Southern Man - Dave Clark & Friends

Released in the USA as a Dave Clark Five single, this version of Neil Young's "Southern Man" is actually by the group which morphed out of that band called "Dave Clark & Friends". This incarnation featured Dave Clark and lead singer Mike Smith with session players (they were a studio band only). The DC5 disbanded in mid-1970.

When the record came out in January, 1971, it was met with muted silence. The DC5 had not charted in the USA since 1968 and were pretty much yesterday's soup. Even the use of the familiar band name didn't help sales. Because of this, the yellow label stock copy seen below (which is a scan of my 45) is not very common and mint copies can sometimes command a good chunk of change.

Do I think Mike Smith sings the heck out of the song? Yes. Do I think he sings it better than Neil Young? Absolutely.

So, here you go. A rare recording of "Southern Man" by The Dave Clark Five ("Dave Clark & Friends").










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