John “Beaky” Dymond, rhythm guitarist and founding member of the chart-topping 1960s group Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich, died earlier this week.
The Salisbury musician has been remembered as a pop icon who never lost sight of his roots.
The band had the much-loved 1968 number-one hit The Legend of Xanadu.
Between 1965 and 1969, they spent more weeks in the UK charts than The Beatles.
Dymond spent his childhood in Salisbury and remained proud of his Wiltshire heritage throughout his life and career.
Beaky (left) with Tich on stage for the finale of Salisbury Live in June 2017 (Image: Picture by John Palmer)
In an interview with The Journal’s history writer Frogg Moody, Dymond said: “We were mates growing up in Salisbury – me and Tich lived on the same road and we bought our first guitars as 13-year-old boys.”
That friendship with Ian “Tich” Amey would eventually lead to one of the most remarkable musical success stories to emerge from Salisbury.
The band began in 1961 when singer Dave Harman set out to form a group that would later become Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich.
Dymond became known as Beaky, with the classic lineup featuring Dave Dee on vocals, Trevor (Dozy) Davies, Michael (Mick) Wilson, and Ian (Tich) Amey.
Despite their international success, Dymond remained closely connected to his hometown.
In 2008, the Salisbury Civic Society honoured the group with a Blue Plaque outside City Hall on Malthouse Lane, recognising their impact on the city’s cultural history.
Even in later years, Dymond continued performing the songs that made him a household name.
In 2025, he told The Journal he was still touring at the age of 80 and was grateful for the continued enthusiasm of fans.
He said: “I can’t believe how many people still want to hear the 1960s songs.
“We’re playing to an average of 750 people a night, and we’re still popular in Europe.
“They love the memories – they keep coming back.”
News of his death has prompted a wave of tributes from across the music world.
The Equals said that Dymond had now joined fellow bandmates Dave Dee, Trevor “Dozy” Davies, and Ian “Tich” Amey.
Tich, Beaky, Dozy, Mick and Dave Dee sign copies of their debut single ‘No Time’ the day before its release in 1965 (Image: Archive)
Music magazine editor Ian Woolley described him as “a real diamond with a kind heart”.
Fans and musicians alike praised Dymond’s warmth, generosity, and enduring passion for music.
His passing comes just over two years after the death of fellow founding member Ian Amey.
Amey’s Salisbury funeral brought together many of the friends and colleagues who contributed to the city’s most celebrated band.
For generations of Salisbury fans, Dymond will be remembered not just as a giant of the 1960s music scene, but as a local boy whose talent shone on the world stage without ever forgetting his beginnings.
His story began on the streets of Salisbury, alongside childhood friends who would help create one of the city’s proudest cultural legacies.
With his passing, the city says goodbye to a true musical legend who never lost his boyhood love for music, friendship, and home.