Pop star Trevor ‘Dozy’ Ward-Davies dies aged 70

Trevor WardDavies (Dozy), right, with fellow band members, from left, John Diamond (Beaky), Ian Amey (Tich), MIchael Wilson (Mick) and David Harman (Dave Dee). Picture: Getty

The bass guitarist and founder member of the band died in hospital on Tuesday following a short illness.

The group, who formed in Salisbury in 1961, got their name from their respective nicknames, with Ward-Davies christened Dozy after he unwrapped a bar of chocolate, threw it away and ate the wrapper instead.

They found their feet in Salisbury’s music scene in the early 1960s as Dave Dee and the Bostons, but it was after they returned from a trip to Germany and replaced drummer Stan Poole – who had family commitments – with Mick Wilson that the band was born.

By 1964 their hard work paid off and they were signed to Fontana records.

They were hugely popular in the Sixties and first had a hit with You Make It Move in December 1965.

Between 1965 and 1969, they spent more weeks in the UK singles charts than The Beatles.

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Two of their single releases sold in excess of one million copies each and they reached number one in the UK singles chart with the second of them The Legend of Xanadu in 1968.

A string of hits followed including Hold Tight, Bend It! and Save Me.

Two of their albums charted – their eponymous debut, in 1966, followed a year after by If Music Be a Food of Love… Then Prepare for Indigestion.

Dozy’s bandmate Ian Amey, better known as Tich, said: “He was very good fun to be with, a very good friend for many, many years and he will be terribly missed.

“It was his band. It all started off with Dozy before it ever got to Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich. He was loveable in a lot of ways, was his own person and did what he wanted to do. He was a great guy and will be sadly missed.”

Fans went on Twitter to post messages and send words of sympathy to the singer’s family.One fan said: “Dozy from Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich has died – sad, but gives me a chance to listen to their songs on YouTube!! #SalisburyLegend”.

Another added: “So shocked and sad to hear of the passing of Dozy (Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich). Such a lovely and funny man. He’ll be sadly missed!”

While the group never managed to break into the US music scene, like The Beatles, they were for a time one of the most successful acts in the UK, famous for their loud and frenzied live shows.

They scored eight top ten hits from 1965 to 1968 with Legend Of Xanadu later covered by Mancunian New Wave legends The Fall.

They were also famed for their flamboyant style and helped influence fashion in the Sixties.

Frontman Dave Dee who died in 2009 at the age of 65, after a battle with prostate cancer, once said: “We started to make and design all our own clothes. Every time we did Top of the Pops, Carnaby Street used to send their spies down to see what we were wearing and within a couple of days you would see our stuff in the window.

“After us, people like Hendrix were all starting to wear that colourful, glam stuff.”

The band broke up in 1972 following the departure of Dave Dee three years earlier.