed Sullivan show more than any other band. Ed Sullivan also controlled everything and booked all entertainment on his show all by himself. So, Ed and Dave directly dealt with each other each time. They both liked and respected each other. Dave learned a lot from Ed and it carried over into his own business ways.
@Ken Saber Probably they were too young to know all the ramifications of what they were signing. I read that Mike was too young so his father signed for him.Maybe it was better than their day jobs were paying🤷🏻♀️
Dave's tribute to Mike was fittingly touching. Mike was a great rocker, and it saddens me that he spent his last years handicapped. May God rest his soul.
i was so lucky to get to see & hear Dave Clark rehearse-a-sound-check one Sat. when i was about 11, & big smile, was on my face, & his, b/c the talent, & joyfulness that he had, for what he could do, was so much fun. ✨💫✨💖
@@davidkent8606 You know, I find the story in bad taste. I'd love for someone to explain the joke to me. Mike Smith, to do that, is absolutely ballsy. Maybe it speaks that he is powerful. And like it or not, Smith, great musician, refused to speak about the controversies in the Dave Clark Five that would ruin his relationship with Dave Clark. He was also along for that ride when Ron Ryan was kicked out. Just a theory, because its very possible for a human being to be this way... Or we can look at it as something absolutely made up. Doesn't take away from the fact that he was a fantastic musician.
I think Dave Clark is a throughly nasty piece of work. How he could tell a story like that and think it is funny is beyond me. He is regarded as some musical genius for the way he made money. He did it by being a bigger bastard than anyone else in management, but worse than that, he did it from within his own band to his own mates. Horrible.
Dave Clark was in a genius in the sense of robbing everyone. Dave Clark imo was not a player on the records. Mike Smith was the arranger and vocalist. The rest were session musicians like Bobby Graham and such. I'm sure they had great studio engineers. And let's not dismiss the possibility of ghost writers, and I am sure Ron Ryan's story is true. Anyhow, could they have gotten to where they are without Clark? No. Does that excuse Clark for screwing everyone over and being arrogant and selfish? Nope.
@stantheman5657 Agree about Mike’s vocal talents but I ‘m not so sure if they were mates Take a listen one of Mike’s interviews from the 80’s ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-8dKAvx-1vic.html Enjoy
Very touching. I saw Mike Smith perform in Cleveland in 2002. He was fantastic! He did all the DC5s hits, and put on a great show. Such a tragedy. R. I.P. Mike.
Priscilla Presley is one among many who have OD'd on fillers, botox and surgery, wrecking their faces beyond safe repair. No one wants to get old, but come on already.
We all looked better when we were young. Dave got older and tried to retain his earlier good looks but there came a time when the plastic surgeries didn't work anymore. The same thing happened to Micheal Jackson
Dave - Loved the story & it made me laugh. I so miss Mike as I know you do too. You two were so fortunate to be together for the exciting journey of a lifetime. Thanks for enriching my life through your music and your kindness.
Watching all the old videos of them playing its really hard to see them now and to learn what happened to a lot of musicians. Still LOL great sense of humor
Mike Smith is right up there with Gillan, Plant, Daltrey etc vocal wise. If only he could have got a great band behind him in the the 70’s, who knows what he would have achieved throughout that decade and beyond ?
So glad us "Oldies" have the memories of the Golden Age of Rock 'n' Roll! Give a listen again when the young know- it- alls give you the "ok boomer" or "you go ahead dear" treatment!
My growing up in the Sixties sure would have been a lot different, and quite boring, had I not loved the DC 5 so much. I got to meet all of the boys one time, and ran into Dave Clark twice. All of the boys, including Dave, were exceptionally pleasant and well-mannered. ❤️
Daisy Cassidy you were very fortunate to meet the DC5. I had a huge crush on Dave in mid sixties. I was only twelve and would have given anything to have seen him in the flesh.
@@shebuckley260 Dave was as handsome in person as he was in pictures. We had a good conversation and he was very kind and considerate. His speaking voice was awesome!
Opinion: ----"we were very close".....yet when mike toured solo he forbid mike to make any mention of or state on any advertising that he was formally of the DC5.
I heard a Mike Smith interview when he said that Dave Clark got all the money and the rest were just paid musicians fees. It is also alleged that Dave Clark didn't even play his own drums most of the time, it was a stand in!
According to the late great British session drummer Bobby Graham, who is also heard on the early hits by the Kinks, Clark produced the recording sessions and Graham did the drumming during the early days when the likes of Glad All Over where hits. He is generous enough to say that he only played on the singles, stating that Clark played on the albums, but I would think that highly unlikely; Graham would likely have done the complete sessions. Another London session ace, Clem Cattini did some of the late 60s session as well as for Dave Clark & Friends recordings. As for the pay situation, it was Dave Clark's band in the same way John Mayall's Bluesbreakers was Mayall's band or the Jimi Hendrix experience was Jimi's band - they are the employer and the others are employees. I would think the lads in the DC5 did all right. Indeed, without Dave Clark's business savvy they would likely never made it out of Tottenham.
Mike was cowriter on many of the groups hits so I would think he got songwriting royalties. But I did read he had didn't have lots of money when he passed so who knows.
@@zog97xy -Dave was the businessman / owner of the group. He was more like a stand-in drummer when live TV performances were needed and they played along to prerecorded tracks.
Dave was a very determined man and was quite ruthless. He was in many ways ahead of the industry- the band were never filmed playing live so Dave could control the sound that was on the film - the band was his project and he was in charge. He was aware there were better drummers and it would be quite in character to use one if it made a better record. DC5 fans are split into those who love him and those who hate. I admire him, but not sure I would like him if we met.
Dave clark is an absolute genius. He never allowed the dc5 to be ripped off. He controlled everything from managing the band, publishing, records the list goes on
He was a business genius from a very early age. Would have been a millionaire from property development if he hadn’t have given it up to be a pop star.
Thank you Dave for creating one of my favorite all-time bands, the DC5. You picked 4 GREAT musicians, & wonderful Human Beings to project "Love Transformed Into Sound", my definition of Good Music! God Bless you & Lenny Davidson, & RIP Mike, Dennis, & Rick. Viva Dave Clark 5! (A Puerto Rican/American Fan.)
I know he looks awful these days. I know many thought he was a complete so and so, and a talentless rogue who fed off the talent of others, but he created one of the best, and best turned out, bands of the sixties, recording some of the most fantastic beat music. I love the DC5 to this day. They still make me feel glad all over. Thank you Dave, Mike, Lenny, Rick, and Denis 👏
Don't listen to the Trolls that stalk this site, If it wasn't for Dave they would have remained at their ordinary jobs. Even the great Mike Smith, as superhuman as his voice was he still needed someone to guide the band to success and, hey look!
@pmbh7639 Dave Clark Biggest Rip off merchant of the 60s He Couldn't even play the Drums on their Records as he wasn't good enough. I know because I was there.
That areal true friend for u, I still sing bits and pieces around the house now and again. Remember going into the cafe and banging the tables with our knife and forks and getting told off, brilliant tune 🎵 🎵 👏👏👏👏👏 great memories thank you
I figured Mike Smith was a fun and funny guy. Gone way too soon!! I don’t care about the politics of the band. The DC5 were a sweet and cute bunch of guys! I was and still am a fan who loves their music!! A wonderful part of my youth! ✌️❤️⭐️
OH! shocked at seeing this, I had no idea Mike suffered that accident. I was a firm follower of The Dave |Clark 5, and still am, at 75 yrs of age. Actually, today, I played all their songs on my computer. Sad to hear.
I hope the nurse wakes up one day and realizes that those words, from a quadriplegic man were as a harmless as could be. Sometimes people are just too full of themselves
Dave Clark took care of his band. He was the manager and a great businessman . Yes, his plastic surgeries finally caught up with him just as Micheal Jackson's did with him. But this doesn't change the fact that Dave Clark was a good person and the leader of the best British Invasion band of the 60s.
I guess we’ll never know the Sunday School Truth about the Dave Clark Five, individually or collectively, and that is a very sad thing, especially for those of us that have tried to keep up with any tidbit of info since Glad All Over. There is one story that would outsell anything they’ve ever recorded. I can imagine that any book written by Dave or Lenny would be big news though each would have its different view of history, but unless the other three left behind memoirs they are all we have. Afterwards, 3rd party acquaintances will publish hearsay stories that will be assumed to be true; Hollywood will do a cheezy little movie which will have less factual information than “Braveheart”!
@@funeralangel8262 There is so much more to learn about the individual members and the group collectively. For example, they went around the world together; there has to be dozens of interesting stories about people and shows. Things in the recording studio. Demos. Childhood mentors, siblings, etc.. Not just a book about how wonderful DC thinks he is. Why didn’t Rick Huxley write ‘anything’? Or was he a ghost writer for Dave? Those are questions worth asking. Why weren’t Lenny and Denis allowed to sing lead on songs they wrote? I want answers from official sources, not ‘he said, she said’ or the infamous, ‘they say’. ‘They’ usually get it wrong!
Thank you Dave for being a really great friend to Mike when you both really needed it. I’’ll tell you why from personal experience if you want to send me a pm. Good luck; live well. Mark
Because was my favorite song they did, it was better than any Beatles song and I always thought his voice was as good as John Lennon, they should have continued perform
One of my fave bands of all time. Mike Smith one of the nicest rockstars of all time. When a terrible terrible thing to happen. Love Tabitha Twitchit....how come that was never a hit???
I lost contact on any news of these guys until recently. I didn't even know how many were still living. So happy Dave is still with us, as well as Lenny. Thanks go out to you for the music I adored as a very young teen at that time. I loved every single one, but my favorite was Dennis. I loved the sax 🎷 he played while stomping . So sorry he has left this life, but I hope his spirit is alive and well in Heaven with Mike and Rick. Loved this presentation.
i have a problem with Dave Clark , he made millions but the band were only employees and only received a paycheck and Mike Smith was the DC5 and i wish people would wake up to the fact the Mike had one of the all time great R&R voices 2nd to none , i have listened to "You got what it takes " a thousand times and still get chills every single time , RIP Mr Smith
In fairness to Dave, he's not the only "bandleader" to put his bandmates under salary. BTO and others had similar arrangements. It gave the other guys the security of a steady income, and freed them up to compose and play. It was a big deal for the DC5 and others to take the jump, leave their day jobs, and fully "go pro." Dave and Randy Bachman and others did the heavy lifting and operated as managers in addition to performing. Did Dave take advantage of their success? Probably, but he also took big risks as they were coming up. I don't approve of a lot of what he did, either, but it's not as one-sided as it's often made out to be. Mike Smith was the key to it all, as was Denis Payton, (with a big assist from Ron Ryan, who also got ripped off), and Dave was the least-talented of the Five.
Someone somewhere in youtube land commented on how much dissing there was of Dave Clark, and I agree there is a lot of dissing of him on social media, (FB), on what are supposed to be DC5 fanpages. I think I need to start my own just to give the man adoration and respect I think he deserves. No I wasn't barely born when they hit big, but nonetheless, I am a DC5 fan. I am kind of tired of the nonsense though, he has stated in interviews that he has not had plastic surgery. Good enough, leave it alone ffs. I don't look the same as when i was in my 20s either, thankfully! Time changes people, and these comments are superficial and callous. And so what if he had work done at one point? Like do you think he is the first to have? And it's really none of anybody's business anyways. As for whether or not he was fair, or 'nice', or stole royalties by having 50%, I don't know much about it for sure but that he is a savvy businessman who made some good deals (masters) and decisions. Whatevers, this was what, almost 60yrs ago?? Could there not be a bit of jealousy and resentment still lingering here, maybe, and I am not talking about Mr. Ryan by the way, I have the utmost respect for you, it's the other yokels who pipe in and hop on the bandwagon when people start pointing, that's it that's all. I am a true blue Dave Clark fan, and I realize I won't be in anybody's popularity books for saying my piece, nor do I give a shit. :D I do not think he is what people are harping on about, and as far as I am concerned, anyone who was as good a friend to the eternal legend Freddie during his last few years as Dave was, is deserving of all my love and respect as well!
@pambh65 My Sentiments Exactly! The Envious Haters should get a life. A lot of them seem to be pitting Dave against Mike for some reason. Mike was so talented - he had that flirtatious grin - my girlfriend at the time had me feeling insecure! LOL 😂
Of course we all age. I think the issue has more to do with the extreme work he's had done to his face! I bet he'd have looked better if he hadn't had anything done and aged gracefully. I've no issue with people indulging in cosmetic surgery, each to their own. But he's gone too far with it! He looks scary. :-/
John Lennon can be heard speaking to Ringo on the recent Abbey Rd outtakes, he says to Ringo "You sound like Dave Clark!" It wasn't a compliment. I met Mike Smith in 1994 at Clive Langer's London Studio. He was one of the nicest Blokes you could ever wish to meet. Dave Clark was a Business man , the other four were real musicians and writers. Dave has had ample opportunity to provide the fans with a Comprehensive DC5 Box Set, 10 yrs worth of recordings the fans would love , as well as helping the families of the Deceased members , and of course Lenny Davison.
It would be nice if some of the money went to the families, but remember this is the same person who supposedly didn’t help out Mike when he needed that special wheelchair and van.Apologies if I’m repeating the wrong set of facts.....I would love to be wrong on that one!
Mike Smith made that band a success. As far as I'm concerned. Dave should have let Mike use the " former member of dc5 " moniker. What happened to Mike Smith and his son a short time prior to his paralyzing fall, is a true tragedy. R.I.P. fella's.
They say that in the end you get the face you deserve. From all accounts, Dave was not a very nice person, and he looks positively evil in his old age. On the contrary, Mike had that same sweetness and joy in his face, even after his accident.
Dave Clark did all the Band's business deals. He gained sole rights to the songs after 10 years. Dave Clark also mandated that all DC5 songs would have his name on them even though he wrote few of the songs. He has sole rights to those songs after 10 years. Mike Smith was the song writer and the voice of that band. All 3 DC5 band members that have passed on had less than $70,000 in their estates. Dave Clark is worth an estimated $30,000,000. He absolutely ripped off his fellow band members. He had his name on the band. He had his drum set front and center, and he was horrible on the drums. He was really a business man would ran a tight ship and the young lads were just happy to play and tour the world.
