Died On This Date (February 11, 2013) Rick Huxley / The Dave Clark Five
themusicsover Rick Huxley
August 5, 1942 – February 11, 2013
There was a moment during the ’60s when Rick Huxley was arguably the biggest bass player in popular music. It was the British Invasion and the band in which he played, the Dave Clark Five, was comfortably seated right behind fellow invaders, the Beatles. Formed in 1958, the band was the Fab Four’s biggest challengers during the early ’60s until the Rolling Stones roared in. With the Dave Clark Five, Huxley played on such pop music staples as “Glad All Over,” “Bits and Pieces,” and “Catch Us If You Can.” In March of 1964, the band became the second British Invasion band to perform on The Ed Sullivan Show. Their two-week run immediately followed the Beatles’ original three-week stint. The group broke up in 1970 and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by Tom Hanks in 2008, with Huxley on hand to accept the honor. Other groups he played with include the Riverside Blues Boys and the Spon Valley Stompers. Rick Huxley was 72 when he passed away on February 11, 2013. Cause of death was not immediately released, though he had been battling emphysema.
Richard Patterson was a Canadian drummer who is perhaps best remembered for his time playing in the Esquires, a popular Ottawa band during the 1960s. Formed in 1962, the band also included Bruce Cockburn at the tail end of its run. A year after forming, the band signed with Capitol Records, making them one of the first if not THE first Canadian band to sign with a major label. Over the next few years, the band released such hit records as “Atlantis” and “So Many Other Boys.” In 1964, the band won an RPM award, which was basically a Canadian Grammy in those days. And when major recording artists of the day came to Canada, it was likely that the Esquires opened for them. Such acts included the Beach Boys, the Rolling Stones, and the Dave Clark Five. The band broke up in 1967, but briefly reunited in 1987. Richard Patterson, who had been suffering from a neurological disorder, passed away on April 3, 2011.
Mike Smith was the lead singer of the Dave Clark Five, the second British Invasion group to hit U.S. shores during the early ’60s. They would be the only competition for the Beatles until the Rolling Stones reared their ugly head and music lovers suddenly saw a whole new side to British pop music. After the Dave Clark Five disbanded in 1970, Smith continued to record and produce throughout the eighties and nineties and then enjoyed modest success on the oldies circuit through the early years of the 21st century. In 2003, Smith seriously injured his spinal cord in a fall at his home. The fall left him paralyzed from the waist down and in his arms. He passed away from complications of that fall in 2008, just two weeks shy of being inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Dave Clark Five.
