Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich

In the mid-1960s, catchy melodies propelled the five-piece act from Salisbury, Wiltshire, England, Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich, into the upper ranks of British pop outfits. Songs supplied by managers Ken Howard and Alan Blaikley powered their run of U.K. Top Ten successes such as "Hold Tight," "Hideaway," "Bend It," "Save Me," "Okay," "Zabadak," "Last Night in Soho," and the number-one single "Legend of Xanadu." The lineup had originally come together as Dave Dee & the Bostons under vocalist Dee, born David Harman, a former policeman who attended the April 1960 automobile crash that killed American rocker Eddie Cochran and injured Gene Vincent. Dee removed Cochran's guitar from the wreckage and stored it until the instrument could be returned to the family. Although the musicians sharpened their craft on stages in Hamburg, Germany, like countless other British groups, Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich ranked among the earliest to join package tours across the United Kingdom with headlining artists. The move to London in 1965 led directly to their partnership with Howard and Blaikley. After the quintet dissolved in 1969, Dee notched a modest solo hit and then concentrated on production. He rejoined the others for short spells in 1974 and again in the early 1980s. In 1983 he released the single "Staying with It" b/w "Sure Thing." Guitarist Ian Amey, known onstage as Tich, died on February 15, 2024, at age 79.