| Chas & Dave | |
|---|---|
Chas & Dave, 2003 |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | London, England |
| Genres | Pop rock |
| Years active | 1975–2011 |
| Labels | Retreat, EMI, Rockney |
| Website | www.chasndave.com |
| Members | |
| Charles Hodges David Peacock |
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Chas & Dave (often billed as Chas 'n' Dave) are an English pop rock duo, most notable as creators and performers of a musical style labelled "rockney", which mixes "pub singalong, music-hall humour, boogie-woogie piano and pre-Beatles rock 'n' roll".[1] For a time, "Rockney" was also the name of their record label, and they achieved several British chart hits, their major breakthrough being "Gertcha" in 1979, which peaked at #20 and was the first of eight Top 40 hit singles the duo played on. The act has also enjoyed nine best-selling albums.
It was announced in September 2009 that the pair would no longer be working together as Dave Peacock planned to retire from the band following the recent death of his wife.[2][3] However, in 2010 the band announced a final tour in 2011.[4]
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The group consists of Charles Nicholas "Chas" Hodges (piano, vocals, banjo, guitars) and David Victor "Dave" Peacock (bass guitar, vocals, banjo, guitars) together with Michael Arthur "Mick" Burt on drums. In the 1970s Chas & Dave were prominent session musicians, playing for a wide range of artists; for instance - the hook used on Eminem's "My Name Is" was taken from a Labi Siffre tune, "I Got The", on which Chas & Dave performed.[5]
The rockney style was from the start intentional, as they felt an alternative to the way British bands copied American accents was needed. Chas has said
| “ | I was singing in an American accent. I thought, 'You're being a fraud, you should sing in your own accent', and that's when I started to work on the idea.[6] | ” |
The songs for which they are most known are partly comic, and Chas & Dave are strongly identified with London's blue collar and working class pub sing-song culture, although not necessarily Cockney. However, their 1982 number two hit, "Ain't No Pleasing You" was a more romantic record, with strings added to the usual piano, drum and bass sound.
Their single "Gertcha" was used as the music behind a notable television commercial for Courage Bitter.[7]
"Rabbit" comes from the Cockney rhyming slang "rabbit and pork" meaning "talk".[8] The song is about a relationship between a man and a woman, in which the man expresses his love for his girlfriend, but complains that she will not stop talking or, "rabbiting". It was also used in a television commercial for Courage Bitter.[9]
"Snooker Loopy", a comic song about snooker, was released as a single in May 1986 and entered the UK Singles Chart, reaching #6.
Chas and Dave were offered the chance to record the theme song for the sitcom Only Fools and Horses but turned it down as they were in Australia at the time due to the success of "Ain't No Pleasing You".[6] However their song "Margate" was used in a feature-length episode of the comedy, entitled "The Jolly Boys Outing".
They also recorded four FA Cup final singles for Tottenham Hotspur including "Glory Glory Tottenham Hotspur"/"Ossie's Dream" in 1981 and "Tottenham Tottenham" in 1982. Tottenham Hotspur were victorious in both of these finals.[10][11] as well as appearing on the 1987 FA Cup Final song Hot Shot Tottenham!.
They opened for Led Zeppelin at the 1979 Knebworth Festival,[12] and Chas Hodges has said that one of his proudest moments was playing the Glastonbury Festival in 2005.[13]
Their work influenced The Libertines, who played their songs at rehearsals.[6] On 6 October 2008, their autobiography, Chas & Dave - All About Us, written by Chas, was published in the UK.[14] In June 2010, it was announced that Chas & Dave would reunite for one final tour in 2011.[4]
| Chas & Dave's Knees Up | |
|---|---|
| Format | variety show |
| Directed by | Alasdair MacMILLAN |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 6 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 45 mins |
| Production company(s) | LWT |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | ITV |
| Picture format | 4:3 |
| Original run | 21 May 1983 – 1983 |
In 1983 LWT Created a variety show presented by Chas and Dave's, set in a east end pub.
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