Denis Payton | |
|---|---|
 Payton in 1964. | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Denis Archibald West Payton |
| Born | 11 August 1943 Walthamstow, Essex, England |
| Died | 17 December 2006 (aged 63) Bournemouth, Dorset, England |
| Genres | Pop, rock, beat, jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Saxophonist, estate agent |
| Instrument(s) | Saxophone, harmonica, guitar, backing vocals |
| Years active | 1960s–1970 |
| Labels | Columbia (EMI), Epic |
Denis Archibald West Payton (11 August 1943 – 17 December 2006) was an English musician who played tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone, guitar and harmonica in the rock and roll band the Dave Clark Five.
Biography
Early life
Payton was born in Walthamstow, then in Essex (now part of east London). As a child he learned to play guitar, saxophone and other wind instruments. As a teenager he played in a jazz band while studying to become an electrician.[1]
The Dave Clark Five
Through his band membership, he made acquaintance with members of other bands. Being a competent musician, he was often invited to join them, and he moved from one band to another. One of his acquaintances was Dave Clark, the leader of the group ‘Dave Clark Five with Stan Saxon’.
When Saxon, who played saxophone and occasionally sang, departed in 1962 along with second saxophonist Jim Spencer, the group was renamed the ‘Dave Clark Five’, and Denis Payton became his successor.[2]
In its early years, Dave Clark’s group primarily played instrumental music. While Stan Saxon sometimes sang, after his departure pianist Mike Smith (who later exchanged his piano for an electronic organ) provided the vocals. The group changed its repertoire from jazz and dance music to pop music.[3]
After Payton’s arrival, the band’s line-up comprised Dave Clark (drums), Mike Smith (vocals and organ), Lenny Davidson (guitar), Rick Huxley (bass guitar) and Denis Payton (saxophone). This line-up remained unchanged for the next eight years. Apart from saxophone, Payton occasionally played guitar and harmonica (he played the harmonica solo on the group’s hit single "Catch Us If You Can" and played the sousaphone on "The Red Balloon"), and sang backing vocals.
Payton also co-wrote over two dozen songs with Dave Clark for the group, two of which he sang lead vocals: "I Miss You" and "Man in the Pin Striped Suit".
The Dave Clark Five scored many big hits, both in the United Kingdom and the United States. Apart from "Catch Us If You Can", other million sellers were "Glad All Over", "Bits and Pieces" and "Over and Over".
Payton enjoyed his finest hour when the great American jazz saxophonist Stan Getz, one of Payton's music idols, asked Payton for his autograph after attending a Dave Clark Five concert.[4]
Later life
In 1970, the group disbanded. Payton became an estate agent in Bournemouth, but he continued to play in a few amateur bands in his spare time.
Death
When doctors discovered he had cancer, Payton had to give up his job. After a long illness, he died in Bournemouth in December 2006, at the age of 63.[5] He left a wife, two sons and two stepsons. Following his death, it was discovered that Payton left an estate of £46,000.[6]
In October 2006, two months prior to his death, the Dave Clark Five was nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Payton told Dave Clark, who visited him on his sickbed: "I know I won’t be around, but it was an amazing part of my life that I am very proud of."[4] The Dave Clark Five was inducted into the Hall of Fame on 10 March 2008. Surviving members of the band Dave Clark, Lenny Davidson and Rick Huxley were present; Mike Smith and Denis Payton were honoured with the band posthumously.
Discography
With The Dave Clark Five
Albums
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| A Session with the Dave Clark Five | |
| Catch Us If You Can |
|
| Everybody Knows |
|
| 5 by 5 |
|
| If Somebody Loves You |
|
EPs
| Title | EP details |
|---|---|
| The Dave Clark Five |
|
| Hits of the Dave Clark Five |
|
| Wild Weekend |
|
Singles
| Title | Year |
|---|---|
| "I Knew It All the Time"
b/w "That's What I Said" |
1962 |
| "Chaquita"
b/w "In Your Heart" | |
| "First Love"
b/w "I Walk the Line" | |
| "The Mulberry Bush"
b/w "Chaquita" |
1963 |
| "Do You Love Me"
b/w "Doo-Dah" | |
| "Glad All Over"
b/w "I Know You" | |
| "Bits and Pieces"
b/w "All of the Time" |
1964 |
| "Can't You See That She's Mine"
b/w "Because" (UK); "No Time to Lose" (US) | |
| "Thinking of You Baby"
b/w "Whenever You're Around" | |
| "Because"
b/w "Can't You See That She's Mine" | |
| "Everybody Knows (I Still Love You)"
b/w "Say You Want Me" (UK); "Ol' Sol" (US) | |
| "Any Way You Want It"
b/w "Crying Over You" | |
| "Come Home"
b/w "Mighty Good Loving" (UK); "Your Turn to Cry" (US) |
1965 |
| "Reelin' and Rockin'"
b/w "Little Bitty Pretty One" (UK); "I'm Thinking" (US) | |
| "I Like It Like That"
b/w "Hurting Inside" | |
| "Catch Us If You Can"
b/w "Move On" (UK); "On the Move" (US) | |
| "Over and Over"
b/w "I'll Be Yours (My Love)" | |
| "Having a Wild Weekend"
b/w "No Stopping" | |
| "At the Scene"
b/w "I Miss You" |
1966 |
| "Try Too Hard"
b/w "All Night Long" | |
| "Look Before You Leap"
b/w "Please Tell Me Why" | |
| "Satisfied with You"
b/w "Don't Let Me Down" | |
| "Nineteen Days"
b/w "I Need Love" (UK); "Sitting Here Baby" (US) | |
| "I've Got to Have a Reason"
b/w "Good Time Woman" | |
| "You Got What It Takes"
b/w "Sitting Here Baby" (UK); "Doctor Rhythm" (US) |
1967 |
| "Tabatha Twitchit"
b/w "Man in a Pin-Striped Suit" | |
| "You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby"
b/w "Man in a Pin Striped Suit" | |
| "A Little Bit Now"
b/w "You Don't Play Me Around" | |
| "Red and Blue"
b/w "Concentration Baby" | |
| "Everybody Knows"
b/w "Concentration Baby" (UK); "Inside and Out" (US) | |
| "No One Can Break a Heart Like You"
b/w "You Don't Want My Lovin'" |
1968 |
| "Please Stay"
b/w "Forget" | |
| "The Red Balloon"
b/w "Maze of Love" | |
| "Live in the Sky"
b/w "Children" | |
| "The Mulberry Tree"
b/w "Small Talk" |
1969 |
| "Paradise (Is Half as Nice)"
b/w "34-06" | |
| "If Somebody Loves You"
b/w "Best Day's Work" | |
| "Put a Little Love in Your Heart"
b/w "34-06" | |
| "Good Old Rock 'n' Roll"
b/w "Good Old Rock 'n' Roll (Part 2)" | |
| "Bring It On Home to Me"
b/w "Darling, I Love You" | |
| "Everybody Get Together"
b/w "Darling I Love You" |
1970 |
| "Julia"
b/w "Five by Five" | |
| "Here Comes Summer"
b/w "Break Down and Cry" | |
| "More Good Old Rock 'n' Roll"
b/w "More Good Old Rock 'n' Roll (Part 2)" | |
| "Southern Man"
b/w "If You Wanna See Me Cry" |
1971 |
| "Won't You Be My Lady"
b/w "Into Your Life" |
References
- ↑ Leigh, Spencer (20 December 2006). "Denis Payton Obituary". The Independent.
- ↑ "About the line-ups during the group's early years". DC5.com. Archived from the original on 3 August 2017. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
- ↑ Perone, James E. (2008). Mods, Rockers, and the Music of the British Invasion. Praeger. p. 91. ISBN 978-0275998608.
- 1 2 "Denis Payton Memorial Page". Archived from the original on 14 July 2011. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ↑ "Denis Payton, 63, of the Dave Clark Five, Dies". The New York Times. Associated Press. 20 December 2006.
- ↑ "Sixties pop star leaves just £46k | Bournemouth Echo". www.bournemouthecho.co.uk. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
External links
- Denis Payton at IMDb