Denis Payton
Encyclopedia
Denis Archibald West Payton (Walthamstow
, London
, 11 August 1943 - Bournemouth
, 17 December 2006) was an English
saxophonist. He was a member of The Dave Clark Five
, where he played both tenor
and baritone saxophone
.
, saxophone and other wind instrument
s. As a teen-ager he played in a jazz band
, while studying to become an electrician
. Thanks to his band membership he made acquaintance with members of many other bands. Being a competent musician, he was often invited to join another band 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, the group was renamed The Dave Clark Five. Together with Saxon the second saxophonist Jim Spencer left. Denis Payton became his successor.
In its early years Dave Clark’s group mainly played instrumental music. Only Stan Saxon sang sometimes. After his departure pianist
Mike Smith
(who later exchanged his piano for an electronic organ
) also provided the vocals
. The group changed its repertoire from jazz
and dance music
to pop music
.
Since Payton’s arrival the band’s line-up was: Dave Clark (drum
s), Mike Smith (vocals and organ), Lenny Davidson
(guitar), Rick Huxley
(bass guitar
) and Denis Payton. This line-up did not change during the next eight years. Apart from saxophone Payton occasionally played guitar and harmonica
(he did the harmonica solo in the group’s hit single
"Catch Us If You Can
") and did the background vocals
. Payton also wrote songs for the group, together with Dave Clark, for instance the instrumental "On the Move", B side to the British release of "Catch Us If You Can". He sang lead vocals on two recordings: "I Miss You" and "Man in the Pin Striped Suit".
The Dave Clark Five scored quite a few big hits, both in the United Kingdom
and in 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 jazz saxophone player Stan Getz
, one of his big examples, asked him for a signature after a Dave Clark Five gig.
In 1970 the group disbanded. Payton became an estate agent in Bournemouth, but he kept playing in a few amateur bands in his spare time.
When doctors had discovered he had cancer
, Denis Payton had to give up his job. After a long sickbed he died in December 2006, 63 years old. He left a wife, two sons and two stepsons.
In October 2006, the year he died, 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.’ On 10 March 2008 the group was actually inducted into the Hall of Fame. Denis Payton and Mike Smith were sadly missed.
Walthamstow
Walthamstow is a district of northeast London, England, located in the London Borough of Waltham Forest. It is situated north-east of Charing Cross...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, 11 August 1943 - Bournemouth
Bournemouth
Bournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. According to the 2001 Census the town has a population of 163,444, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is also the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth...
, 17 December 2006) was an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
saxophonist. He was a member of The Dave Clark Five
The Dave Clark Five
The Dave Clark Five were an English pop rock group. Their single "Glad All Over" knocked The Beatles' "I Want to Hold Your Hand" off the top of the UK singles charts in January 1964: it eventually peaked at No.6 in the United States in April 1964.They were the second group of the British Invasion,...
, where he played both tenor
Tenor saxophone
The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble...
and baritone saxophone
Baritone saxophone
The baritone saxophone, often called "bari sax" , is one of the largest and lowest pitched members of the saxophone family. It was invented by Adolphe Sax. The baritone is distinguished from smaller sizes of saxophone by the extra loop near its mouthpiece...
.
Course of life
Payton was born in London. As a child he learned to play guitarGuitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, saxophone and other wind instrument
Wind instrument
A wind instrument is a musical instrument that contains some type of resonator , in which a column of air is set into vibration by the player blowing into a mouthpiece set at the end of the resonator. The pitch of the vibration is determined by the length of the tube and by manual modifications of...
s. As a teen-ager he played in a jazz band
Jazz band
A jazz band is a musical ensemble that plays jazz music. Jazz bands usually consist of a rhythm section and a horn section, in the early days often trumpet, trombone, and clarinet with rhythm section of piano, banjo, bass or tuba, and drums.-Eras:SwingDuring the swing era in the mid-twentieth...
, while studying to become an electrician
Electrician
An electrician is a tradesman specializing in electrical wiring of buildings, stationary machines and related equipment. Electricians may be employed in the installation of new electrical components or the maintenance and repair of existing electrical infrastructure. Electricians may also...
. Thanks to his band membership he made acquaintance with members of many other bands. Being a competent musician, he was often invited to join another band and he moved from one band to another. One of his acquaintances was Dave Clark
Dave Clark (musician)
David 'Dave' Clark is an English musician, songwriter and record producer. He was the leader and drummer of the 1960s beat group The Dave Clark Five, the first big British Invasion band to follow The Beatles to America in 1964....
, the leader of the group ‘Dave Clark Five with Stan Saxon’. When Saxon, who played saxophone and occasionally sang, departed in 1962, the group was renamed The Dave Clark Five. Together with Saxon the second saxophonist Jim Spencer left. Denis Payton became his successor.
In its early years Dave Clark’s group mainly played instrumental music. Only Stan Saxon sang sometimes. After his departure pianist
Pianist
A pianist is a musician who plays the piano. A professional pianist can perform solo pieces, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers, solo instrumentalists, or other performers.-Choice of genres:...
Mike Smith
Mike Smith (Dave Clark Five)
Michael George Smith ,was an English singer, songwriter, and music producer.In the 1960s, Smith was the lead vocalist and keyboard player for The Dave Clark Five...
(who later exchanged his piano for an electronic organ
Electronic organ
An electronic organ is an electronic keyboard instrument which was derived from the harmonium, pipe organ and theatre organ. Originally, it was designed to imitate the sound of pipe organs, theatre organs, band sounds, or orchestral sounds....
) also provided the vocals
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
. The group changed its repertoire from jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and dance music
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
to pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
.
Since Payton’s arrival the band’s line-up was: Dave Clark (drum
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s), Mike Smith (vocals and organ), Lenny Davidson
Lenny Davidson (musician)
Leonard Arthur 'Lenny' Davidson was the guitarist of 60s' pop rock group the Dave Clark Five.Lenny Davidson was inducted as part of the group into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March, 2008 along with fellow surviving band members Rick Huxley and Dave Clark and deceased band members Denis...
(guitar), Rick Huxley
Rick Huxley
Rick Huxley was the bassist in The Dave Clark Five, he was born on 5th August 1942 in Dartford, Kent.Rick Huxley was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March, 2008 along with fellow surviving band members Lenny Davidson and Dave Clark....
(bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
) and Denis Payton. This line-up did not change during the next eight years. Apart from saxophone Payton occasionally played guitar and harmonica
Harmonica
The harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
(he did the harmonica solo in the group’s hit single
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
"Catch Us If You Can
Catch Us If You Can
"Catch Us If You Can" is a 1965 song from The Dave Clark Five, written by group's drummer Dave Clark and guitarist Lenny Davidson. The song was one of DC5's top hits, reaching number 5 on the UK Singles Chart in the late summer of 1965 and number 4 on the U.S...
") and did the background vocals
Backing vocalist
A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
. Payton also wrote songs for the group, together with Dave Clark, for instance the instrumental "On the Move", B side to the British release of "Catch Us If You Can". He sang lead vocals on two recordings: "I Miss You" and "Man in the Pin Striped Suit".
The Dave Clark Five scored quite a few big hits, both in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Apart from "Catch Us If You Can" other million sellers were "Glad All Over
Glad All Over
"Glad All Over" is a song written by Mike Smith and recorded by The Dave Clark Five. In January 1964, it became the British group's first big hit, reaching number one on the UK Singles Chart. In April 1964, it reached number 6 on the American U.S. pop singles chart, becoming the first British...
", "Bits and Pieces
Bits and Pieces
"Bits and Pieces" is a song by 1960s quintet The Dave Clark Five. The single hit number two in the UK and number four in the US. The song was a success in other countries too. It was number two in Australia and number one in Canada and Ireland. It reached number four in the Netherlands. In Germany...
" and "Over and Over
Over and Over (The Dave Clark Five song)
"Over and Over", written by Bobby Day and sung by lead singer and keyboardist Mike Smith, was the only U.S. #1 hit for the Dave Clark Five, one of the early British Invasion bands of the mid-1960s. It followed the group's signature sound of thumping, 4/4 drum beats accompanied by a wailing saxophone...
". Payton enjoyed his finest hour when the jazz saxophone player Stan Getz
Stan Getz
Stanley Getz was an American jazz saxophone player. Getz was known as "The Sound" because of his warm, lyrical tone, his prime influence being the wispy, mellow timbre of his idol, Lester Young. Coming to prominence in the late 1940s with Woody Herman's big band, Getz is described by critic Scott...
, one of his big examples, asked him for a signature after a Dave Clark Five gig.
In 1970 the group disbanded. Payton became an estate agent in Bournemouth, but he kept playing in a few amateur bands in his spare time.
When doctors had discovered he had cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
, Denis Payton had to give up his job. After a long sickbed he died in December 2006, 63 years old. He left a wife, two sons and two stepsons.
In October 2006, the year he died, The Dave Clark Five was nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is dedicated to archiving the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, engineers and others who have, in some major way,...
. 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.’ On 10 March 2008 the group was actually inducted into the Hall of Fame. Denis Payton and Mike Smith were sadly missed.