Chas Hodges

Charles Nicholas Hodges was an English musician and singer. He was the lead vocalist, pianist and guitarist of the musical duo Chas & Dave, whose most successful singles include "Rabbit" and "Ain't No Pleasing You". Earlier in his career, he was a member of Joe Meek-produced instrumental group the Outlaws and the country rock band Heads Hands & Feet. As a session musician, he backed Gene Vincent, Jerry Lee Lewis and Labi Siffre.

Early life

Hodges was born at the North Middlesex University Hospital in Edmonton on 28 December 1943 to Albert and Daisy Hodges. He was named Charles Nicholas, but called Chas as it is a common abbreviation for Charles. He was raised in north London, and moved to Kent in the summer of 1947. His father committed suicide just before Hodges turned four. After his father's death, the family returned to Edmonton in North London to live with his grandparents, with his mother making a living playing piano in local pubs and clubs. He attended Eldon Road School, and later Edmonton Higher Grade School but left just before he was 15 at the end of 1958.
Hodges first became interested in Rock 'n' Roll music after listening to Little Richard on Radio Luxembourg around 1956. He was then inspired by Lonnie Donegan to learn to play the guitar when he was 12, and joined a skiffle band a year later in 1957, the Horseshoe Skiffle Group. In May 1958, he attended a Jerry Lee Lewis concert and became interested in learning to play the piano. He worked for a while in a jeweller's shop after leaving school.

Career

Hodges became a professional musician by the age of 16, playing bass guitar with various local bands until he joined Billy Gray and the Stormers in 1960. After Billy Gray and the Stormers broke up, Hodges worked with the producer Joe Meek, who put Hodges and his former band together as backing band for Mike Berry, forming the Outlaws. The line up included Mick Underwood, later drummer in heavy rock act Gillan, and were later joined by lead guitarist and later Deep Purple founding member Ritchie Blackmore. They also worked as session musicians, backing Jerry Lee Lewis, Bill Haley and Gene Vincent. Hodges said he learned the piano by watching Jerry Lee Lewis whilst backing him. During this time, Hodges became known as "Sleepy" after his habit of falling asleep during the recording process. The Outlaws broke up, and he was invited to join Cliff Bennett and the Rebel Rousers as a bass player in 1965.
Hodges had known Dave Peacock for a number of years; they met in 1963 when a friend of Peacock gave Hodges a lift home and found they had similar taste in music. After the Rebel Rousers, Hodges joined Peacock, Harvey Hinsley and Mick Burt in Black Claw. In 1970, Albert Lee asked him to join a new band Heads Hands & Feet, who supported Blackmore's subsequent band Deep Purple on tour. He played bass with Purple for one show on 8 March 1971, at Music Hall Aberdeen, substituting for the regular bassist, Roger Glover, who was ill. They attempted to form a new breakaway band named the New Heads Hands & Feet, but Lee left to play for the Crickets, and they finished as a band.

Chas & Dave

Hodges toured America when he was with Heads Hands & Feet, and it was during the tour that he began to have the idea of performing in his natural accent as he thought it "not quite real" performing in an American accent to an American audience. When Heads Hands & Feet broke up in 1972, Hodges and Peacock considered forming a band together, singing in their own accent about things they knew. They began to perform as a duo Chas & Dave. Hodges was originally a bass player, but in Chas & Dave he played the piano and guitar while Peacock played bass. They also recorded as Oily Rags with Gerry Hogan and Ian Wallace, releasing a self-titled album in 1974 and performing as a backing band on albums by Oliver Nelson and Teresa Brewer. In 1975, Hodges and Peacock played on Labi Siffre's album Remember My Song. Eminem would later sample a riff from the song "I Got The..." on his 1999 hit "My Name Is".
Hodges and Peacock recorded their first album as Chas & Dave in 1974, and this album, One Fing 'n' Anuvver, was released in 1975. According to Hodges, the title track "One Fing 'n' Anuvver" was their first Rockney song. Burt joined the duo in 1976 as a drummer. They were signed by EMI in 1978, and the album Rockney was released the same year. A song from the album, "Strummin'", was their first song to reach the chart. In early 1979, a song from their first album, "Woortcha!", was used for a notable television commercial for Courage Bitter; the song was then re-recorded and released as a single, retitled "Gertcha". They opened for Led Zeppelin at the 1979 Knebworth Festival.
In 1980, Chas & Dave formed their own record label, Rockney, with their manager Bob England. Their first release under this label, "Rabbit", became a top 10 hit. They had a bigger hit song in 1982 with "Ain't No Pleasing You", written largely by Hodges.
Hodges was popular amongst supporters of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club owing to singles he had released as Chas & Dave. These include "Glory Glory Tottenham Hotspur", "Hot Shot Tottenham!", "When the Year Ends in One", "Spurs Medley" and "Ossie's Dream ".
He also played piano for short-lived supergroup called the Rockers, which featured Roy Wood, Phil Lynott and John Coghlan.
In 2009, following the death of his wife Sue, Peacock announced his retirement from performing with Chas & Dave. He changed his mind the following year, and announced a tour for 2011.
They also played their "Christmas Jamboree" at the IndigO2 in December 2011 and December 2012. The duo undertook a 'Back By Demand' tour of the UK between February and May 2013. In 2012, Hodges wrote and recorded a charity single with his band and 2012 Premier League Darts players called "Got My Tickets for the Darts". The video featured Hodges, his band, the 2012 Premier League Darts players, and walk-on girl Jacqui Adams. It was released on 18 May, the night after the play-offs at the O2 arena in London, where it was premiered, and proceeds from the single were donated to the Haven House Children's Hospice, in Woodford Green, Essex.
In 2009, Hodges released an eponymous solo album on Talking Elephant Records. In 2010, he guested on an album by Vince Eager called 788 Years of Rock n Roll; the following year, Hodges returned to the label to record a solo album titled Together We Made Music. In 2014, Hodges also guested on Simon Fowler's new band Merrymouth's album, Wenlock Hill, contributing piano on the song "Salt Breeze".
Hodges was a keen gardener. In 2014, he started his Rock n Roll Allotment column in the British newspaper the Daily Express.

Illness and death

On 6 February 2017, it was announced that Hodges had been diagnosed with oesophageal cancer. A statement on social media said the illness had been caught "at an early stage", and that he would be undergoing treatment immediately. The pair stated that they hoped to be "back out on the road" soon.
He died in his sleep in the early hours of 22 September 2018, from complications of pneumonia, aged 74.

Discography

Albums

Solo

Drivin' You Wild
Got to Get You into My Life
Soul Sounds
That's All Right Mama
Green Bullfrog
Heads Hands & Feet
Tracks
Road Show
Old Soldiers Never Die
The Session Recorded in London with Great Guest Artists
Images
Teresa Brewer in London with Oily Rags
Teresa Brewer in London
Oliver Edward Nelson in London with Oily Rags
Big Jim's Back
Whatever Mood You're In
The Jackie Lynton Album
No Axe to Grind
Remember My Song
Sioux
Glenn Cardier
Living in the Shadow of a Downtown Movie Show
Bang Your Door
Hiding
Beowulf
The Unreleased Album
Chas Hodges
Together We Made Music
788 Years of Rock n Roll
Land of Lions
Wenlock Hill
Chas & J.I. - Before We Grow Too Old
Gilbert O'Sullivan

with the Outlaws

''The Crazy Beat of Gene Vincent''
Singles and EPs