Denis Payton
| Denis Payton | |
|---|---|
Payton in 1964 as the Dave Clark Five appeared in Get Yourself a College Girl.
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Denis Archibald West Payton |
| Born |
11 August 1943 Walthamstow, North London, England |
| Died | 17 December 2006 (aged 63) Bournemouth, Dorset, England |
| Genres | Pop, Rock, Beat |
| Occupation(s) | Saxophonist, estate agent |
| Instruments | Saxophone, harmonica, guitar, background vocals |
| Years active | fl. ca. 1960s–1970 |
| Labels | Columbia (EMI), Epic |
| Associated acts | The Dave Clark Five |
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 pop band the Dave Clark Five.
Payton was born in Walthamstow, 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. 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.
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.
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 sang background 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."
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