Charles Nicholas Hodges (28 December 1943 – 22 September 2018) was an English musician and singer. He was the lead vocalist, pianist and guitarist of the musical duo Chas & Dave, whose most successful singles include "

Rabbit Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also includes the hares), which is in the order Lagomorpha (which also includes pikas). They are familiar throughout the world as a small herbivore, a prey animal, a domesticated ...

" (1980) and " Ain't No Pleasing You" (1982). Earlier in his career, he was a member of

Joe Meek Robert George "Joe" Meek (5 April 1929 – 3 February 1967) was an English record producer and songwriter considered one of the most influential sound engineers of all time, being one of the first to develop ideas such as the recording studio a ...

-produced

instrumental An instrumental or instrumental song is music without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through Semantic change, semantic widening, a broader sense of the word s ...

group the Outlaws and the

country rock Country rock is a music genre that fuses rock and country. It was developed by rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s. These musicians recorded rock records using country themes, vocal sty ...

band Heads Hands & Feet. As a

session musician A session musician (also known as studio musician or backing musician) is a musician hired to perform in a recording session or a live performance. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a reco ...

, he backed

Gene Vincent Vincent Eugene Craddock (February 11, 1935 – October 12, 1971), known as Gene Vincent, was an American rock and roll musician who pioneered the style of rockabilly. His 1956 top ten hit with his backing band the Blue Caps, "Be-Bop-a-Lula", is ...

Jerry Lee Lewis Jerry Lee Lewis (September 29, 1935October 28, 2022) was an American pianist, singer, and songwriter. Nicknamed "The Killer", he was described as "rock 'n' roll's first great wild man". A pioneer of rock and roll and rockabilly music, Lewis m ...

and Labi Siffre.

Early life

Hodges was born at the North Middlesex University Hospital in

Edmonton Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

on 28 December 1943 to Albert and Daisy Hodges. He was named Charles Nicholas, but called Chas as it is a common abbreviation for Charles. He was raised in north London, and moved to

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

in the summer of 1947. His father committed suicide just before Hodges turned four. After his father's death, the family returned to Edmonton in North London to live with his grandparents, with his mother making a living playing piano in local pubs and clubs. He attended Eldon Road School, and later Edmonton Higher Grade School but left just before he was 15 at the end of 1958. Hodges first became interested in Rock 'n' Roll music after listening to

Little Richard Richard Wayne Penniman (December 5, 1932 – May 9, 2020), known professionally as Little Richard, was an American singer, pianist, and songwriter. He was an influential figure in popular music and culture for seven decades. Described as the "Ar ...

Radio Luxembourg Radio Luxembourg was a multilingual commercial broadcaster in Luxembourg. It is known in most non-English languages as RTL (for Radio Television Luxembourg). The English-language service of Radio Luxembourg began in 1933 as one of the earlies ...

around 1956. He was then inspired by

Lonnie Donegan Anthony James "Lonnie" Donegan (29 April 1931 – 3 November 2002) was a British skiffle singer, songwriter and musician, referred to as the " King of Skiffle", who influenced 1960s British pop and rock musicians. Born in Scotland and brought ...

to learn to play the guitar when he was 12, and joined a

skiffle Skiffle is a music genre, genre of folk music with influences from American folk music, blues, Country music, country, Bluegrass music, bluegrass, and jazz, generally performed with a mixture of manufactured and homemade or improvised instruments. ...

band a year later in 1957, The Horseshoe Skiffle Group. In May 1958, he attended a

concert and became interested in learning to play the piano. He worked for a while in a jeweller's shop after leaving school.

Career

Hodges became a professional musician by the age of 16, playing

bass guitar The bass guitar (), also known as the electric bass guitar, electric bass, or simply the bass, is the lowest-pitched member of the guitar family. It is similar in appearance and construction to an Electric guitar, electric but with a longer nec ...

with various local bands until he joined Billy Gray and the Stormers in 1960. After Billy Gray and the Stormers broke up, Hodges worked with the producer

, who put Hodges and his former band together as backing band for Mike Berry, forming the Outlaws. The line up included Mick Underwood, later drummer in heavy rock act, Gillan and were later joined by lead guitarist and later

Deep Purple Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal music, heavy metal and modern hard rock, although their musical style has varied throughout their career. Originally for ...

founding member

Ritchie Blackmore Richard Hugh Blackmore (born 14 April 1945) is an English lead guitarist. He was a founding member and the guitarist of Deep Purple, one of the pioneering bands of hard rock. After leaving Deep Purple in 1975, Blackmore formed the band Rainbow ...

. They also worked as

s, backing

Bill Haley William John Clifton Haley (; July 6, 1925 – February 9, 1981) was an American rock and roll musician. He is credited by many with first popularizing this form of music in the early 1950s with his group Bill Haley & His Comets and million-sel ...

and

. Hodges claimed that he learnt the piano by watching Jerry Lee Lewis whilst backing him. During this time, Hodges became known as "Sleepy" after his habit of falling asleep during the recording process. The Outlaws broke up, and he was invited to join Cliff Bennett and the Rebel Rousers as a bass player in 1965. Hodges had known Dave Peacock for a number of years; they met in 1963 when a friend of Peacock gave Hodges a lift home and found they had similar taste in music. After the Rebel Rousers, Hodges joined Peacock, Harvey Hinsley and Mick Burt in Black Claw (three of the band would later be in Chas & Dave). In 1970,

Albert Lee Albert William Lee (born 21 December 1943) is an English guitarist known for his fingerstyle and hybrid picking technique. Lee has worked, both in the studio and on tour, with many famous musicians from a wide range of genres. He has also m ...

asked him to join a new band Heads Hands & Feet, who supported Blackmore's subsequent band

on tour. He played bass with Purple for one show on 8 March 1971, at Music Hall Aberdeen, substituting for the regular bassist, Roger Glover, who was ill. They attempted to form a new breakaway band named The New Heads Hands & Feet; Lee however left to play for

The Crickets The Crickets were an American rock and roll band from Lubbock, Texas, formed by singer-songwriter Buddy Holly in January 1957. Their first hit record, "That'll Be the Day", released in May 1957, peaked at number three on the ''Billboard'' Top ...

, and they finished as a band.

Chas & Dave

Hodges toured America when he was with Heads Hands & Feet, and it was during the tour that he began to have the idea of performing in his natural accent as he thought it "not quite real" performing in an American accent to an American audience. When Heads Hands & Feet broke up in 1972, Hodges and Peacock considered forming a band together, singing in their own accent about things they knew. They began to perform as a duo Chas & Dave. Hodges was originally a bass player, but in Chas & Dave he played the piano and guitar while Peacock played bass. They also recorded as Oily Rags (

cockney rhyming slang Rhyming slang is a form of slang word construction in the English language. It is especially prevalent among Cockneys in England, and was first used in the early 19th century in the East End of London; hence its alternative name, Cockney rhymi ...

for cigarettes - "fags") with Gerry Hogan and Ian Wallace, releasing a self-titled album in 1974 and performing as a backing band on albums by

Oliver Nelson Oliver Edward Nelson (June 4, 1932 – October 28, 1975) was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, arranger, composer, and bandleader. His 1961 Impulse! album '' The Blues and the Abstract Truth'' (1961) is regarded as one of the most signi ...

and

Teresa Brewer Teresa Brewer (born Theresa Veronica Breuer; May 7, 1931 – October 17, 2007) was an American singer whose style incorporated pop, country, jazz, R&B, musicals, and novelty songs. She was one of the most prolific and popular female singers of th ...

. In 1975 Hodges and Peacock played on Labi Siffre's album '' Remember My Song''.

Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time, he is credited with popula ...

would later sample a riff from the song " I Got The..." (featuring Hodges on guitar and Peacock on bass) on his 1999 hit " My Name Is". Hodges and Peacock recorded their first album as Chas & Dave in 1974, and this album, ''One Fing'*'Anuvver'', was released in 1975. According to Hodges, the title track "One Fing'*'Anuvver" was their first Rockney song. Burt joined the duo in 1976 as a drummer. They were signed by EMI in 1978, and the album ''Rockney'' was released the same year. A song from the album, " Strummin'", was their first song to reach the chart. In early 1979, a song from their first album, "Woortcha!", was used for a notable television commercial for

Courage Courage (also called bravery, valour ( British and Commonwealth English), or valor (American English)) is the choice and willingness to confront agony, pain, danger, uncertainty, or intimidation. Valor is courage or bravery, especially in ...

Bitter; the song was then re-recorded and released as a single, retitled " Gertcha". They opened for

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1968. The band comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist-keyboardist John Paul Jones (musician), John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham. With a he ...

at the 1979 Knebworth Festival. In 1980, Chas & Dave formed their own record label, Rockney, with their manager Bob England. Their first release under this label, "

", became a top 10 hit. They had a bigger hit song in 1982 with " Ain't No Pleasing You", written largely by Hodges. Hodges was popular amongst supporters of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club owing to singles he had released as Chas & Dave. These include " Glory Glory Tottenham Hotspur", " Hot Shot Tottenham!", " When the Year Ends in One", "Spurs Medley" and " Ossie's Dream (Spurs Are on Their Way to Wembley)". He also played piano for short-lived supergroup called the Rockers, which featured Roy Wood,

Phil Lynott Philip Parris Lynott (, ; 20 August 1949 – 4 January 1986) was an Irish musician, songwriter, and poet. He was the co-founder, lead vocalist, bassist, and primary songwriter for the hard rock band Thin Lizzy. He was known for his distinctive ...

and John Coghlan. In 2009, following the death of his wife Sue, Peacock announced his retirement from performing with Chas & Dave. However, he changed his mind the following year, and announced a tour for 2011. They also played their "Christmas Jamboree" at the IndigO2 in December 2011 and December 2012. The duo undertook a 'Back By Demand' tour of the UK between February and May 2013. In 2012, Hodges wrote and recorded a charity single with his band and 2012 Premier League Darts players called "Got My Tickets for the Darts". The video featured Hodges, his band, the 2012 Premier League Darts players, and walk-on girl Jacqui Adams. It was released on 18 May, the night after the play-offs at the O2 arena in London, where it was premiered, and proceeds from the single were donated to the Haven House Children's Hospice, in

Woodford Green Woodford Green is an area of Woodford, London, Woodford in East London, England, within the London Borough of Redbridge. It adjoins Buckhurst Hill to the north, Woodford Bridge to the east, South Woodford to the south, and Chingford to the we ...

, Essex. In 2009, Hodges released an eponymous solo album on Talking Elephant Records In 2010, he guested on an album by Vince Eager (on Western Star Records) called ''788 Years of Rock n Roll''; the following year, Hodges returned to the label to record a solo album titled ''Together We Made Music''. In 2014, Hodges also guested on Simon Fowler's new band Merrymouth's album, '' Wenlock Hill'', contributing piano on the song "Salt Breeze". Hodges was a keen gardener. In 2014, he started his Rock n Roll Allotment column in the British newspaper the ''

Daily Express The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first ...

''.

Illness and death

On 6 February 2017, it was announced that Hodges had been diagnosed with

oesophageal cancer Esophageal cancer (American English) or oesophageal cancer (British English) is cancer arising from the esophagus—the food pipe that runs between the throat and the stomach. Symptoms often include difficulty in swallowing and weight loss. Ot ...

. A statement on social media said the illness had been caught "at an early stage", and that he would be undergoing treatment immediately. The pair stated that they hoped to be "back out on the road" soon. He died in his sleep in the early hours of 22 September 2018, from complications of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...

, aged 74.

Discography

Albums

Solo * ''Drivin' You Wild'' ( Regal Records, 1966) * ''Got to Get You into My Life'' (

EMI Records EMI Records (formerly EMI Records Ltd.) is a British multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was originally founded as a British flagship label by the music company EMI in 1972, and launched in January 1973 as the succes ...

, 1966) * ''Soul Sounds'' (Columbia Records, 1967) * ''That's All Right Mama'' ( Castle Music Records, 1970) *'' Green Bullfrog'' (

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis after his acquisition of a gramophone manufacturer, The Decca Gramophone Company. It set up an American subsidiary under the Decca name, which bec ...

, 1971) * ''Heads Hands & Feet'' (

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007), and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-base ...

, 1971) * ''Tracks'' (

Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in Jamaica by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in 1959, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, another ...

, 1972) * ''Road Show'' (BBC Transcription Services, 1972) * ''Old Soldiers Never Die'' (

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over the course of its first two decades, starting from the release of its first recor ...

, 1973) * ''The Session Recorded in London with Great Guest Artists'' (

Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. Mercury Records released ...

, 1973) * ''Images'' (Blow Up, 1973) * ''Teresa Brewer in London with Oily Rags'' (

Flying Dutchman The ''Flying Dutchman'' () is a legendary ghost ship, allegedly never able to make port, but doomed to sail the sea forever. The myths and ghost stories are likely to have originated from the 17th-century Golden Age of the Dutch East India C ...

, 1973) * ''Teresa Brewer in London'' (Amsterdam Records, 1973) *'' Oliver Edward Nelson in London with Oily Rags'' ( Flying Dutchman Records, 1974) * ''Big Jim's Back'' (Retreat Records, 1974) * ''Whatever Mood You're In'' (Retreat Records, 1974) * ''The Jackie Lynton Album'' (WWA Records, 1974) * ''No Axe to Grind'' (BB Records, 1979) * ''Remember My Song'' (EMI Records, 1975) * ''Sioux'' (

Anchor Records Anchor Records was a UK-based record label, co-founded by Ian Ralfini and the American Broadcasting Companies, which owned ABC Records in the United States, in 1974. ABC Records marketed (distributed) Anchor albums in the US, and Anchor Records ...

, 1976) * ''Glenn Cardier'' (EMI Records, 1976) * ''Living in the Shadow of a Downtown Movie Show'' (Decca Records, 1977) * ''Bang Your Door'' (EMI Records, 1978) * ''Hiding'' (

A&M Records A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group and functions as a branch of Interscope Geffen A&M Records, Interscope-Geffen-A&M. Established in 1962 by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss, the label initially operated independent ...

, 1979) * ''Beowulf'' ( Edsel Records, 1995) * ''The Unreleased Album'' ( Radioactive Records, 2004) * ''Chas Hodges'' (Talking Elephant Records, 2009) * ''Together We Made Music'' (Western Star Records, 2011) * ''788 Years of Rock n Roll'' (Western Star Records, 2011) * ''Land of Lions'' (Burnout Records, 2013) * '' Wenlock Hill'' (

Navigator A navigator is the person on board a ship or aircraft responsible for its navigation.Grierson, MikeAviation History—Demise of the Flight Navigator FrancoFlyers.org website, October 14, 2008. Retrieved August 31, 2014. The navigator's prim ...

, 2014) * ''Chas & J.I. - Before We Grow Too Old'' ( Castle Music, 2018) * ''Gilbert O'Sullivan'' ( BMG, 2018) with the Outlaws * ''The Crazy Beat of Gene Vincent'' (Rockin' Jamboree Records, live 1963)

Singles and EPs

Solo * "Two Timing Baby / Will It Happen to Me?" ( Ember Records, 1961) * "As from Tonight" (demo) ( RPM Records, 1962) * "Stairway to a Star" (demo) (RPM Records, 1963) * "Full Grown Doll" (demo) (RPM Records, 1963) * "You Got What I Want" (demo) (RPM Records, 1964) * "Merry Go Round / Go On Then" (

His Master's Voice His Master's Voice is an entertainment trademark featuring a dog named Nipper, curiously peering into the horn of a wind-up gramophone. Painted by Francis Barraud in 1898, the image has since become a global symbol used across consumer elect ...

, 1963) * " Don't Think Twice It's All Right / Big Fat Spider" (

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

, 1964) * "Digging My Potatoes / She Ain't Coming Back" (Columbia Records, 1965) * "Satisfy My Soul / My Only Souvenir" (Line Records, 1966) * "I Shall Be Released / Down in the Flood" (Columbia Records, 1968) * "Madena / Standing Still" (Pye Records, 1968) * "Good Times / Sally" ( Revolver Records, 1969) * "Across the Great Divide / Sally" (

Bell Records Bell Records was an American record label founded in 1952 in New York City by Arthur Shimkin, the owner of the children's record label Golden Records, and initially a unit of Pocket Books, after the rights to the name were acquired from Benn ...

, 1969) * "Walkin' Shoes / Around and Around" (Line Records, 1969) * "Your Cheatin' Heart / Breathless" (Line Records, 1970) * "Reelin' and Rockin' / Ballad of Billy Joe" (Line Records, 1970) * "Black Claw / Balls of Fire" (Line Records, 1970) * "Bei Mir Bist Du Schon (Means That You're Grand) / Bo Weevil" (Amsterdam Records, 1973) * "Green Door / San Francisco Bay" (

Signature Records Signature Records was a jazz record company and label founded in 1939 by Bob Thiele when he was 17 years old. Its roster included Coleman Hawkins, Earl Hines, Erroll Garner, and Lester Young. At age 14, Thiele was a disc jockey for his own jazz ...

, 1974) * "We Are the Boys (Who Make All the Noise) / Rockin' on the Stage" ( CBS, 1983) * "Got My Ticket for the Darts" (as Chas Hodges & the Premier League Boys) (Matchroom Sport Ltd, 2012) with the Outlaws *"

Will You Love Me Tomorrow "Will You Love Me Tomorrow", sometimes known as "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow", is a song written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King. It was first recorded in 1960 by the Shirelles for their album '' Tonight's the Night''; released as a singl ...

" / "My Baby Doll" (

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, record label * Decca Gold, classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, musical theater record label * Decca Studios, recording facility in West ...

, 1961) *" Tribute to Buddy Holly" / "What's the Matter" (

, 1961) *"It's Just a Matter of Time" / "Little Boy Blue" (

, 1962) *"Don't You Think It's Time" / "Loneliness" (with the Admirals a.k.a. the Outlaws) (

, 1962) *"My Little Baby" / "You'll Do It You'll Fall in Love" (

, 1963) * "Johnny Remember Me / There Must Be" ( Top Rank International, 1961) * "

Telstar Telstar refers to a series of communications satellites. The first two, Telstar 1 and Telstar 2, were experimental and nearly identical. Telstar 1 launched atop of a Thor-Delta rocket on July 10, 1962, successfully relayed the first televisi ...

" (demo) / "Telstar" (2nd stage demo) (

, 1962) * "San Francisco Bay / Like a Bird Without Feathers" (Decca Records, 1962) * "The Birds & the Bees / Something at the Bottom of My Garden" (demo) (Decca Records, 1962) * "Poppin' Part I / Poppin' Part II" (

Parlophone Records Parlophone Records Limited (also known as Parlophone Records and Parlophone) is a record label founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch of the label was founded on 8 August 1923 as the Parloph ...

, 1962) * "If You've Got to Pick a Baby / In the First Place" (

, 1963) * ''In Sweden'' EP (

, 1963) * "Thou Shalt Not Steal / Been Invited to a Party" (

, 1965) * "A Fool Such as I / It's Nice In't It?" (Decca Records, 1964) * "Tell the Truth / Shut Up" (

Pye Records PYE or Pye Records is an independent British record label. It was first established in 1955 and played a major role in shaping rock 'n' roll and pop music history. The Pye name was dropped in 1980 due to trademark issues, after which it produced ...

, 1964) * "Galway Bay / Livin' Alone" (Parlophone Records, 1964) * ''Ramona'' EP (Parlophone Records, 1964) * "The Bike Beat 1 / The Bike Beat 2" (Lyntone, 1964) * "Girls Go for Guys / Chico" (Guyden Records, 1964) * "Bouncing Bass / Let Me In" (

Fontana Records Fontana Records is a record label that started in the 1950s as a subsidiary of the Dutch Philips Records. Fontana Distribution, an independent label distributor, takes its name from the label. History Fontana began in the 1950s as a subsidi ...

, 1965) * "Hurt Me / It Can Happen to You" (Pye Records, 1965) * "To Know Him Is to Love Him/..." (Chattahoochie, 1965) * "Satan's Holliday / Earthshaker" (Titan, 1965) * "Little Brown Jug / Getaway" (Line Records, 1965)

Publications

* ''Chas & Dave: All About Us'' (2008) * ''Chas and His Rock 'n' Roll Allotment'' (2010) * ''101 Facts you didn't know about Chas and Dave'' (2013) * ''Memories of The Lane: Good Times at Tottenham'' (2018)

References

Bibliography

External links

* *
Interview with Chas Hodges in International Songwriters Association's "Songwriter Magazine"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hodges, Chas 1943 births 2018 deaths People from Edmonton, London English pop guitarists English rock guitarists English male guitarists English rock pianists English rock keyboardists English male singers English session musicians The Outlaws (band) members Deaths from esophageal cancer in England Deaths from pneumonia in England English male pianists Cliff Bennett and the Rebel Rousers members