Dave Peacock

Picture of Dave Peacock taken at 02 Indigo, in March 2011 by Stuart Chalmers

Dave Peacock (or to give him his full name, David Victor Peacock) was born in north London on May 24, 1945. He is a British bass-player and musician, best known for being one half of the duo Chas and Dave (or Chas n Dave, as they are known).

Dave Peacock was raised both in Ponders End and Freezywater areas of Enfield in North London. One of four kids, his father worked in the rolling mills and he learned to play the banjo and ukulele at the age of five. His grandparents were Romany gypsies, and he taught himself to speak the language. His mother died when he was 13.

Dave’s first band was called The Rolling Stones (not that one!), which he joined in 1960, before moving on to play with The Tumbleweeds, Jerry Donaghue, Mick Greenwood and finally Black Claw, which also featured Albert Lee and Chas Hodges.

Dave Peacock and Chas Hodges first met in their early twenties when Chas was hitching a ride back from his girlfriend (now wife) Joan’s house and Dave picked him up. As Dave told Suzie Rushton in 2007: ‘“I went round Chas’s house and he had all the records I liked,” Dave says. “Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, all that Fifties rock’n’roll”’
Although Dave Peacock played bass in Chas and Dave, both he and Chas Hodges were interchangeable bass-players and guitarists. When they met, Chas was the bass player in a band called The Outlaws.

Dave and Chas started going to parties together. and they became immersed in traditional London songs and tradituons Chas had an aunt who had a pub in Essex and his uncle was a singer in the manner of 19th century Cockney Music Hall star Harry Champion, whose best-known songs include ‘Any Old Iron’ and ‘I’m Henery The Eighth, I Am’. Dave’s sister used to have musical parties and family singalongs at her house.

When Dave Peacock started writing with Chas Hodges in 1972, they decided to write and sing in their own accents, not in the American drawls that everyone else seemed to be doing at the time. From the early days, they built up a following by playing in pubs throughout the UK, travelling around in a Mini.

In 1974, Dave Peacock and Chas Hodges officially formed Chas and Dave, together with drummer Mick Birt.  Their first album (a year later) together was co-produced by Dave and Chas Hodges and was called “One Fing ‘n’ Anuvver”.

Their big break came two years later when Dave was playing with Chas in a pub in north London and they were approached by an advertising executive, who was looking for someone to appear in a series of ads for Courage beers. Chas and Dave were an overnight success, with the song in question, ‘Gertcha’ becoming their first Top 20 hit.

After being approached by London promoter Jim Driver to appear on the Acoustic Stage, Chas & Dave appeared at the 2005 Glastonbury Festival. The year ended on a high with a totally sold out Christmas Beano at London’s Shepherd’s Bush Empire (promoted by Jim Driver), that was filmed by EMI for  release as a DVD.

Dave Peacock gave up writing new material in 2005 in order to spend more spare time on his 20-acre estate in Hertfordshire, looking after his three horses and pursuing his hobby, “lining out”, or painting, gypsy caravans. “I did a trade class trolley at the Windsor show and the Queen herself admired my paintwork,” he told the Independent.

In 2009 tragedy struck Dave Peacock, when his wife Sue, passed away after cintracting lung cancer. Dave decided to retire from music.

A statement issued on the duo’s website at the time said: “It is with immense sadness that we announce the death of Sue Peacock – Dave’s wife of 36 years – on July 4th after a brave battle with lung cancer.

“Despite being a lifelong non-smoker, she was diagnosed with the disease at an advanced stage last November.

“Loved by anyone who was lucky enough to know her, she never had a negative point of view on anyone or anything even as it became clear she was losing her fight for life.”

In 2011, Chas & Dave reformed for a final UK tour, culminating in sold out performances at London’s O2 Indigo venue. Dave Peacock has no plans to do any music outside Chas and Dave.