Monday 11 March 2013

Dave Helling/Dyon Parker/Dave Parker...



I've had a couple of enquiries about one of the characters in the book (and in 'Don Partridge and Company' where I talk about him in more detail) – with the triple hit name of 'Dave Helling/Dyon Parker/Dave Parker.'  The photo above is of him (right) and Alan Young, one of the original new wave of buskers who came into the West End of London in the sixties, alongside his old partner, Don Partridge (and Patrick Keane), breaking ground for people like Dave and myself to follow on. I first met Dave down the subway at Marble Arch tube station which was a good earner in those days and where I started my busking career in London. He was supercool, a stocky guy accompanied by his partner Eileen (forever known as 'Lal'), an English girl fron the North East. Dave was the result of an American father stationed in Wales during WW2 and a local girl – which accounts for his use of two surnames at various points, Helling and Parker. Parker was the one he opted for later on but when I first knew him it was Helling. Dave was a superb singer, very good guitar player and reasonable songwriter who made several obscure albums that are slowly coming to some kind of cult prominence due to the internet. More about that on another post soon... this is to introduce one of the photos of him in Pat's book – a typical pose in stetson, alongside Alan Young's ridiculous but right Mexican sombrero. They were an excellent act, visually setting each other off with the headgear and blending musically very well. I had a lot of crazy times with Dave – he was an extreme character, to say the least...

33 comments:

  1. hello, I wondered if you'd found some more info on Dave Parker: has he recorded anything else after the 1971 eponymous album on Polydor ?
    thanks !
    Jacques.

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  2. He recorded a couple of albums for Shel Talmy then pretty much disappeared... Will get the details later...

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  3. hello, did you manage to get details ? thanks !

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  4. hello, anyone ? I have his 2 1965 singles recorded by Shel Talmy but find no trace of other albums than the one recorded as Dyon Parker, and the one on Polydor, can you help ? many thanks !

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  5. Rod - trying to contact you - am a blast from the past - explain more if you send me your email address or something.

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  6. Further to above - was Don's bottler for a year or so in 65/66 am godmother to Alan Young's eldest daughter
    Was friendly with you and Barbara oh so many years ago!!

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    1. Blah, problem switching between laptop and ipad so will reply here again as fallback... yes, I remember you very well. If the other replies not visible info to get in touch with me is: rodwarner@hotmail.com... xx

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  7. Hi Heather, remember you very well... Was talking to Al Young a couple of weeks back... He's on good form and still going strong. My email is rodwarner@hotmail.com...

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  8. hi Rod, could you find any details on Dave Parker ?

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  9. Hi, sorry not got back to you... Complete lack of info about these albums. Out on the Highway was the first in 1968, excluding the singles, then one in 1971, David Parker (just checked this one again and it's definitely Dave because I remember a couple of th song titles, plus I knew the cover designer, Marius Paul O' Shea. There was a third album, I know, but no info.

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  10. Re the third, I was at one of the mixing/ editing sessions and there were other musicians on it, not just a solo album. I'm wondering if it ever got released, which might explain why it seems so elusive, although I was sure it had been. A mystery. One avenue might be to contact Shel Talmy, who might remember. I think he was involved as producer and may have been Dave's manager for a time...

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  11. As David Parker he also recorded a BBC Top Gear session in May '71, songs were: Lazy, If I Ever, Conclusions, Dark-eyed Lady. Last 3 were on his Polydor LP http://www.discogs.com/David-Parker-David-Parker/release/4023308

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    1. hello Pooka, how did you get the info on this session ?
      thanks !

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  12. thank you pooka! Is this session available somewhere ?

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  13. Thanks for info, Pooka... Didn't know or don't remember about the Top Gear sessions but I was abroad a lot in 1971 so may not have been around anyway...

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  14. Hi Rod. Do you remember a Mike Griggs? He played Candyman on the Buskers AH LP.

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  15. Yup, remember Mike very well, used to knock around with him a bit and saw him at Don's funeral, albeit briefly. Had a couple of emails since. He was looking in better nick than myself! Aidan Agnew, mutual friend, had longer chat with him at the funeral and wake...

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  16. Thanks Rod! Would you mind posting me your personal email or facebook? Sorry but I can't seem to find a way to private message you on here.

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  17. Mike has my email if you contact him... Or track me down on Facebook ... Roderick A Warner

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  18. Cheers Rod! :-) I've messaged you on Facebook. Apparently it will go into your 'other' folder as we're not friends. If you go to Messages you should have a choice between inbox or other, let me know if you have any issues or need it to be to resent.


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  19. thanks for the photo of Dave Helling, never seen one, and the other details. I work with the Shel Talmy archive and come across these tracks The Bells / Christine (Planet label single) + My Woman / Nightmare Meets Reality / The Bells version 2 . The Stateside single must be in there somewhere just not found the tapes yet.

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    1. hi Big Bill, is there a way to have access to the unreleased tracks ?

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  20. hello Big Bill, I have the Planet single (The Bells/Christine) and the Stateside single (It Ain't Me Babe/If You're Gonna Leave Me), can you tell me more about the other tracks that were, apparently, never released...?
    thanks !

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  21. Hi Big Bill, fascinating stuff... I also wonder about any tracks that were never released, as I figure there were some in the can, especially the mysterious album discussed above. I mentioned that I was at one of the mixing sessions and unlike Dave's earlier solo albums there was a band on the tracks I heard. Long time ago, of course!

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  22. hi, the Polydor album has been recently reissued by the Korean label Riverman Music !

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  23. Interesting... As vinyl or cd? Or both?

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  24. to my knowledge, only cd
    http://www.ebay.com/itm/DAVID-PARKER-SAME-SELF-S-T-ST-MINI-LP-CD-NEW-/391149700238?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5b1256c48e

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  25. Thanks for info... Will pass it on as I know a few people who might be interested in the old rogue!

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  26. hello Pooka and Big Bill, do you have any more info ?
    Rod, could you tell me how to get in touch with Shel Talmy ?
    Thanks !
    Jacques

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  27. Shel Talmy has a website with contact details included...
    http://www.sheltalmy.com/contact.htm
    Worth a try...

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  28. I met Dyon in Bordeaux and travelled, playin' music, for a brief time with him and his girlfriend.

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  29. Hope you survived the encounter with your liver and sanity intact! Dave sadly died a few years back. Definitely one of a kind!

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  30. I found that Dave Parker could have recorded something with Giorgio Gomelski, maybe after the Polydor album? A song called '80 Miles To Cambridge' should have appear on BYG's Rock Generation vol.8, but it was substituted with a Davey Graham one

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