David Charles Munden[1] (2 December 1943 – 15 October 2020[2]) was a British drummer, who for six decades was a member of The Tremeloes. He was their co–lead vocalist (in the post–Brian Poole era) and sole drummer for the group. Munden remained in the group until retiring in 2016, which also led to the groups split. He died in 2020.
Dave Munden | |
|---|---|
 Munden in 1968 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | David Charles Munden |
| Born | 2 December 1943 Dagenham, England |
| Died | 15 October 2020 (aged 76) |
| Occupation | Drummer |
| Instrument(s) | Drums, vocals |
| Years active | 1958–2016 |
| Formerly of | The Tremeloes |
Early life
editDavid Charles Munden was born in December 1943 in Dagenham, East London to a father who worked as a ship repairer at the London Docks.[3] His father had also worked as an auto mechanic.[3] Munden knew Alan Blakley in his youth since he only lived around the corner from him.[3]
Career
editMunden joined Brian Poole and the Tremeloes (originally spelt grammatically correct as “Tremoloes”) in 1958. He was not the original drummer for the band, that being a friend of Brian Poole and Alan Blakley, whose name Dave couldn't remember:[4][5]
Brian and Alan had a couple of Hofner acoustic guitars on which they used to sing Everly Brothers stuff. I used to sing along with them and one day Alan said ‘Do you want to join the band? We’re having a practice tonight around the greengrocer’s shop.
Munden was left handed but played a right handed kit.[6]
They initially found success in the British Invasion era with lead singer Brian Poole, scoring a UK chart-topper in 1963 with "Do You Love Me", the song went to number one in three different countries (UK, Ireland, New Zealand[7][8]). On 31 December 1962, Decca Records chose the Tremeloes over the Beatles' audition, due to the Dagenham band living closer in comparison to the Liverpool band.[3] They first entered the charts with a cover of Twist and Shout in 1963, the song went to number four in the UK.[9]
The band mostly covered rock and roll songs of the 1950s, and appeared on shows such as Ready Steady Go!, Top of the Pops, and the NME poll winners concerts in 1964.
After Poole's departure in 1966, the band achieved further success as a four-piece with 13 top 40 hits on the UK Singles Chart between 1967 and 1971 including "Here Comes My Baby", "Even the Bad Times Are Good", "(Call Me) Number One", "Me and My Life" and their most successful single, "Silence Is Golden" (1967).[10] Munden would take lead vocals and co–lead vocals on a few songs[6] with Blakley and Chip Hawkes. Munden sings lead on (Call Me) Number One.
Munden was an avid car enthusiast, and bought luxury cars during his career, including an Aston Martin DB4 and a Jaguar E-type.[11]
The longest serving member of the band, Munden announced his retirement in 2018, after sustaining knee injuries from a fall.[12] His last performance was on 6 December 2016.[13]
Personal life and death
editMunden married model Andrée Wittenberg in December 1969; three out of the four Tremeloes (excluding Rick Westwood) all got married around four to five weeks away from each other.[14][15] They were married until Dave's death.
Munden died on 15 October 2020, aged 76.[2][16] He had suffered from lung illnesses and respiratory infections for an extended period of time.[13][17][18] His wife Andrée died in October 2023.
References
edit- ^ "Artist: Dave Munden | SecondHandSongs". secondhandsongs.com. Retrieved 2024-12-08.
- ^ a b kingsley (2020-10-22). "The Tremeloes heartbeat - RIP Dave Munden". Beat Magazine. Retrieved 2023-08-11.
- ^ a b c d "Gary James' Interview With Dave Munden Of The Tremeloes". www.classicbands.com. Retrieved 2024-12-08.
- ^ "Drummer Still On The Beat With The Tremeloes – Dave Munden Interview". entssouthwales. 2012-10-01. Retrieved 2024-12-08.
- ^ "Parrot-face! Dave Munden tells his story". Retrieved 2024-12-08.
- ^ a b "Trivia | Brian Poole". Retrieved 2024-12-08.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
:1was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "The Irish Charts – All there is to know". irishcharts.ie. Retrieved 2024-01-21.
- ^ "TREMELOES". Official Charts. 1963-07-10. Retrieved 2024-12-08.
- ^ Pingitore, Silvia (28 September 2021). "The band chosen over The Beatles in 1962: The Tremeloes' interview with Len "Chip" Hawkes". the-shortlisted.co.uk. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
- ^ Braund, Philip (2020-10-18). "Chart topping Tremeloes' Dave Munden dies aged 76". London Globe. Retrieved 2024-12-08.
- ^ "The Tremeloes return".
- ^ a b Staff, Best Classic Bands (2024-10-15). "England's Tremeloes: The Band That Gave Us Here Comes My Baby' & 'Silence is Golden'". Best Classic Bands. Retrieved 2024-12-08.
- ^ "Parrot-face! • retrosixty: Three members of English pop group..." Parrot-face!. Archived from the original on 2016-05-04. Retrieved 2024-12-16.
- ^ "Carol Hawkes interview March 2012". 2013-03-24. Archived from the original on 24 March 2013. Retrieved 2024-12-16.
- ^ "Obituary: Dagenham born Dave Munden, best known as The Tremeloes' original drummer, dies aged 76". Barking and Dagenham Post. 2020-10-19. Retrieved 2023-08-11.
- ^ https://www.pressreader.com/uk/classic-rock/20201208/281685437412493?srsltid=AfmBOop4F3IkhClFEZ7lNb4T4MGWmS5ZJjQvrVBQ691HV_AIPLnm8r1g. Retrieved 2024-12-08 – via PressReader.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ "Gone But Not Forgotten - Dave Munden - Musician / Composer / Singer - Long Illness - UK". www.45spaces.com. Retrieved 2024-12-08.