Musician. Born Dennis James Dalziel, he trained as a railway signalman but changed career courses to music after some friends entered him in a talent contest with an unknown band. The band shot to international fame as The Honeycombs with their first record, a Joe Meek-produced hit "Have I The Right". They enjoyed several more hits but faltered after Meeks death in 1967, after which the Honeycombs disbanded and D'Ell branched out on his own, most often in the soul and blues genres with which he was most comfortable. In latter years he was a member of The Shuffle Brothers and often played with reunited versions of The Honeycombs on revival shows. His 1967 solo record "Better Use Your Head" is considered a Northern Soul classic.
Musician. Born Dennis James Dalziel, he trained as a railway signalman but changed career courses to music after some friends entered him in a talent contest with an unknown band. The band shot to international fame as The Honeycombs with their first record, a Joe Meek-produced hit "Have I The Right". They enjoyed several more hits but faltered after Meeks death in 1967, after which the Honeycombs disbanded and D'Ell branched out on his own, most often in the soul and blues genres with which he was most comfortable. In latter years he was a member of The Shuffle Brothers and often played with reunited versions of The Honeycombs on revival shows. His 1967 solo record "Better Use Your Head" is considered a Northern Soul classic.
