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Today marks the anniversary of the death of the man who made the music of the Sixties sound so iconic – all out of a factory in Dartford.
Dick Denney was an engineer at Jennings Musical Industries (JMI), based in the town.
His inventiveness in the world of rock n roll amplifiers would be used by bands including The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Shadows, Queen, The Who and The Monkees.
Born in 1921 in Belvedere, Dick’s interest in electronics began when he was given a crystal radio set as a child.
A perforated eardrum excluded him from the army during the Second World War and he worked as an engineer at Vickers’ munitions in Crayford where he met his future business partner Tom Jennings.
Dick played in various bands but always wanted his guitar to be louder.
He started to mess around with guitar pick-ups and radio parts, but tuberculosis meant he had to have a lung removed.
It was three years before he was well enough to work again.
He developed the AC15 in 1956 and his old friend Tom Jennings, who owned a music shop at 119 Dartford Road, Dartford, heard about the amp and bought the design.
Partnering up under JMI, Dick then invented the AC30 – used extensively by The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, the T60 bass amp and the Vox Organ Guitar.
His granddaughter Emily Turner said: “He toured the world demonstrating Vox equipment. Word got round and Hank Marvin had a Vox and then The Beatles.
“He set up equipment for live performances, including the first live appearance of The Beatles on Sunday Night at the London Palladium in 1963.
“My mother went with him to the venue and the desperate teenage mob made carrying the equipment through the stage entrance difficult.
“The girls hammered the doors so hard, water cannons were used to stop them breaking in. Ever the professional, my grandfather coolly told my mum to sit in the stalls and wait until the sound check was complete.
“She tried to contain herself, but to her left was a very young Des O’Connor and sitting right next to her was Ringo Starr.”
Dick, who lived on Frinsted Road, Erith, even saved The Beatles’ lives when a gig in Scarborough saw three 100 watt amplifiers roll down the stage towards them.
Dick held the heavy, ear-splitting amps throughout the set while they played on oblivious.
Emily, who lives in Whitstable, continued: “He was fond of The Beatles and enjoyed banter with John Lennon who called him ‘nanny goat’ because of his beard.
He was even mistaken for a Beatle once by some overexcited, possibly blind, fans who mobbed him and tore off some of his clothes.
“He thought The Who’s trashing of guitars and amps was dreadful and branded Townsend an animal.
"You can understand the band’s frustrations, as early amps suffered from quality control issues.”
Vox found it hard to keep up with demand and pressure from rivals Fender and Marshall and JMI was sold in 1964.
Dick, who died on June 6, 2001, sold his shares in 1967.
Emily added: “He always admitted he wasn’t a businessman, as he made very little real money out of Vox, but he it never bothered him.
“I set up a Facebook page because my granddad’s small idea made such a difference to the global music scene.
"My aim is to get him to have more recognition, as we can still hear his influence today and people covert his amplifiers.
“How different would The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and The Shadows have sounded without his inventions?
“He didn’t get rich off his genius, but he said he was the luckiest man in the world to be able to do a job that he enjoyed as a hobby.
“I’d love people who use Vox amps to share their photos on the page. It would be a fitting tribute to a man who left such a huge legacy for us all.”
