Info: Sandy Denny's brother - David Denny

Subject: Sandy Denny's brother - David Denny
From: GUEST,Guest - Lindy
Date: 07 Aug 11 - 03:22 AM

I read somewhere years ago that Sandy Denny had a brother named David who also died young - in his 30's I believe; although I don't recall what he died from.

Does anyone know much about him - if he was a singer or songwriter? Also curious if he ever sang with Sandy at any point during her career?

Subject: RE: Sandy Denny's brother - David Denny
From: GUEST,moulder
Date: 07 Aug 11 - 03:26 PM

I think you will find that David was for a time Sandy`s mannger

Subject: RE: Sandy Denny's brother - David Denny
From: GUEST,Guest - Lindy
Date: 08 Aug 11 - 01:07 AM

To Guest, moulder:

In regards to your post, do you know if David was her manager when she was first starting out on her own (before Fairport Convention) while with Fairport or the Strawbs, or after she went solo? (later years of her career)?

I don't recall ever seeing any photos of David Denny and also curious what albums she released while David was her manager?

So sad that his life was also cut short in his 30's.

Subject: RE: Sandy Denny's brother - David Denny
From: Bonnie Shaljean
Date: 08 Aug 11 - 06:56 AM

There's an excellent biog of Sandy (if you can get ahold of it: it seems to be out of print) which mentions David, and chronicles her life pretty thoroughly. Well worth buying anyway, though it's mostly about her. But it does give some family background, and does mention his sad death. I also think there's at least one photo of the two of them as children, maybe more. David seems to have always been a true friend and support to Sandy. How terrible that both their lives were so brutally cut short. You can see more at

Amazon.co.uk (the British outlet)

Please let us know what you manage to come up with and keep us up to speed - it's a very interesting topic. Best of luck in your findings!

Subject: RE: Sandy Denny's brother - David Denny
From: GUEST,Edthefolkie
Date: 08 Aug 11 - 01:00 PM

Bonnie's right, there's quite a lot of info about David Denny in Heylin's book. I think he was killed in some sort of road accident in Colorado - about 1980?

I would however exercise caution about the book - there seems to be, to be polite, a certain amount of spin put on Sandy's relationship with Trevor, Trevor's talent or lack of it, etc. He applies the same technique to other people, some of whom he interviewed for the book - not nice. I also think the book is partly to blame for the "doomed angel" image of Sandy which has grown up. She was NOT Janis Joplin (or Amy Winehouse for that matter).         

Mr Heylin was at the Sandy celebration at the Troubadour a few years ago, and had a boxful of hardback copies for sale - they were going for about 20 quid then. Paperback still available I think on Amazon, for about a tenner.

Subject: RE: Sandy Denny's brother - David Denny
From: GUEST,David Suffolk
Date: 02 Nov 11 - 05:02 PM

He was captain of my rugby team at KCS Wimbledon.Captain of everything.natuaral leader.The boys fromthe boarding house took the piss out of him without mercy.She was pretty.How did the rest of us survive.The good die young.The rest of the team live on.
RIP
David

Subject: RE: Sandy Denny's brother - David Denny
From: BTNG
Date: 02 Nov 11 - 09:39 PM

This much I know, David died in a road accident in Denver, Colorado in 1980 and is buried in the same cemetery as Sandy. His grave is just behind hers.

Subject: RE: Sandy Denny's brother - David Denny
From: pavane
Date: 03 Nov 11 - 05:41 PM

I think that must have been the book I was browsing in Waterstones only this week - if so then certainly available.

Interviews seemed interspersed all through the text.

Subject: RE: Sandy Denny's brother - David Denny
From: BTNG
Date: 03 Nov 11 - 05:54 PM

that would be No More Sad Refrains: : The Life and Times of Sandy Denny by Clinton Heylin and yes it's available in paperback

Clinton Heylin Bookshop

Subject: RE: Sandy Denny's brother - David Denny
From: GUEST
Date: 29 Apr 12 - 03:23 PM

How very sad to hear about David Denny . I worked with him at Island Records back in the day then he moved to the US. I have wondered all these years what happened to him.

Subject: RE: Sandy Denny's brother - David Denny
From: Paul Burke
Date: 29 Apr 12 - 03:54 PM

Now no one in their right mind would have wanted to miss Sandy Denny and Fairport for anything. But apparently there was another candidate for the front line singer- Heather Wood of Young Tradition. And we could have had Swarbrick working his wonders to "The Hedgehog Can't Be Buggered at All".

Subject: RE: Sandy Denny's brother - David Denny
From: GUEST,Chris B (Born Again Scouser)
Date: 30 Apr 12 - 06:34 AM

I remember reading Heylin's book about 10 years ago. There was a lot of information and detail about her that I was unaware of when she was alive and I was listening to her but I wasn't sold on Heylin't analysis. Apart from his take on Trevor Lucas' role in her life, I felt he gave too much prominence to interviews with people who knew her without synthesising their views and what he'd known into a coherent analysis of his own.

Some of the quotes were very revealing, though - especially some of those from Pete Townsend which I was reminded of a couple of years later.

Ultimately, though, biographies are interesting but what stays with me was the effect her voice and music had on me as a teenager and a young man. One thing that strikes me about Fairport at that time was how young they all were. 'Liege and Lief', particularly, was an extraordinarily dark and sombre album to come from a group of mostly well-bred young people who were, for the most part, barely in their twenties.

Subject: RE: Sandy Denny's brother - David Denny
From: GUEST,Phil (Fairport disciple from way back...)
Date: 31 May 12 - 05:29 PM

'Liege and Lief' -- Sandy's voice pure,now a cult album of course, that had all playing on it going through a wondrous journey of discovery; which had me, a Merseybeat scouser, running full tilt
towards 'folk rock'. '

Subject: RE: Sandy Denny's brother - David Denny
From: GUEST,Guest Michael, Fairport fan, 60s's Wimbledo
Date: 17 Dec 12 - 05:56 PM

Also remember him from Kings College Wimbledon. He was 5 years olcer than me, a House Captain and also the best cricketer of his year. He was D.M. Denny. Don't know what the M stood for, but Sandy had some exotic names.

Subject: RE: Sandy Denny's brother - David Denny
From: Brakn
Date: 18 Dec 12 - 05:11 AM

I'd guess that the M stood for Maclean.

Sandy was Alexandra Elene Maclean Denny and their father was Neil Maclean Denny.

Subject: RE: Sandy Denny's brother - David Denny
From: Brakn
Date: 18 Dec 12 - 05:27 AM

also this Jim Irvin article is worth a read.

Subject: RE: Sandy Denny's brother - David Denny
From: Peter K (Fionn)
Date: 18 Dec 12 - 12:55 PM

VERY many thanks for that link Brakn.

Subject: RE: Sandy Denny's brother - David Denny
From: GUEST
Date: 08 Feb 13 - 11:58 AM

I worked with Dave Denny for a short time in the Summer of 1970 at Taylor Woodrow at their offices on Western Ave near Hanger lane. He was an engineer and I was an architectural student. He was a really nice guy with a great sense of humour. I knew he was the brother of Sandra Denny then, but that didn't phase us much as we were all too busy having a good time. I never knew he had died and was shocked to hear of his tragic demise in 1980, A very belated RIP mate.            Tim Geary

Subject: RE: Sandy Denny's brother - David Denny
From: GUEST,SCW
Date: 08 Dec 13 - 09:01 PM

At the time of his death in a car crash in 1980, David Denny was head of production for Feyline Presents in Denver, the concert promotion company owned by Barry Fey. I worked for Feyline then - it was a terrible loss.

Subject: RE: Sandy Denny's brother - David Denny
From: GUEST,marc21091
Date: 04 Jan 14 - 07:12 PM

Very interesting information from people who knew David Denny, particularly those who were at school with him at KCS Wimbledon. That he was killed in a road accident only two years after Sandy Denny's tragic death at 31 is particularly poignant, especially if the Dennys (Neil and Edna) had no other children. Did David Denny marry and leave any children? If not, Georgia Lucas is the only descendant (and now her own two daughters).
At least the family was able to have him buried next to Sandy.
The Heylin book no doubt has some information, but is regarded as rather poor (or unsympathetic at least). Amazon.co.uk lists a new biography of Sandy Denny to be published on 5 February 2015 (an unusually exact date). It is by Mick Houghton a national newspaper music writer. If the Estate of Sandy Denny has 'authorised' it we should find out more about the Denny family then.

Subject: RE: Sandy Denny's brother - David Denny
From: Bonnie Shaljean
Date: 04 Jan 14 - 08:03 PM

Does anyone have any opinions on this book? Thinking of getting it (through the Mudcat link, of course). Thoughts yea or nea?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sandy-Denny-Reflections-Her-Music/dp/1780880200/ref=cm_c

(Please note this is the British Amazon site)

Subject: RE: Sandy Denny's brother - David Denny
From: Edthefolkie
Date: 05 Jan 14 - 05:27 AM

Bonnie, this is Philip Ward's book which is very well worth buying! Philip organised the Troubadour bash a few years ago, also helped with the Barbican one etc. He's a good egg.

Shortish and unassuming book, not exactly a biography but a distillation originating from Philip's Sandy blog. Good standard of production, excellent pictures.

He takes his subject seriously, not descending to sensationalism or psychoanalysis, and he can write. Very good at teasing out the references in Sandy's songs - obviously these are his ideas but they seem pretty plausible to me.

Subject: RE: Sandy Denny's brother - David Denny
From: Bonnie Shaljean
Date: 05 Jan 14 - 06:53 AM

Cheers! It's now in my basket - quite moderately priced too.

Subject: RE: Sandy Denny's brother - David Denny
From: GUEST,Geoff Kempton
Date: 12 Jun 14 - 12:26 PM

I knew Dave also when we worked together for Taylor Woodrow on the M6 construction north of Birmingham. He was briefly married to a German girl but it didn't last. He had graduated as a Civil Engineer from Imperial College I think in 1967. We both moved back to London in 1969 and he worked in the Taylor Woodrow office in Hangar Lane while I worked in Victoria. We played football together, mainly on Wormwood Scrubs, for a team that seemed to play against actors and such like (I remember we played against Leonard Rossiter who was quite a good player and Hugh MacIlvannie of the Sunday Times)and spent a lot of time listening to music (he acquired my first speakers, amplifier etc for me from somewhere. He had contacts!). I also remember visiting Sandy's flat off the Fulham Palace Road with him a few times. We went our separate ways when I got married in 1972 and started working overseas. I think Dave went to the USA first to do a Masters in San Francisco but must have got back into music when Sandy went there. I was as shocked as anyone many year's later to see his grave behind Sandy's in Putney. A great loss.

Subject: RE: Sandy Denny's brother - David Denny
From: GUEST,Guest - Linda
Date: 14 Jun 14 - 01:10 AM

I was wondering if there was any newspaper article in Denver, Colorado that mentioned David Denny's auto accident and death at the time in 1980?

Also, I know it was mentioned on a post that David was briefly married to a German girl. Did David have any children?

Did Sandy & David have any other family members, cousins, that were involved with music?

Subject: RE: Sandy Denny's brother - David Denny
From: GUEST,Geoff Kempton
Date: 14 Jun 14 - 05:01 AM

Dave had no children with the German girl or with anyone before he went to the USA I guess. After that I don't know.
Sandy and Dave's Mum died soon after Dave (having lost both her children)but the Dad survived until a few year's ago. I read his obituary somewhere - may have been The Times.

Subject: RE: Sandy Denny's brother - David Denny
From: GUEST,CO-musician
Date: 15 Dec 21 - 07:29 PM

David was working with our band's manager when he was killed. We were on the road when it happened. I think it was at night on I-25 in/around Denver, but my memory is fading. Not positive. Please correct if anyone knows.   
   He was such a good dude. Gave our band some great advice. We were going into a studio in L.A. to record our first album.   David told us to, in addition to the songs we'd been playing in the past, to also "wing" one in the studio. In other words, after getting the tracks down for our familiar material, to spontaneously record a new tune we hadn't even really worked up yet, and let the producer take it where he heard it should go.    Outstanding advice for ANY band, then and today.
RIP David.

Subject: RE: Info: Sandy Denny's brother - David Denny
From: GUEST,Lin
Date: 16 Dec 21 - 11:57 PM

Did your band work with David in L.A too?
Do you know the date David was killed in the road accident or circumstances of the accident?
Perhaps it was mentioned in a Denver, Colorado newspaper at the time.
Was your band involved with folk or folk/rock with David's direction?
I too was in L.A. at the time and in high school

Subject: RE: Info: Sandy Denny's brother - David Denny
From: GUEST,David Shepperd
Date: 08 Jan 24 - 10:49 AM

Further to Geoff Kempton’s earlier post, Dave Denny was the “midfield dynamo” for our Sunday team Gardeners FC (named after Linden Gardens in Notting Hill Gate where some of us lived) in the early 70s. He was working at the time as a civil engineer. Lovely guy.