John Dalton (musician)
Encyclopedia
John Dalton is a British bass guitar player, best known as a member of The Kinks
' from 1969 to 1976, replacing original member Pete Quaife
.
at the same time as Harry Webb (who later found fame as Cliff Richard
). Dalton's desire was to be a full time musician
, and in 1959 he joined "Danny King and The Bluejacks" as bass guitarist (although he claimed in a 2009 interview that he couldn't play a note when he joined.) He played alongside Norman Mitham who had just left Cliff Richard's first band
.
Although successful locally, The Bluejacks recordings of "Say Mama" and Vince Taylor's rockabilly
"Brand New Cadillac" did not feature in the UK Singles Chart
, and in 1962 Dalton left to become a founder member of Mark Four along with Mick 'Spud' Thompson (rhythm guitar
), Eddie Phillips (lead guitar
), Jack Jones (drum
s) and Kenny Pickett (vocals). Mark Four quickly became one of the most popular live bands in North London
and shared billing with other London based groups such as The High Numbers (later to become The Who
), Cliff Bennett and the Rebel Rousers, and even sharing a stage with Little Eva
.
However, the band's singles
failed to make the charts, making it difficult to earn enough money to support a family. In 1966 Dalton left Mark Four to join the building trade. Shortly afterwards, Eddie Phillips and Kenney Pickett founded The Creation
, one of the most influential bands of the late 1960s.
In June 1966, Dalton was asked to substitute for The Kinks
' bass guitarist, Pete Quaife
, who had broken his leg in a car accident. Dalton auditioned as a temporary replacement on 9 June 1966 at Carling Music, Saville Row, London. That same evening he appeared with the band on BBC Television
's pop music
flagship, Top of the Pops
(filmed in the BBC Studios, London). His first live appearance with the Kinks was two days later at The Plaza, King's Heath, Birmingham
giving him no time for rehearsals. This was quickly followed by a tour to Norway
and Spain
. The first recording
sessions he took part in with the Kinks were on 26 June 1966 at Pye Studios, London for "Little Miss Queen Of Darkness".
Dalton also played bass on "Dead End Street", recorded on 28 October 1966 during an evening session (unusually, without Shel Talmy
). By the end of the year Quaife had come back, and Dalton returned to his job as a coalman.
Dalton replaced Quaife again in 1969, this time as the Kinks' permanent bassist. He appeared with the band on 5 April 1969 for a mimed performance on the television program "It's Dee Time". His first recording session in his second tenure with the group was in May 1969 at Pye Studio #2 ("Drivin" and "Mindless Child Of Motherhood"). Dalton spent most of June recording the Arthur
album. He started his first American
Tour on 17 October at The Fillmore East
, New York
. The tour lasted nine weeks and included such venues as The Whiskey A Go Go in Los Angeles
and Fillmore West
in San Francisco. He continued to play with the Kinks throughout the remainder of 1969 and into the 1970s and appeared playing bass on such notable songs as "Victoria", "Lola
", "Apeman
", "Celluloid Hereos", and "Supersonic Rocketship".
On 8 November 1976 Dalton finally left the Kinks, after spending most of the summer of 1976 rehearsing and recording Sleepwalker
. His replacement was former Blodwyn Pig
bass player Andy Pyle.
Dalton was still active in the music industry until recently. He was frontman and bass player with The Kast Off Kinks
which also featured Mick Avory
, (the original Kinks drummer), John Gosling
(former Kinks keyboard
player), and vocalist/guitarist Dave Clarke (former Tim Rose
sidesman). He and Gosling retired from the Kast Off Kinks in 2008, to be replaced by the bassist and keyboard player who replaced them in the Kinks - Jim Rodford
and Ian Gibbons
. It is rumoured that Dalton might still be persuaded to play with the band when Rodford is unavailable.
From 2003 until May 2008 Dalton also performed with the [rock and roll] band '5%Volume'; alongside Kevin Leak (ex Seminar), Wol Webster (ex Blues Brothers, Eddie Floyd
, Jess Conrad
) and Tony 'Bones' Pallett (son of Joe Pallett the original Danny King).
The Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, by brothers Ray and Dave Davies in 1964. Categorised in the United States as a British Invasion band, The Kinks are recognised as one of the most important and influential rock acts of the era. Their music was influenced by a...
' from 1969 to 1976, replacing original member Pete Quaife
Pete Quaife
Peter Alexander Greenlaw "Pete" Quaife was an English musician, artist and author. He was a founding member and the original bass guitarist for The Kinks, from 1963 until 1969....
.
Biography
John Dalton was educated at Cheshunt Secondary Modern SchoolCheshunt School
Cheshunt School is a secondary school and sixth form for boys and girls, located in Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire, UK.-General information:Cheshunt School is a mixed Foundation school for students aged 11 to 18 years at Cheshunt in Hertfordshire. It has 1015 students on roll, including 165 students...
at the same time as Harry Webb (who later found fame as Cliff Richard
Cliff Richard
Sir Cliff Richard, OBE is a British pop singer, musician, performer, actor, and philanthropist who has sold over an estimated 250 million records worldwide....
). Dalton's desire was to be a full time musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, and in 1959 he joined "Danny King and The Bluejacks" as bass guitarist (although he claimed in a 2009 interview that he couldn't play a note when he joined.) He played alongside Norman Mitham who had just left Cliff Richard's first band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
.
Although successful locally, The Bluejacks recordings of "Say Mama" and Vince Taylor's rockabilly
Rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...
"Brand New Cadillac" did not feature in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, and in 1962 Dalton left to become a founder member of Mark Four along with Mick 'Spud' Thompson (rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
), Eddie Phillips (lead guitar
Lead guitar
Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
), Jack Jones (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) and Kenny Pickett (vocals). Mark Four quickly became one of the most popular live bands in North London
North London
North London is the northern part of London, England. It is an imprecise description and the area it covers is defined differently for a range of purposes. Common to these definitions is that it includes districts located north of the River Thames and is used in comparison with South...
and shared billing with other London based groups such as The High Numbers (later to become The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
), Cliff Bennett and the Rebel Rousers, and even sharing a stage with Little Eva
Little Eva
Eva Narcissus Boyd , known by the stage name of Little Eva , was an American pop singer.-Biography:...
.
However, the band's singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
failed to make the charts, making it difficult to earn enough money to support a family. In 1966 Dalton left Mark Four to join the building trade. Shortly afterwards, Eddie Phillips and Kenney Pickett founded The Creation
The Creation (band)
The Creation were an English rock band, formed in 1966. The most popular Creation song was "Painter Man", which made the Top 40 in the UK Singles Chart in late 1966, and reached #8 in the German chart in April 1967. It was later covered by Boney M in 1979, and reached the #10 position in the UK...
, one of the most influential bands of the late 1960s.
In June 1966, Dalton was asked to substitute for The Kinks
The Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, by brothers Ray and Dave Davies in 1964. Categorised in the United States as a British Invasion band, The Kinks are recognised as one of the most important and influential rock acts of the era. Their music was influenced by a...
' bass guitarist, Pete Quaife
Pete Quaife
Peter Alexander Greenlaw "Pete" Quaife was an English musician, artist and author. He was a founding member and the original bass guitarist for The Kinks, from 1963 until 1969....
, who had broken his leg in a car accident. Dalton auditioned as a temporary replacement on 9 June 1966 at Carling Music, Saville Row, London. That same evening he appeared with the band on BBC Television
BBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The corporation, which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927, has produced television programmes from its own studios since 1932, although the start of its regular service of television...
's 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...
flagship, Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
(filmed in the BBC Studios, London). His first live appearance with the Kinks was two days later at The Plaza, King's Heath, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
giving him no time for rehearsals. This was quickly followed by a tour to Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
and Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. The first recording
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
sessions he took part in with the Kinks were on 26 June 1966 at Pye Studios, London for "Little Miss Queen Of Darkness".
Dalton also played bass on "Dead End Street", recorded on 28 October 1966 during an evening session (unusually, without Shel Talmy
Shel Talmy
Shel Talmy is an American record producer, songwriter, arranger best known for his work in London with The Who and The Kinks in the 1960s, with a role in many other English bands including Cat Stevens and Pentangle...
). By the end of the year Quaife had come back, and Dalton returned to his job as a coalman.
Dalton replaced Quaife again in 1969, this time as the Kinks' permanent bassist. He appeared with the band on 5 April 1969 for a mimed performance on the television program "It's Dee Time". His first recording session in his second tenure with the group was in May 1969 at Pye Studio #2 ("Drivin" and "Mindless Child Of Motherhood"). Dalton spent most of June recording the Arthur
Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire)
Arthur is the seventh studio album by English rock band The Kinks, released in October 1969. Kinks frontman Ray Davies constructed the concept album as the soundtrack to a Granada Television play and developed the storyline with novelist Julian Mitchell; however, the television programme was...
album. He started his first American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Tour on 17 October at The Fillmore East
Fillmore East
The Fillmore East was rock promoter Bill Graham's rock venue on Second Avenue near East 6th Street in the East Village neighborhood of the Manhattan borough of New York City. It was open from 1968 to 1971, and featured some of the biggest acts in rock music at the time...
, New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. The tour lasted nine weeks and included such venues as The Whiskey A Go Go in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
and Fillmore West
The Fillmore
The Fillmore Auditorium is a historic music venue in San Francisco, California, made famous by Bill Graham. Named for its original location at the intersection of Fillmore Street and Geary Boulevard, it lies on the boundary of the Western Addition and the Pacific Heights neighborhoods.In 1968,...
in San Francisco. He continued to play with the Kinks throughout the remainder of 1969 and into the 1970s and appeared playing bass on such notable songs as "Victoria", "Lola
Lola (song)
"Lola" is a song written by Ray Davies and performed by The Kinks which details a romantic encounter between a young man and a transvestite he meets in a club in Soho, London....
", "Apeman
Apeman
"Apeman" is an unscientific term that can allude to several things that generally have some of the traits of both other apes and humans:* Tarzan is sometimes referred to as an "Apeman."...
", "Celluloid Hereos", and "Supersonic Rocketship".
On 8 November 1976 Dalton finally left the Kinks, after spending most of the summer of 1976 rehearsing and recording Sleepwalker
Sleepwalker (The Kinks album)
Sleepwalker is a 1977 album by the English rock group, The Kinks. It marked a return to straight-ahead, self-contained rock songs after several years of concept albums. It is the first album in what critics usually call the "arena rock" phase of the group, in which more commercial and mainstream...
. His replacement was former Blodwyn Pig
Blodwyn Pig
Blodwyn Pig were a British blues–rock group founded by guitarist–vocalist–songwriter Mick Abrahams, after he left Jethro Tull in 1968 due to a falling-out with Tull leader Ian Anderson.-Career:...
bass player Andy Pyle.
Dalton was still active in the music industry until recently. He was frontman and bass player with The Kast Off Kinks
The Kast Off Kinks
The Kast Off Kinks are a band composed of members formerly in the British Invasion band The Kinks. They mostly tour Europe and attend reunion for fans and for charity, such as the Leukemia Research Fund...
which also featured Mick Avory
Mick Avory
Michael Charles "Mick" Avory is an English musician, best known as the longtime drummer and percussionist for the British rock band, The Kinks, joining them shortly after their formation in 1964 and remaining with them until 1984, when he left amid creative friction with guitarist Dave Davies...
, (the original Kinks drummer), John Gosling
John Gosling
not to be confused with John Gostling John Gosling , is an English classically trained organist and pianist....
(former Kinks keyboard
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
player), and vocalist/guitarist Dave Clarke (former Tim Rose
Tim Rose
Timothy Alan Patrick Rose , best known professionally as Tim Rose, was an American singer-songwriter, who spent much of his life in London, England and had more success in Europe than in his native country...
sidesman). He and Gosling retired from the Kast Off Kinks in 2008, to be replaced by the bassist and keyboard player who replaced them in the Kinks - Jim Rodford
Jim Rodford
Jim Rodford is a musician who played with The Kinks, The Swinging Blue Jeans and was a founding member of Argent...
and Ian Gibbons
Ian Gibbons
Ian Gibbons is an English keyboardist, most notable for playing with The Kinks.Gibbons began playing the accordion at the age 9, playing in the school band, and solo at music festivals, competitions and charity events. At the age of 14, he started a school rock band, playing guitar and singing...
. It is rumoured that Dalton might still be persuaded to play with the band when Rodford is unavailable.
From 2003 until May 2008 Dalton also performed with the [rock and roll] band '5%Volume'; alongside Kevin Leak (ex Seminar), Wol Webster (ex Blues Brothers, Eddie Floyd
Eddie Floyd
Eddie Lee Floyd is an American soul/R&B singer and songwriter, best known for his work on the Stax record label in the 1960s and 1970s and the song "Knock on Wood".-Biography:...
, Jess Conrad
Jess Conrad
Jess Conrad OBE is an actor and singer from England.-Career:Having started his career as a repertory actor and film extra, Jess Conrad was cast in a television play "Bye, Bye Barney" as a pop singer...
) and Tony 'Bones' Pallett (son of Joe Pallett the original Danny King).