Cockney treasure
CHAS Hodges was one of the most genuine, down-to-earth talented rockers England ever produced.
He was an inspired songwriter and also as common as muck, with an accent that could have been scraped off a goalpost at White Hart Lane.
With Dave Peacock in Chas & Dave, Hodges co-wrote a sublime succession of hits – including Gertcha, Rabbit, London Girls, Margate and their biggest smash, Ain’t No Pleasing You.
Pianist Chas called their sound “Rockney” – a mixture of rock and Cockney.
The London pair started out in rock bands like Heads Hands & Feet and never changed. Chas learnt how to play the “joanna” from watching Jerry Lee Lewis when he played in his backing band aged 19.
In 1979, they opened for Led Zeppelin at Knebworth Festival. But drugs and ligging were never their thing.
They always preferred best bitter. When they became massive TV stars in the 1980s, their biggest investment was a north London pub serving pie and mash.
Their love of beer saw them net a lucrative string of Courage Best telly ads.
Bearded Chas loved Cockney culture, lamenting the loss of London slang in songs like Don’t Anyone Speak English Any More? which complained about American lingo.
He was a loyal Spurs supporter, penning numbers including Ossie’s Dream and Glory Glory Tottenham Hotspur.
I watched Chas & Dave grow from pub venues to TV regulars – their Christmas special, with Eric Clapton, is still repeated annually by Channel 5.
They came on my ITV show in 1996 for our St George’s Day special, and performed many charity gigs for free.
By the noughties Chas & Dave had been elevated to national treasure status and their fans ranged from the Libertines to Dolly Parton.
Last year, the duo made a TV pilot based on Chas’ love of his allotment. Sadly his death means we’ll never see it.