Dickie Rock
Irish singer (1936–2024) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Richard "Dickie" Rock (10 October 1936 – 6 December 2024) was an Irish singer.[1] Chiefly associated with the era of showbands in Ireland, Rock came to prominence as a member of The Miami Showband in the 1960s, subsequently becoming a solo artist in 1973. He represented Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest 1966. Rock continued to tour for several decades until his retirement in 2021.[2]
Dickie Rock | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Richard Rock |
| Born | 10 October 1936 Dublin, Ireland |
| Died | 6 December 2024 (aged 88) Dublin, Ireland |
| Occupations |
|
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | 1963–2021 |
| Spouse |
Judy Murray
(m. 1966; died 2022) |
Early career
Rock was born on 10 October 1936[3][4] in the North Strand, Dublin, and raised in Cabra on Dublin's Northside.[5]
Between 1963 and 1972, he was one of the frontmen of the Miami Showband,[5] who were later in the headlines due to the Miami Showband killings incident. He had 13 top-ten hits with the Miami Showband, including seven number ones.[6] Dickie Rock and the Miami Showband were the first Irish artists to go straight into the number one spot with "Every Step of the Way" in 1965.[7] During his time with the Miami Showband, Rock attracted the kind of mass hysteria normally reserved for The Beatles.[8]
In 1966, he sang for Ireland in the 1966 Eurovision Song Contest with the song, "Come Back to Stay".[5] He entered as a solo artist and finished joint fourth (with Belgium).[9] This song also became a number one hit in Ireland.[10]
Solo years
Rock went solo in 1973, although he still performed occasionally with the Miami Showband after this.[5]
Later years
Rock continued to tour well into his eighties. Following a third RTÉ documentary (one in the 1960s, another in the 1980s and another in 2006) about Rock and his place at the forefront of the Irish showband scene, he received a lifetime achievement award in October 2009. In 2019, he announced his final tour would be held in October that year.[11] In 2021, at the age of 84, Rock retired from showbusiness, suffering from hearing problems.[12]
Personal life and death
Rock married Judy Murray in 1966.[13] She died in April 2022, several weeks after contracting COVID-19.[14][15]
Rock died at St. Vincent's University Hospital in Dublin, on 6 December 2024, at the age of 88.[16][17] He was buried in Cabra on 12 December 2024, after a funeral mass celebrated by Brian D'Arcy at the Church of the Most Precious Blood.[18][19]
Discography
Irish chart singles[20]
- 1963 "There's Always Me" (IR #1)
- 1964 "I'm Yours" (#1)
- 1964 "From the Candy Store On the Corner" (#1)
- 1965 "Just for Old Time's Sake" (#2)
- 1965 "Round and Round" (#2)
- 1965 "Every Step of the Way" (#1)
- 1965 "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" (#4)
- 1965 "Wishing it Was You" (#1)
- 1966 "Come Back to Stay" (#1)
- 1966 "Darling I Love You" (#4)
- 1967 "When You Cry" (#7)
- 1967 "Baby I'm Your Man" (#13)
- 1968 "Simon Says" (#1)
- 1968 "Christmas Time and You" (#10)
- 1969 "Emily" (#12)
- 1970 "When My Train Comes In" (#15)
- 1971 "My Heart Keeps Telling Me" (#7)
- 1971 "Cathedral in the Pines" (#15)
- 1972 "Till (Mini Monster)" (#9)
- 1973 "The Last Waltz" (#15) – first solo single
- 1973 "Maxi single" (#11)
- 1977 "Back Home Again" (#1)
- 1978 "It's Almost Like a Song" (#18)
- 1980 "Coward of the County" (#11)
- 1982 "When the Swallows Come Back from Capistrano" (#24)
- 1988 "The Wedding" (#18)
- 1989 "I'll Never Stop Wanting You" (#10)
- 1989 "Come Home to Ireland for Christmas" (#25)
References
External links
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