One More Time: The Dal Richards Story

Dal Richards and author Jim Taylor recount the life story of the legendary bandleader in One More Time: The Dal Richards Story. These are Dal's memories of the stars and the wannabes, the hustlers and bootleggers and hat-check chicks, all of whom paraded through his life in the days when Vancouver's nightclub scene rivaled San Francisco's and Hollywood's big-name performers made it a regular tour stop.

This story takes a loving look back at the gigs, laughter and musical misadventures of a time when the songs came from records and radio instead of CDs and iPods. It was a time when the music business was rich with characters like Two-for, who ran the spotlight at the Cave and frequently took it off the performer to turn it on his girlfriend lest she was cavorting with a new beau, and the one-hit wonder singer and piano player who had to hide between performances because a Mafia hit man was looking to turn out his lights.

At 91, Dal is still going strong: on his 90th birthday he sold out the Orpheum Theatre and in 2008 his band had 154 gigs. This year, he;s putting out another CD and the Dal Richards Orchestra is still launching into "In the Mood" or "T.D.'s Boogie Woogie," setting the grateful dancers swinging as their parents, and even grandparents, have through seven decades of keeping the music alive.