Dave Clark Five Frontman Mike Smith Dies at 64

Mike Smith, lead singer and keyboard player of the Dave Clark Five, passed away from pneumonia Thursday in a hospital outside London. Smith, who was paralyzed in a spinal cord injury in 2003, was 64. The sad news precedes what would otherwise be a celebratory time for the British Invasion group, as it will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 10.

Considering the DC5 were the second most popular British band in 1964, it's easy to overlook Smith's contributions as the gruff-voiced frontman and primary songwriter on hits such as 'Glad All Over,' 'Bits and Pieces' and 'Can't You See That She's Mine.' His relative anonymity both within his own group and to the rock community at large was exacerbated by the fact that drummer, bandleader and manager Dave Clark was the public face of his namesake London-based five-piece combo. Thanks in no small part to Smith, at least for a while it was not considered preposterous to utter the DC5's name in comparison to the Beatles.

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