Dig Richards

Rock pioneer Digby 'Dig' Richards was the third Australian rock act signed by Festival - following, Johnny O'Keefe and Col Joye. With his stunning good looks, leopard skin suit, and trademark moccasins he stood out from his competitors.

He was born on September 12, 1941 in the remote western New South Wales town of Dunodoo. His father's work as a mounted policeman kept him in rural areas. When Digby was still young the family moved to Narooma, where he grew up. At 17 he ventured to Sydney and started work as a trainee manager with Waltons department store. After a chance meeting with two other boys in a music shop he formed a band the R'Jays, playing dances in town halls around Sydney. 'Rock' instruments where hard to come by, and like their contemporaries, Col Joy and the Joye Boys they were noted for doing most with what was available. With primitive electric instruments and sound equipment - their bass player played tea chest bass - they played their first dance in August 1958. Early in 1959, after some line-up changes and now boasting an electric bass guitarist, the group approached Festival Records for an audition.

Legend has it Dig Richards'singing did not impress, but the way the girls yelled and screamed as soon as he went on stage did. The boss of Festival Ken Taylor reputedly said, "Even if you haven't got a voice, my eyes tell me I could sell your records on your looks if nothing else." They were granted an audition. The group performed their entire repertoire in Taylor's presence, failing to make the desired impression. As a last resort Dig began singing a song his 15 year old brother Doug had partly written. Ken Taylor liked it enough for 'I Wanna Love You' to be released as Dig Richard's first single in July, backed by 'Kansas City'. The R'Jays in the meantime found themselves Festival's house band. Festival's Pyrmont studio was so unsophisticated; the 'echo chamber' was an unused lavatory. Whenever the toilet was flushed, it would be heard on the recording.

Dig Richards and the R'Jays were the first group to play live on Brian Henderson's Bandstand, and became regulars on both Bandstand and the Johnny O'Keefe compered 'Six O'Clock Rock'. By August 1959 he had his own TV show, 'Teentime' on the 7 Ntwork, broadcast live to air for the next two years, as in concert Richards and group joined Lee Gordon's Big Shows, alongside Crash Craddock, Lloyd Price and Rick Nelson. The group was lined up to support the Fabian Big Show in October 1959 when Dig Richards smashed his car on the approaches to Sydney Harbour Bridge. It was feared the man with the "James Dean" looks, was following closely in his footsteps. He suffered a broken hip, a broken shoulder and received 40 stitches to his face. He made most of the resulting publicity. Fabian was photographed visiting him in hospital. Dig Richards made his first TV performance after the accident in Melbourne, still on crutches, dressed in a maroon lurex jacket.

The recordings continued in the meantime.'I Wanna Love You' had been followed by 'I'm Through' (another of his brother's songs), and his accident was followed by the hit '(Real Gone) Annie Laurie)'. In late December Dig started releasing solo singles, as well as with the group. In March 1961 Dig and the R'Jays headlined a show at Melbourne's Sidney Myer Music Bowl, with support acts Johnny Devlin and Lucky Starr. Dig apparently was called back for 12 encores.

Richards and the R'Jays parted company in 1962. In 1964 the R'Jays became the Rajahs. Dig Richards had continued his solo recording career. Keen on becoming an all-round performer, he learned to play the guitar finger-style and took vocal lessons at Sydney's Conservatorium Of Music. In 1963 he made his debut as an adult entertainer at Sydney's Spellsons nightclub. In 1964 he compered his own TV show, 'Dig Richards' Ampol Show' By now he had shifted musical emphasis to slower, ballady, country-ish material, developing his own songwriting. As well as playing nightclubs and RSLs he toured South East Asia. In 1970 he travelled to England and spent a year there writing songs. He returned to record and release the highly-acclaimed 'Harlequin' album as 'Digby' Richards. The single, 'A Little Piece Of Peace', returned him to charts for the first time in nine years. And more hits followed.

Digby Richards continued to record and perform throughout the 70s. He died on February 16, 1983 of pancreatic cancer.

(Peter Colin Ramsey/Ed.Nimmervoll)