Canadian Country Superstar Dick Damron Passes

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Dick Damron. Photo: Larry Delaney Music/Photo Archives

Canadian Country Music Hall Of Fame member Dick Damron passed away on Saturday (March 29) in Alberta at age 91.

A former rodeo rider and oil-well laborer, Joseph Glenn Damron debuted on disc in 1959 as a rockabilly act. Dick Damron transitioned into a mainstream country stylist, recording with the A-Team in Nashville. In 1970-91 Dick Damron placed 38 singles on the RPM Country Hit charts, including 14 top-10 entries. His first two singles, “Countryfied” and “Rise And Shine,” both topped the Canadian country chart in 1971, as did 1976’s “On The Road” and 1977’s “Susan Flowers.”

As a songwriter, his country and gospel works were recorded by many, including Charley Pride, Wilf Carter, George Hamilton IV, Carroll Baker and Terry Carisse. Damron was noted for his “outlaw” image. In later years, his duets with Ginny Mitchell and Ray Griff were highlights.

During his peak years with RCA Canada in the 1970s and 1980s, Damron was named the Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) Entertainer of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year, Songwriter of the Year and Instrumentalist of the Year, among other awards. He was inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall Of Fame in 1994.

In 1997, Damron published his autobiography, The Legend & The Legacy. He has since published two novels. In 2011-12, Germany’s internationally esteemed Bear Family Records issued two 3-CD boxed sets of Dick Damron’s best.

Robert K Oermann
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