Dave’s left without Chas as his pop partner dies at 74
CHAS Hodges, one half of the pop duo Chas & Dave, died yesterday aged 74.
The duo’s Twitter account said he had received treatment for oesophageal cancer but suffered organ failure and died in his sleep in the early hours of yesterday.
Best known for their “rockney” style, Chas & Dave rose to fame in the Seventies and Eighties with pop hits such as Rabbit and Snooker Loopy.
Last night tributes were paid by fans and celebrities including Frank Bruno, the former boxing champion, who said: “Chas Hodges rest in peace. Worked with Chas and Dave loads of times in the 1980s and had a good laugh with them every time.”
Lenny Henry, the vomedian, added: “What a shame. When they were on Tiswas they were always kind, respectful and played live. RIP Chas.”
Right Said Fred, the band behind the hit I’m Too Sexy, said: “Sad news indeed. An excellent musician and songwriter.”
After recording and performing regularly in the Seventies, and scraping into the top 20 with their song Gertcha in 1979, the duo found mainstream success with their 1980 breakthrough record Rabbit, inspired by the rhyming-slang phrase “rabbit and pork” (meaning “talk”), which reached number five.
Further hits included Ossie’s Dream, recorded with Tottenham Hotspur FC to celebrate the 1981 FA cup final, and their fastest-selling record, 1982’s Ain’t No Pleasing You.
Born in Edmonton, Middlesex, in 1943, Hodges started as a backing musician for Telstar producer Joe Meek, playing with rock-n-roll stars such as Gene Vincent and Jerry Lee Lewis.
He played bass with a short-lived band called The Outlaws in the early Sixties, who were supported by the Beatles for one concert in Liverpool.