A FOUNDING member of one of Salisbury's most famous bands has died aged 79.
Ian Amey - or Tich, as he was better known - was a founding member of Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich, Salisbury's most famous local group who throughout the 1960s had a string of top-ten hits.
Their biggest commercial success came in early 1968 as their ‘Legend of Xanadu’ single reached number one.
It stayed in the UK charts for 12 weeks and also topped the listings in Sweden and Ireland.
When Dave Dee first formed a band in 1961, it was David and the Bostons, changing the name to Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich, afterwards.
Back then the group comprised of Dave Harman (Dave Dee), vocals; Trevor Davies (Dozy), bass guitar; Johnny Dymond (Beaky), rhythm guitar; Michael Wilson (Mick), drums; and Ian Amey (Tich).
Tich played lead guitar and was on vocals from 1964 until his retirement in 2014.
He was a multi-talented stringed instrument player, and is known for playing the Mandolin on their hit "Bend It!", and plays flamenco guitar on The Legend of Xanadu.
He was born in Salisbury on May 15, 1944 in Salisbury, and died on February 14 in Salisbury District Hospital, following a short illness, aged 79.
It comes just months after Pete Lucas, who played bass in the band, died aged 73.
Tich is survived by his wife, Sue Amey, who he married in December 1968 at St Paul's Church in Salisbury.
Sue told the Journal: "He was an amazing father and husband, he loved his family with a passion, and he loved Salisbury with a passion.
"Whenever he would go away, he would come back to Salisbury and see the spire of the Cathedral and he would just light up."
The band received a special accolade from the Salisbury Civic Society in 2008, when they were awarded a coveted Blue Plaque, to be found on the wall just outside the main City Hall entrance in Malthouse Lane.
"He loved the people of Salisbury", said Sue.
"He would always stop and speak to anyone he would see, and talk to them about what they were doing. He was so approachable".
The couple had two children, Kristian and Leigh, and three grandchildren, Ella, Ben and Charlotte.
Tich also had another daughter from a previous relationship, called Lorraine, who remains a part of the family.
Details of the funeral will be released in the coming days.
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