1960s–1980s Berry's first band that he led was called the Cruisers. A big fan of American rock and roll musician
Chuck Berry, Dave Grundy changed his surname to "Berry", and when he signed onto
Decca Records with the Cruisers in 1963, after being spotted at a ballroom in
Doncaster, his debut single was a cover of the Berry's song "
Memphis, Tennessee". The song went to number nineteen in the United Kingdom in September 1963. The following year, his song "
Little Things", originally recorded by
Bobby Goldsboro, went to number five in the UK and number one in the Netherlands. "
This Strange Effect" (1965), written by
Ray Davies, became a
number one hit for him in the Netherlands and Belgium, countries where he still enjoys celebrity status, having received an award from
Radio Veronica, Netherlands, for their best selling pop single of all time. and "Don't Gimme No Lip Child", the latter is the flip to Berry's No. 5 hit single, "The Crying Game", He performed a mixture of
R&B, rock and
pop ballads and was popular in Britain, and in
continental Europe, especially Belgium and the Netherlands, but had no commercial success in the US, where he is best known for the original versions of
Ray Davies' "
This Strange Effect" and
Graham Gouldman's "I'm Going to Take You There". Berry went to number one in countries such as the Netherlands and Belgium, but never topped the charts in his home country. His early
hits name-checked his
backing band the Cruisers who at that time were John Fleet (bass and piano), Roy Barber (rhythm guitar), Frank Miles (lead guitar) and Kenny Slade (drums). Berry parted with this line-up around the time of "The Crying Game" and recruited three more local musicians - Frank White, Johnny Riley and Pete Cliff as the second generation of Cruisers. in 1967 Berry released five singles during the 1970s: "Change Our Minds" (1970), "Chaplin House" (1970), "Moving On (Turning Around)" (1972), "I Can Make You Cry" (1973), and "Night of the Fly" (1977), and released his final two in the 1980s: "Anyone Else but You for Me" / "Pebble to Pearls" (1980), and a cover of
the Rolling Stones song "
Out of Time" (1982). In 1987, he released his first studio album in nineteen years titled "Hostage to the Beat".
1990s–present The
Geoff Stephens-penned song "The Crying Game" brought Berry's voice to his biggest international audience in 1992, when it was used as the
theme song for the film
The Crying Game. In the final quarter of 2010, "Little Things" was used in an advertisement campaign on British television by
Andrex toilet paper. The package added two previously unissued tracks made in 1963 (before Berry signed with Decca) with producer
Mickie Most: "Easy To Cry" and "Tongue Twisting". Berry's illustrated autobiography,
Dave Berry - All There Is To Know, was published in 2010 by Heron Publications Ltd. It included contributions from
Joe Cocker, Ray Davies,
Tony Iommi,
Peter Stringfellow and
Bill Wyman. A
double compilation,
Picture Me Gone - The Decca Sessions 1966–1974, was released in January 2011. Berry is still touring as of 2023, and is a recurring act in the
Sixties Gold tour. Currently in his backing band, the Cruisers, are Daniel Martin (lead guitar since 2010), Adrian Fountain (rhythm guitar since late 2011), Dan Wright (drums, from January 2013) and Brian Wood (bass guitar, joined 24 years ago, the longest serving member of the band). In February 2024, Berry had to cancel a few gigs after suffering from medical problems on stage. He had to finish a performance at
Coal Aston village hall on 17 February early. He reportedly suffered from back pain. == Stage presence ==