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Dave Berry (born David Holgate Grundy, 6 February 1941, Beighton, Sheffield) is a British pop singer and former teen idol of the 1960s. He performed a mixture of hard R&B and pop ballads and was popular in Britain, and on Continental Europe but had no commercial success in the US, where he is best known for the original versions of Ray Davies' "This Strange Effect" and Graham Gouldman's "I'm Going To Take You There". He had an unusual ambition for a pop performer trying to make a name for himself - to appear on TV completely hidden by a prop. In his own words, to "not appear, to stay behind something and not come out". He often hid behind the upturned collar of his leather jacket, or wrapped himself around, and effectively behind, the microphone lead.
His best remembered hits are Memphis, Tennessee, "The Crying Game" (1964) and his 1965 hit "Little Things", a cover version of Bobby Goldsboro's Stateside Top 40 success. "This Strange Effect" (1965), written by Ray Davies, became a Number One hit for him in the Netherlands and Belgium, countries where he still enjoys celebrity status, having received an award from Radio Veronica, Netherlands, for their best selling pop single of all time. B. J. Thomas's sentimental "Mama" (1966) and "Don't Gimme No Lip Child", covered by the Sex Pistols, were other notable recordings.
His early hits name-checked his backing band The Cruisers who at that time were John Fleet (bass and piano), Roy Barber (rhythm guitar), Frank Miles (lead guitar) and Kenny Slade (drums). Berry parted with this line-up around the time of "The Crying Game" and recruited four more local musicians - Frank White, Johnny Riley and Pete Cliff and as the second generation of Cruisers. Lead guitarist White was eventually replaced by Roy Ledger until around 1965 when personnel changes began to be more frequent. Berry used sessions guitarists Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, Big Jim Sullivan and Drummer Bobby Graham extensively.
His stage act, drawing largely on Elvis Presley and Gene Vincent, provided an inspiration for Alvin Stardust. Such was his enigmatic and unconventional presence that several punk rock acts, such as the Sex Pistols, acknowledged him as an inspiration. The Geoff Stephens penned song, "The Crying Game", brought Berry's voice to his biggest international audience ever in 1992, when it was used as the theme song for one of that year's most successful films - Neil Jordan's The Crying Game. In the final quarter of 2010, "Little Things" was used in an advertisement campaign on British television by Andrex toilet paper. Berry also regained some recognition when he was the surprise hit of the annual Alexis Korner Tribute in 1995. In 1998 "This Strange Effect" was covered by the Belgian band, Hooverphonic, on their album, Blue Wonder Power Milk.
In May 2009 Berry was touring the UK and appearing in a cameo role in a theatrical production, The Mod Crop. In August that year, RPM Records issued a double CD anthology of Berry's earliest recordings for Decca, entitled This Strange Effect (The Decca Sessions 1963-1966). The package added two previously unissued tracks made in 1963 (before Berry signed with Decca) with producer Mickie Most: "Easy To Cry" and "Tongue Twisting". Berry's illustrated autobiography, Dave Berry - All There Is To Know, was published in 2010 by Heron Publications Ltd. It included contributions from Joe Cocker, Ray Davies, Tony Iommi, Peter Stringfellow and Bill Wyman. A double compilation, Picture Me Gone - The Decca Sessions 1966-1974, was released in January 2011.
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