John Dymond

John Dymond (born 10 July 1944), who goes by the stagename Beaky, is an English pop guitarist, who is a founding member of Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich. As of 2015, Dymond is the only original member still active in the band.

Career

In the late 1950s, Dymond was invited by school friend Ian Amey (Tich) to join "The Beatnicks", a group based in Netheravon that was founded by Trevor Ward-Davies (Dozy). With later additions of David Harman (Dave Dee) and Michael Wilson (Mick), they originally went under the name "Dave Dee and the Bostons".

In 1964/65, they were discovered by Ken Howard and Alan Blaikley, and their band name was changed to Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich, as they were their actual nicknames. Their complicated Tongue twister name helped bring them attention on the radio, as disc jockeys would have a hard time attempting to say their name properly on air.

Their novel name, zany stage act and lurid dress sense helped to propel them to chart success with a string of hit singles penned by songwriters Ken Howard and Alan Blaikley including "Hold Tight!", "Bend It!" and "Zabadak!". Over the course of the band's career, they played several different genres, including freakbeat, mod and pop. Of their two million-copy selling single releases, "The Legend of Xanadu" reached number one in the UK Singles Chart. Unlike many other British bands of the 1960s who were associated with the British invasion of the United States, Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich had limited commercial US success.

Dave Dee left in 1969 to pursue a solo career, and "Dave Dee" was removed from the band name. As "Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich", they had a minor hit with the Anti-Vietnam song "Mr. President", that had Dymond on lead vocals, in 1970. They disbanded in 1973 and for a year Dymond and Amey were members of the rock band Mason with Peter Mason, Bob Taylor, and Charles O'Brien. They released three singles between 1973 and 1974.

In 1974, the original line-up of DDDBMT reunited for a single, "She's My Lady", with Dave Dee and Mason producing. Dymond and Tich continued performing with Trevor Ward-Davies and Pete Lucas in a band called, Tracker. In 1976, after Tracker broke up. Dymond reunited Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich with the line-up of Tracker. Now Dymond was on drums (still as Beaky) and Lucas, under the name Mick, played guitar. In 1982, John Hatchman was added on drums, and Beaky returned to being rhythm guitarist.

In the 1980s, the band were in a hotel in Marbella, Spain, preparing to go on stage, when Dymond spoke about the idea of opening a club in the area where they can perform on their own schedule. This idea grew further and in 1987, without Dave Dee, Dymond, Davies, Amey, and Hatchman relocated to Marbella. They opened a small bar in Puerto Rico. Two years later, Davies, Hatchman, and Amey moved back to England, but Dymond wanted to stay in Spain, and left the band, with Paul Bennett taking his place.

In February 2013, Beaky returned to the band after 24 years. For the next year, the band's original personnel was three out of five (Dave Dee died in 2009, Mick retired from music in 1974). Tich retired in 2014, and Dozy died in 2015, whilst Beaky has carried on touring with a new lineup. With Dave Dee, Dozy, and Tich's death, and Mick's retirement, Beaky is now the original member still active in DBMT.

Personal life

John Dymond was born in Salisbury, Wiltshire in 1944. He lived in Marbella, Spain, from 1987 to 2007, and moved back to Wiltshire, where he still lives as of 2024. He has three children: one daughter from a previous relationship, and two boys from his current second ex-wife. He had known Ian Amey since they were children, as they lived across the street from each other.

References