Digby Richards
| Dig Richards | |
|---|---|
October 1964, Sydney
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Digby George Richards |
| Born |
12 September 1940 Dunedoo, New South Wales, Australia |
| Origin | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Died | February 17, 1983 (aged 42) Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Genres | Rock and roll, country |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, television presenter, musical theatre actor |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 1957–1983 |
| Labels | Festival, Rex, RCA, EMI, Starcall |
| Associated acts | R'Jays |
 I'm Not the Marrying Kind (c.1962) on YouTube
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Ecstasy (1964) on YouTube
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Digby George "Dig" Richards (12 September 1940 – 17 February 1983) was an Australian rock and roll singer, songwriter, instrumentalist, musical theatre actor and television presenter, active during the late 1950s and early 1960s as lead singer with the R'Jays. Richards was the first Australian rock and roll artist to record a 12" LP record in Australia, with the self-titled album Dig Richards, released in November 1959. From 1971 he performed as a solo country music artist. According to the Kent Music Report he had four Top 30 national hit singles, "(My) Little Lover" / "Quarrels (Are a Sad Sad Thing)" (September 1960), "A Little Piece of Peace" (June 1971), "People Call Me Country" / "The Dancer" (February 1972), and "Do the Spunky Monkey" (June 1974). On 17 February 1983 Digby Richards died of pancreatic cancer, aged 42. He was survived by his wife, Sue, and two children.
Digby George Richards was born on 12 September 1940 in the rural central western New South Wales town of Dunedoo. His father, Gordon Forrest Richards, was a rural-based policeman, and his mother was Mona, (née Dennis). His younger brother is Douglas Ryman Richards (born ca. 1944). Gordon was later an oyster farmer in Narooma. Richards attended Narooma Central and Moruya High schools, where he completed his Leaving Certificate. At the age of 17 he travelled to Sydney to work in a large department store.
He formed the R'Jays as lead singer with Jon Hayton (ex-Red Jeans) on lead guitar. The band played their first dance in August 1958 with a line-up of Richards and Hayton joined by Kenny Conyard on rhythm guitar, Barry Lewis on drums, Peter Morris on saxophone, and Roger Paulfreman on tea chest bass. They auditioned with Festival Records in 1959 and were the third rock and roll act to be signed to a recording contract; the previous two were Johnny O'Keefe, and Col Joye and the Joy Boys.
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