BULLS HEAD BOB Mar 22. DAVE HYNDS R.I.P TRUE BRUMBEAT HERO. NEVER STOP BELIEVING.

Hello Brummies, Chums, Mates and Brummie Musicians of the 60's.

The whole impetus of the Brum Beat Groups of the 60's was the ambition to succeed, to be heard and to bring hard, gritty rock and roll to the dance halls of, in our case, Birmingham and its environs.  Birmingham, the heart of British industry and the crossroads of the whole British transport network, bred some hard working and determined people.  The factories thundered all week and on Friday night the great mass of employed males applied the Brylcreme, aftershave and a sharp suit and went out in search of beautiful High Heeled girls who danced around a selection of handbags all night to LIVE bands, there were no discos.  There were exceptions to that "going to the dance" rule and that exception was the aspiring young musicians who gathered at the front of the stage to watch the band and learn stuff.    I was one of those and so was a young Drummer

DAVE HYNDS

BRUMBEAT HERO 

  

Pop music was in its infancy, there were no pop shows on our black and white TVs until much later, no pop music Radio Shows except for one hour on Sunday afternoons for the top selling singles.   It was difficult to move on musically as we had only had Cliff Richards and The Shadows as role models to copy.  The premier venue to see music acts was The Ritz at Kings Heath where local groups played as support acts to the Rock and Roll stars of the day.  One of those top local bands was The Cheetahs and they had a recording deal!    Dave Hynds had been a drummer at home until he answered an ad for a drummer with a "local band", it would be his chance to see if he was good enough.  He attended the auditions and got the job......he phoned his wife to tell her that he had not only got the job but that it was as the drummer for The Cheetahs who he had watched at The Ritz !!!..he said when he told her, the phone went silent at the other end, she didn't believe it was true!!   For Dave it was the dream job.

Music started moving at a pace in 63 when The Beatles came along and the media began to take an interest.   Move forward a few years and a thousand gigs later. Fashions changed and so did the music which was now more Psychedelic which prompted The Cheetahs to change their name and music direction, a radical name change was needed and a change in sound so in came Bill Bonham, a fresh keyboard wizard, and The Cheetahs became Fairfield Ski.    The dynamics changed and the bands enthusiasm and self belief rocketed and why not? they felt they were on the cusp of true success, after all they were a cohesive unit who had played together for some years now, they wrote their own songs AND now, they had recorded an album!!  These days you can record an album in your bedroom on a computer but back then it was an expensive undertaking but such an uplifting experience, it was a music plateau that had been just a dream to reach.  Dave Hynds belief in the band was the real driving force.   

No matter how much drive and energy you have it's sometimes not enough and like many others the Fairfield Ski dream didn't materialise.   One might think that there comes a time when you pack up your kit and move it into the attic along with your dreams, I mean, to carry on would be like leaning into a punch wouldn't it?  Not Dave, who had the self belief and love of music to carry him through, real spirit.     In the 2000's he joined the band Critical Mass 

who managed a few gigs but nothing more was forthcoming.  Through it all Dave was still mates with the Skis' and they still had an album that he could promote all those years after because he BELIEVED in its quality and it paid off because in the 2010's Cherry Red records released it on CD.  The band whipped up publicity for the release.  "Come on you Skis'".   It was a great moment for that young lad who had spent years practising at home, joining the band of his dreams and going through all the perils and disappointments as well as moments of pure ecstacy along that musical journey.   He had now been keeping the dream alive for over 50 years and was still not lacking in motivation.    During the past few years Dave had some really serious illness problems and EVEN THEN he kept on pushing forward, believing in "Never stop Playing", never give up hope.    Sadly Dave Hynds passed away on Feb 8 2022.  He had arranged his own funeral, to take place within days straight away so as not to cause a fuss to anyone. 

I have stated, in the past that the music business is the cruelest business in the world. Shit managers and crooked promoters were always there and of course there were musicians who would crush other musicians to get to their next objective only to get bored with it and move onto another group to break up, leaving behind a trail of disillusionment for others who got washed away in the damage.    There were a few all round Mr Nice guys like Dave who stayed true to their beliefs and the loyalty of being in a band of like minded companions.

DAVE HYNDS

There are millions of people who have never heard of Dave Hynds from Birmingham, UK. Drummer, Singer/songwriter, Dreamer and Believer and above all a beautiful person.  It's a shame that he was never a big star because for all that effort and belief he really deserved it.  Maybe the old adage of "The nice guys dont survive" had applied in his case.  Music is a complex profession with a million ways to fail.

All that apart he never gave up and that is his legacy and a lesson to us all.  A true Brumbeat Hero in my eyes.

God Bless you Dave.

Bob

Copyright: Bullsheadbob 

Contact:  Bobsbullocks@Gmail.com