Dal attended Magee High School and graduated in May 1936. He is flattered to be the Honorary Chair for the upcoming May 2014 Magee Centennial Celebrations. When approached for this role several years ago Dal asked when the event would be held, and in his delightful manner of poking fun at his age said, “May of 2014! Do you know who you are talking to?”
and performed gigs whenever and wherever possible, sometimes running back and forth between venues. Dal is a living encyclopedia of Vancouver history and the music scene from the 1930s on. His fascinating stories make you long to have been a part of the big band era, or if you were along for the ride, his recollections sweep you right back to the glory days. In 2009 Dal penned his memoir One More Time! The Dal Richards Story with the assistance of Jim Taylor, where he recounts many gems in his unique style.
In Grade 11 he formed an eight-piece-band at Magee. They played school dances and local golf clubs. Dal remembers playing a grad dance at Prince of Wales High School, which planted a seed to perform at his own school. When he approached the school principal with the idea he was told it would “create unrest” amongst the student population. That is how exciting big band music was, to cause this level of concern, and parallels a similar musical ‘unrest’ amongst youth years later with the surge of rock and roll.
By 1941 Dal was leading his band at Vancouver’s most popular dinner dance venue, the Panorama Roof at the Hotel Vancouver. The Roof and the band became the centre of Vancouver’s social scene for more than 25 years and brought a taste of Vancouver nightlife to Canadians across the country via live CBC broadcasts on Saturday nights. Dal recalls his phone started ringing and “instead of scrounging for jobs, I was getting offers.”
Dal has always had an “unquenchable thirst for show biz” and leaves no stone unturned. Along with his orchestra, he paid his dues 10
February 15 - April 14, 2014
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