Dave Dixon / Dixonaires Feature (1948 - 1963)

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The Story

Editor's note: Every care has been taken to present only factual information in this story based on newspaper articles and photographic archives. If you can add anything or correct info in this story, please email us and let us know.

The first instance of the "Dave Dixon Premier Orchestra" we could find was from 1948 when they played in St. Mary's Hall, Rockcorry. Back in those days, all bands had a leader (usually a brass or woodwind player) and were known as orchestras, regardless of how many members were in the line-up. Dances back then were local affairs which were often not even advertised in local papers so getting a handle on how "big" a band might have been back in those early days is very difficult. Most of these orchestras were made up of a group of players, usually from the local brass band who would get together to play for dances and often would have different members depending on who was available on the night.

Back then, admission to dances was somewhere between 2 and 5 schillings (which included tea) and depending on the size of the hall and popularity of the band. Most of the halls in those days were quite small and were usually the parochial hall attached to the local church. Most dances also included spot prizes as well for the dancers. 

By 1950, the band started to be advertised quite often further from home. They were being managed by Ernest Dixon, whom  we can only assume is a relative (brother?) of Dave's, although eventually Dave would take over managing the band himself. 1952 seemed to be the year the band really started to take off as the number of adverts for their gigs started to increase. The photo below from 1952 (or before) shows the band was an eight piece with drums, double bass, piano (there was one in every hall), 2 sax players, trumpet and guitar (or banjo?).  

Unfortunately, we can't find any reference to the band's lineup in it early days. By 1954, we do know the band was doing very well, now traveling to the West, the Midlands and major venues like the Crystal Ballroom in Dublin. We also know that in 1954 the band's adverts started featuring their vocalist as Pat Braiden, although we don't know when he joined the band.

By mid 1955 the band had started to drop the "Premier" moniker from its name being increasingly advertised as "Dave Dixon and his Orchestra" (a common practice in the mid to late 1950's). An advert in 1958 announced the band was touring the "prominent cities of England" for Lent, but more importantly it instructed anyone who wanted to communicate with the band to call Dave Dixon, so we assume Ernest was no longer managing the band.

Throughout the mid-to-late 1950s, there was a change in the air which would affect all bands by the end of the decade. With the rise of rock n' roll in England and America, younger dancers wanted something different than the waltzes and quicksteps served up by middle aged musicians in the "orchestras." In 1956, the term "showband was first used and quickly started to overtake the words "orchestra or dance band" in dance adverts across the country. Dave and his orchestra had been doing a very good business across the country as the decade ended, but the writing was on the wall, there was a new breed of dancing sweeping the nations led by bands called the Royal and Capitol and they were all "showbands."

By the end of 1959 the aging Pat Braiden was out and band's new lead singer was the young Pat McGuigan (who would change the spelling of his name to McGeegan and become one of the country's best known vocalists in the 1960's. 

In late 1961, the band celebrated their 21st anniversary on the road which would mean they had started in 1940 which is a little earlier than the 1948 date we were able to find in the archives. It is also im probable because that would make Dave, who was born in 1926, just 14 years old at the time of their founding. They finally changed their name to the "Dixonaires Showband." One of the problems facing bands who had previously been known as "Band Leader name" and his Orchestra need a name for the band as it had become fashionable to have a real name and so they picked the Dixonaires. At that time adding "-aire" also became a fad...Altonaires, Modernaires, etc.  

Despite their name change and new "image" 1963 would be the band's final year on the road. They played their last gig in October (that we can find) and later that year Dave was reported to be the Manager of the Outlaws Showband. Dave would once again form a band after he seemed to retire for a while and was playing with his group around the North until his sudden death in 1985 aged just 59.

More to come.....

Photo Gallery

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Discography

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Audio Clips

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Where Are They Now?