NO
COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED.
COPYRIGHTS RESERVED BY COPYRIGHT OWNER.This video is used only for non-profit usage and publishing.
Dave Berry (born
David Holgate Grundy,
6 February 1941,
Woodhouse, Sheffield) is a
British pop singer and former teen idol of the
1960s. He had an unusual ambition for a pop performer trying to make a name for himself - to appear on TV completely hidden by a prop.In his own words, to "not appear, to stay behind something and not come out". He often hid behind the upturned collar of his leather jacket, or wrapped himself around, and effectively behind, the microphone lead.He performed a mixture of hard
R&B; and pop ballads. He was popular in
Britain, and on
Continental Europe. His early hits name-checked his backing band,
The Cruisers who at that time were made up of
John Fleet (bass and piano), Roy Barber (rhythm guitar),
Frank Miles (lead guitar) and
Kenny Slade (drums).
Berry parted company with this line-up around the time of "
The Crying Game". He recruited four more local musicians -
Frank White,
Johnny Riley,
Pete Cliff and old friend
Alan Taylor to be the second generation of Cruisers,with lead guitarist
White eventually replaced by Roy Ledger until around
1965, when personnel changes began to be more frequent."The Crying Game" (1964),
B. J. Thomas's sentimental "
Mama" (1966) and "
This Strange Effect" (1965) - the latter written by
Ray Davies, are among his best remembered hits. Indeed, "This Strange Effect" became a
Number One hit for him in the
Netherlands and
Belgium, countries where he still enjoys superstar status, resulting in a
Special Award from
Radio Veronica, Netherlands, for their best selling pop single of all time. His 1965 hit "
Little Things" was a cover version of
Bobby Goldsboro's
Stateside Top 40 success.Another one of his songs, "
Don't Gimme No Lip
Child", was covered by the
Sex Pistols.His stage act, drawing largely on
Elvis Presley and
Gene Vincent, provided an inspiration for
Alvin Stardust. Such was his enigmatic and unconventional presence, that several punk rock acts, such as the Sex Pistols, acknowledged him as an inspiration.Berry used sessions guitarists
Jimmy Page,
John Paul Jones,
Big Jim Sullivan and
Drummer Bobby Graham extensively.The
Geoff Stephens penned song, "The Crying Game", brought Berry's voice to his biggest international audience ever in
1992, when it was used as the theme song for one of that year's most successful films -
Neil Jordan's The Crying Game.Berry also regained some recognition when he was the surprise hit of
the annual Alexis Korner Tribute in
1995.In
1998, "This Strange Effect" was covered by the
Belgian band,
Hooverphonic, on their
album,
Blue Wonder Power Milk.In May 2009, Berry was touring the UK and appearing in a cameo role in a theatrical production,
The Mod Crop. In August that year,
RPM Records issued a double CD anthology of Berry's earliest recordings for Decca, entitled This Strange Effect (The Decca
Sessions 1963-1966).The package added two previously unissued tracks made in
1963 (before Berry signed with Decca) with producer
Mickie Most: "
Easy To Cry" and "
Tongue Twisting"
.In the final quarter of
2010, "Little Things" was used in an advertisement campaign on
British television by
Andrex toilet paper.Berry's illustrated autobiography, Dave Berry - All
There Is To Know, was published in 2010 by Heron Publications
Ltd. It included contributions from
Joe Cocker, Ray Davies,
Tony Iommi,
Peter Stringfellow and
Bill Wyman.A double compilation,
Picture Me
Gone - The Decca Sessions 1966-1974, was released in
January 2011.
- published: 22 Jan 2011
- views: 34675