Saturday, May 29, 2010 09:24:18 PM




DIGBY RICHARDS or DIG RICHARDS








Dig Richards was born on September 12 1941 in NSW Dunedoo and was the third Australian singer to be signed with Festival Records after Johnny O'Keefe and Cole Joye. With his leopard skins suits and looking so cute he stood out from the rest. I recall his white sweaters with the Ivy League look. His dad whilst working as mounted policeman moved to Narooma. He took off for the big smoke at 17 and worked at Waltons a Sydney department store. He met some musicians at music store and formed the R Jays, playing their first gig at a dance in 1958.






















Like JOK he did not have strong singing voice but his looks overcame that whilst the girls just  yelled and screamed for more of him whilst singing on the stage. Me included.

It was Bandstand where they played live and they became regular guests on Six O'clock Rock. But it was Teen Time on Seven Network where had his first TV show.





Lee Gordon gave his a spot with US stars that came to Australia, performing with Crash Craddock. Lloyd Price, Ricky Nelson, but it was driving across the Sydney Harbour Bridge he crashed his car in 1959 before appearing to be a back up for Fabian at the Stadium. He looked like our our version of James Dean it was those good looked like those 40 stitches would leave him with everlasting scars. He also suffered a broken hip and shoulder. Fabian visited him hospital.

The R J
ays and Dig parted company in 1962 and Dig went on doing things solo, like writing songs, taking music lessens, doing the Ampol Show, Spellson's night club, RSL's and touring south East Asia. The UK was his next country he tried his hand at in 1970.

I don't know if he ever married or had children.

Digby Richard's clip on YouTube
here


He died too young on February 16, 1983 at the age of42 of pancreatic cancer.