Bartram was the lead singer for Choise, who in 1973 met local band The Golden Hammers and became Showaddywaddy. The groups frontman, he was one of the main songwriters for the band alongside saxophonist / guitarist Trevor Oakes. He took on the role of the bands manager in 1984, a role he still holds to this day.[2]
Bartram continued to sing with the band until December 2011, when he retired from singing due to lack of passion for performing and asthmatic problems. Bartram no longer sings on stage, but sometimes if the band are performing near where he lives, he will often come on stage at the beginning of the second half, say a few words, and introduce the band on stage again.
Early life
Bartram was born in Lutterworth and grew up in Syston.[2] He is the youngest original member of Showaddywaddy. He sang on stage for the first time when he was ten at a boy scouts. A year later, he received his first guitar from his father. It had been covered in white paint from its previous owner but the paint was removed by his brother.[3]
He left school at 17 and worked as a construction engineer, while at the same singing in his first group, a flower power band called "Butterjup Jelly", a band he joined in 1967 that also included Joe Boyall, J.J. Strutt, Trev Hurst, and Steve Johnson.[2][4] He sang with them until 2am, and five hours later was getting ready for work.[3]
Career
Bartram joined Choise in February 1972 with Trevor Oakes, Al James, and Romeo Challenger.[2] Three years before Bartram joined they released their first and only single: "Cecilia" / "She's A Man".[5][6] In 1973, Choise and another group, The Golden Hammers (consisting of Malcolm Allured, Rod Deas, Russ Field, and Buddy Gask), came together and became doo wop/rock and roll revival group Showaddywaddy.[2]
After a performance in a club, they were approached by an audience member from Birmingham, who asked them if they wanted to be on television; the show in question was "New Faces", which was to produce its first series, they ended up going on the show, making it to the finals, and came in second place, losing to Tom Waite.[7][8] The band, who mainly specialise in covering rock and roll songs from the 1950s, spent 209 weeks on the UK singles chart, and sold nearly one million copies of their only UK number one, "Under the Moon of Love".[9][10] Early tour programmes claimed that Dave was American, and was born in Santa Ana, California.[2]
In September 2011, Bartram released his long-lost solo recordings from 1982 to 1985 on Invisible Hands Music; the original tapes, consisting of seventeen songs, had been in his loft for 25 years, and was entitled Lost and Found.[11][12][13][14]
On 3 December 2011, Bartram played his last SWW gig at the Kings Theatre in Ilkley before retiring as a performer.[2][15] He retired for a number of reasons, including vocal strains, asthma, muscle aching, and a lack of passion for performing.[3][15] Bartram now manages the group, a role he has held since 1984, but if the group perform near where he lives, he might come on stage at the beginning of the second half of a show to introduce the band again and say a few words.[3]
Personal life
He currently lives in both Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire with his wife Cathy who he married in 1984.[3] They have one daughter. Bartram has also property investing.[3] In 2021, Bartram tested positive for COVID-19, a case he described as "brutal" as he battled fatigue and breathing problems.[16] When he got better, he made a video online urging people to get the vaccine.[17] Dave writes fiction books.[3] Bartram is a supporter of Leicester City, the first game he attended was against Everton on 31 December 1960.[18]
Bartram gave evidence against Dave Lee Travis during his sexual assault trial in 2014, and on a Good Morning Britain interview described him as an "intimidating presence".[19]
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