Rest in peace, Dal Richards

[shayman]

Dal Richards is a legendary bandleader from Vancouver, known for performing for 80 straight years on New Years Eve until he just couldn't do it any more. He passed away yesterday at the age of 97.

http://www.vancouversun.com/entertai...321/story.html


Dal created the legendary "CFL Songs" album in 1968. You probably know the songs it popularized - at least the first one, I hope

• Go Argos Go
• Roar you Lions Roar
• On Roughriders
• The Eskimo Fight Song
• the Ticat Marching Song

And many more that we still hear at CFL games to this day. We've collected the songs and some notes on their creation here -

http://www.argonotes.com/CFLSongs


I was honoured to meet Dal in 2014. My wife took me to a surprise lunch for my birthday (in Vancouver) - I had no idea why we were there, but then Dal and his lovely wife Muriel joined us at the table. What a treat! I told Dal a little about our band and asked him all about his experiences leading the BC Lions Band in the 1950s. Dal was just the nicest guy, full of stories, and autographed a copy of "CFL Songs" for me. A few months ago, we donated that album to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, where it belongs.


Here's Dal performing "Roar you Lions Roar" on an Argonotes kazoo -

https://twitter.com/Argonotes/status/683038921316421632

Rest in peace, Dal. Generations of CFL fans love your contributions. We'll try our best to keep them going.