| 29th February 2008 10:13 AM |
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| GotToRollMe |
MIKE SMITH (The Dave Clark Five) R.I.P.
February 29, 2008
Mike Smith, the lead singer, keyboardist and face of The Dave Clark Five at the height of the British band's popularity, died Thursday February 28, 2008 of pneumonia. He was 64.
Smith was admitted Wednesday morning to Stoke Mandeville Hospital outside London with a chest infection stemming from complications of a 2003 spinal cord injury that had left him paralyzed, his New York agent, Margo Lewis, said in a statement.
Smith had been hospitalized since the accident and was released in December when he moved into a specially prepared home near the hospital with his wife, Arlene (nickname Charlie)
His death came two weeks before the group was to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Smith had said that he was hoping to attend the March 10 induction ceremony in New York.
Although the Beatles were the most popular of the British Invasion bands of the 1960s, The Dave Clark Five claimed a string of U.S. billboard hits, many of them co-written by Smith and Clark, including "Because," "Glad All Over," "Any Way You Want It" , "Bits And Pieces" and "I Like It Like That."
Despite a string of more than 10 other hits, The Dave Clark Five disbanded in 1970. It had sold more than 50 million albums world wide.The band made 12 appearances on Ed Sullivan's variety show, the most for any British act.
The group's antics were captured in John Boorman's 1965 documentary, "Catch Us if You Can," a.k.a. "Having A Wild Weekend" which followed The Dave Clark Five through the English city of Bristol.
The group was founded by Dave Clark, who played drums, in 1958. Smith was not an original member. He joined in 1961 as keyboardist, lead singer and the band's most recognizable face. The "Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll" called Smith "a truly outstanding soul shouter."
Years later, Smith noted that there was a certain irony in the British Invasion. While groups from England were bringing new sounds to America, many of the musicians in those groups were soaking up American blues and pop recordings.
"I used to buy import records and discovered the Contours, Isley Brothers, Lightnin' Hopkins. . . . America wasn't listening to that, but in England we thought they were brilliant," Smith told the Record newspaper in 2003.
Mike Smith was born in London on Dec. 12, 1943. He began studying classical music at age 5 and was admitted to Trinity Music College in London at 13. He was also a fan of the great jazz artists Ella Fitzgerald and Oscar Peterson. When he joined The Dave Clark Five, he was the only member of the group to have had classical music training.
After the demise of the band in the early 1970s, Clark and Smith continued to release singles as Dave Clark & Friends until 1973. Smith later worked with Mike D'Abo, onetime vocalist for Manfred Mann.
He also produced records for Shirley Bassey and European opera performer Michael Ball. In addition, he sang on the original recording of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical "Evita."
Smith made a good living writing commercials for companies including American Airlines, British Airways, Volvo and McDonald's. In 2003, he returned to performing in the United States with Mike Smith's Rock Engine.
But later that year, tragedy hit his life. His son was killed in a diving accident, and Smith severely injured his spinal cord after falling while attempting to scale a fence at his home on the Costa del Sol in Spain.
Many of his peers, including Bruce Springsteen, Steven Van Zandt and Peter Noone of Herman's Hermits, helped defray his high medical bills through donations and fundraisers.
David Letterman's "Late Show" bandleader Paul Shaffer helped organize a benefit concert in New York in August 2005 that featured many of Smith's fellow British Invasion stars, including the Zombies and Peter & Gordon. A DVD of that concert is scheduled to be released.
Link: http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-me-smith29feb29,1,3531233.story
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| 29th February 2008 10:15 AM |
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| Joey |
RIP |
| 29th February 2008 10:25 AM |
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| ShaneJazz |
That's a real shame, so close to the induction ceremony. Wasn't there a mini-controversy last year when the DC5 were apparently elected to the RnRHOF, but Wenner wanted to diversify things and handpicked Grandmaster Flash to go in instead. If that's true, he's gotta live with that, knowing that Mike Smith never got to see his band inducted. |
| 29th February 2008 10:27 AM |
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| glencar |
Another Wenner outrage! RIP to a great songwriter & singer. |
| 29th February 2008 10:37 AM |
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| Highwire Rob |
Since Dave Clark Five were announced as RRHOF inductees, I 've been calling up their performances on YouTube. Very enjoyable, good vibe music. -- So sad that Mike Smith did not make it that little bit longer to the induction.
Rocker dead at 64... 64! **shiver**  |
| 29th February 2008 11:00 AM |
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| guitarman53 |
What a shame, R.I.P. I remember the DC5 so well from the 60's, Mike Smith had a real black voice, especially on "You Got What It Takes" I used to think it was a black man singing, they deserve to be inducted in the R & R HOF that's for sure, to bad he won't be there, shame on Wenner for it not being last year when he choose that artist that hardly anybody knows. |
| 29th February 2008 08:03 PM |
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| Brainbell Jangler |
A sad end and tragic timing. Wenner should publicly apologize. |
| 29th February 2008 11:59 PM |
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| Kilroy |
I saw them in 1965 I think It Change My Life. Rest in Peace Mike Smith, Because. |
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| hearyousigh |
I love the DC5, I'm sure gonna miss Mike. I was thinking of sending him a fan letter earlier but didn't know where to get it or if it would get to him. There are no boots of them but I am happy to have a 2 cd greatest hits/rare songs which I 'm gonna put on loud soon. God bless you Mike and thanks for all the memories. Save me a beer up there. |
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| Brian Jones Girl |
I love The DC5!
Anyway You Want It
Catch Us If You Can
Glad All Over
Bits & Pieces
Over & Over
Can’t You See That She’s Mine
Because
...and more!
R.I.P. |
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| fireontheplatter |
being paralyzed and having pneumonia...what a horrible way to go.
rip |
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| Dan |
Anyway You Want It was the last song the also dead Ramones did onstage together. |
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| MrPleasant |
R. I. P. |
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| glencar |
quote:
fireontheplatter wrote:
being paralyzed and having pneumonia...what a horrible way to go.
rip
hmmmmmmmmmmmm..... |
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| samekath |
they were a fun band...a big part of the "british invasion"...and mike was soo cute up there on the keyboards!
i have precious memories of those bands and the importance of that time, and mike smith was definitely one of the people i remember.
what a damn shame.
R.I.P. |
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| Honky Tonk Man |
May he rest in peace. It is always sad when a star from the 1960's dies.
The Dave Clark 5 were a shockingly awful band though. |
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| samekath |
oh right, they were. but they were cute and clean cut and always lip synched everything and never, ever made ed sullivan mad!!!!
there were a lot of british bands that weren't very good, but the "invasion" gave them their 15 minutes of fame and maybe a "one hit" wonder. it was all good.....fun times for music! |
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| hearyousigh |
I really don't think they lip snyched their music. I thought they were the best of the British Invasion after of course the Beatles. Then Herman's Hermits, Animals... it's a damn shame Mike had to go the way he did. |
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| Gimme Shelter |
RIP Mike |
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| guitarman53 |
Going by this web page, The DC5 actually won votes to be in the R&RHOF last year, but still Jann Wenner wouldn't let them, instead, to be nice to the rap crowd, he picked Grandmaster Flash.http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1801712/posts
Rock Hall Voting Scandal: Dave Clark 5 Actually Won (Jann Wenner FINALLY EXPOSED) |
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| *ginda |
quote:
samekath wrote:
oh right, they were. but they were cute and clean cut and always lip synched everything and never, ever made ed sullivan mad!!!!
there were a lot of british bands that weren't very good, but the "invasion" gave them their 15 minutes of fame and maybe a "one hit" wonder. it was all good.....fun times for music!
Absolutely Kath. It was fun and not all of them were good. In my little circle a favorite was often chosen on the basis of which band member had the best hair. We were young and superficial. The DC5 always had a tinny sound to their records, but the songs stayed in your mind. Sad All Over for Mike Smith. I had no idea he had been paralyzed since 2003. |
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| samekath |
i actually thought it had been much longer ago that he was injured, but shit...just 5 minutes living like he had to live these last years really makes you sad and kinda humbled. he was such a cutie and i will always remember him that way! |
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| robpop |
Come on, The dead pool thread was deleted. Did any of you have him? |
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| *ginda |
quote:
robpop wrote:
Come on, The dead pool thread was deleted. Did any of you have him?
What are you talking about? I'm one martini over the line. Please enlighten. |
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| robpop |
quote:
*ginda wrote:
What are you talking about? I'm one martini over the line. Please enlighten.
Ahhh...I'll let the cowards enlighten. |
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| *ginda |
quote:
robpop wrote:
Ahhh...I'll let the cowards enlighten.
Cowards copy but they never enlighten, robpop. You may take that to the bank. |
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| robpop |
quote:
*ginda wrote:
Cowards copy but they never enlighten, robpop. You may take that to the bank.
Point taken. What I am talking about went way out of bounds. I'm not talking out of respect. |
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| *ginda |
quote:
robpop wrote:
I'm not talking out of respect.
I thought not talking out of respect was a lost art because it got in the way of post counts. Good for you, robpop, good for you! |
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| Sioux |
quote:
guitarman53 wrote:
Going by this web page, The DC5 actually won votes to be in the R&RHOF last year, but still Jann Wenner wouldn't let them, instead, to be nice to the rap crowd, he picked Grandmaster Flash.http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1801712/posts
Rock Hall Voting Scandal: Dave Clark 5 Actually Won (Jann Wenner FINALLY EXPOSED)
This news just shocked me and broke my heart. I knew how excited Mike was about the induction---and he had every intention of attending the ceremony. So sad.  And SO CRIMINAL that the right to be there at the induction {that SHOULD have been last year} was denied him. Jann Wenner......DON'T GET ME STARTED.
RIP, Mike. Thanks for your voice and your spirit. |
