Pop Archives

The Strangers - Mr President (1970)

(Trevor 'Dozy' Davies - John 'Beaky' Dymond - Ian 'Tich' Amey)
Australia Australia
#9 Brisbane #5 Adelaide

Double-sided hit in Brisbane with Looking Through The Eyes Of A Beautiful Girl. Co-charted in Adelaide with the original by D B M & T.

The Strangers: Melbourne band, formed in 1961, started out playing instrumentals after the fashion of The Shadows but went through several stylistic and personnel changes until breaking up in the mid-70s. The Strangers backed numerous local and Australian artists, notably Colin Cook with whom they released the LP Colin Cook and the Strangers (1964). In 1966 they became resident backing band on the TV pop show Go!!.

See also Cry Of The Wild Goose (one of their early instrumentals) and If You Gotta Make A Fool Of Somebody. For more Strangers background see their later vocal hits Western Union, Happy Without You and Melanie Makes Me Smile.


D B M & T - Mr President (1970)

(Trevor 'Dozy' Davies - John 'Beaky' Dymond - Ian 'Tich' Amey)
UK UK
Original version
#23 UK #5 Adelaide

Co-charted in Adelaide with The Strangers’ version.

Single on Fontana by four members of Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich, the Wiltshire band formerly known more straightforwardly as Dave Dee & The Bostons. They had a dozen distinctive UK hits 1965-1969, most written by their managers Ken Howard and Alan Blaikley, and most charting Top 10, including Hold Tight, Bend It, Zabadak and Legend of Xanadu.