Dal Richards

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Dal Richards is a legendary Canadian big band leader, also known as the King of Swing, a famous Vancouverite, a recipient of the Order of Canada and living legend of the Big Band Era.

According to the Greater Vancouver Book, an urban encyclopedia (Editor in Chief: Chuck Davis), Dal Richards led his band for many years in a weekly CBC Radio show broadcast nationally from the Panorama Roof Ballroom of the Hotel Vancouver.

His saxophone and clarinet were first heard in the Sandy DeSantis and Stan Paton bands. On May 1, 1940, young Dal Richards, his 11-piece band and a then-unknown 13-year-old Juliette were booked to replace Matt Kenney and His Western Gentlemen, Canada's leading dance band at the time. No-one could guess that Dal's initial six-week contract would stretch into 25 years of regular performances and broadcasts at "The Roof". When the music tastes changed in the mid-1960s and work dried up, Richards made a dramatic change in his career by taking training and going into hotel management. Still, he contiued to perform regularly. Gradually, the interest in swing and big band started picking up again. In 1982-1983 Dal and his band recorded a pair of well-received revival albums. In 1984, the then mayor of Vancouver Mike Harcourt declared February 3 Dal Richards' Day in the city.

These days Dal Richards and his band perform all around the Lower Mainland, from the PNE band stand to the annual New Year celebration at the Bayshore Hotel. Dal hosts a weekly one-hour show on 600AM, a local radio station.

After the death of his wife, he remarried and currently lives in a Yaletown penthouse.