The Dave Clark Five Controversy
 Dave Clark was also the manager of the band.
Bobby Graham, a well-known British session drummer in the 1960s, claimed in 2004 that he, rather than Clark, played on all of the group's hit records . However, Ron Ryan, in a 2006 interview, insisted that Clark definitely played drums on all the recordings, except on the rare occasion when he could not produce and play at the same time. However, Ryan was not associated with the group when it was recording its biggest hits from 1964-67 and has no firsthand knowledge of the recording process on those tracks.
Clark was notorious for having a closed studio, primarily to protect the secret that accomplished session players were used on the records. Ironically, most session drummers would not want to be known as the real Dave Clark, as Clark was not a skilful drummer. He was however, a successful businessman, entrepreneur, producer and promoter - and in those capacities, he was indispensable to the success of the group.
Following the break-up of the band, Clark set up a media company. In the process, he acquired the rights to the iconic '60s pop series Ready, Steady, Go!.
Smith returned to performing in 2003 after a layoff of 25 years. He formed Mike Smith's Rock Engine and did two mini-tours of the U.S., although he was legally forbidden from using any mention of the DC5 in his advertising. Just a few months after his only son died in a diving accident, Smith suffered a spinal cord injury in a fall at his home in Spain on 12 September 2003. He was until end October 2007 a patient at Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Aylesbury, a fact which has been reported in many Sixties magazines in the United Kingdom and is common knowledge in that country. He is back at his home in Aylesbury and is receiving 24/7 private care as well as support from his wife. It has falsely been claimed by some sources that he is and has always been in London in a hospital.
Denis Payton died on 17 December 2006 after a long battle with cancer. He was 63.
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