Lip curling,hip swinging, memory jerking, sweet sounding, foot tapping, finger snapping,
ever rolling, always rockin’…

Dr Jive

Prescribing Rock'n'Roll

A Biography

A biography of Dr. Jive - in his own words.....

Born 1953 about the same time as Rock’n’Roll into a musical family, my father playing 1st trumpet in the infamous Harry Chatterton Band, and I was constantly bombarded with good music. I took up the trumpet and saxophone and by the age of 10 was able to read and play both, but singing was my real love and soon (1965) was singing in a local group doing the youth clubs etc. When the guitar player failed to turn up once too often, I took up the guitar and being able to sing at the same time and I was sold, soon being introduced to Working Men's clubs by my father, and I soon realised the potential.

In 1970 I formed a trio with a man and wife “Denis Keely & Lee“ and we toured West, South, East and North. Clubland was cooking at this time, but man and wife split and so did the trio, so David T. Hickson was on the road singing everything and anything. In 1980 I joined with Al Cortez to form the Daval Brothers, with lots of two part harmony singing, big show numbers etc. This lasted three good years and then I went out as Dave Daval featuring the sounds of Cliff & the Shadows, which proved to be a very popular act, but I was also singing bits of everything so I decided to do the ultimate tribute show to the 1950’s and Dr Jive was born and the idea of a non - stop Swing, Boogie, Doo wop Show was created. I scored all the parts, got all the suits, clobber etc ……..Dr Jive prescribing rock’n’roll………was the new kid in town it was 1984 and no one else was doing tributes…yet.

Unfortunately live backing started to disappear and work was becoming harder to get, so I made the decision that I would have to use backing tracks. I invested £5,000 and bought a recording studio and created all my own tracks. I was able at this point to develop all my own arrangements, rather than just copying the originals, and as soon as Mini disc players came out, (£950 for a portable!), I brought all my engineering skills in and everything was mounted on the microphone stand to enable instant access to any of the 450 tracks, as required, instant bliss!

Now I am using my telephone playing mp3's instantly streaming via bluetooth to the mixer this mounts on the mic stand or just in my pocket when I walk arround .......veeerrry coooool.

For the past 12 years I have also been using the latest "guitar synth" technology to enable me to access a multitude of instruments to play live, and several local bands employ me just for that purpose, eg: Fiddle in a country band, Harmonica and Sax in a blues band etc etc, I am at the moment in several bands as can be seen by the posters,also front the Frank Cleveland big band.

In my many years in Show Business I have appeared on T.V. twice, singing and playing guitar, in programmes about Northern Clubland, I've worked along side Joe Brown, Marty Wilde, and Cilla Black, and have appeared in lots of shows, summer seasons etc. I have in the past always been managed, but I need to have more control over the type of work and frequency, therefore in my golden years I am managing the work myself as I recently took early retirement from my proper job'clinical engineer' I am able to travel further and do daytime theatre etc..

I always ask that they should advertise the act correctly……. Dr Jive - “prescribing rock’n’roll” - It’s what I do and I do it well!

Contact the 1950's on 07860173062 ...........or Email.....drjive@drjive.com

View Videos at www.youtube.com/thedrjive

Roc wiv da doc - Time travel made possible!