Dickie Rock
| Dickie Rock | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Richard Rock |
| Born |
10 October 1938 Cabra, Dublin, Ireland |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Associated acts | Miami Showband |
Dickie Rock (born Richard Rock, 10 October 1938[1]) is an Irish singer.[2] He experienced much success on the Irish charts during the 1960s, but has continued on as a popular live act as well as occasionally hitting the charts ever since.
Early fame
Rock was born in the North Strand, Dublin and raised in Cabra on Dublin's Northside.
Between 1963 and 1972 he was one of the frontmen of the Miami Showband (who were later in the headlines due to the Miami Showband killings incident). He had thirteen top ten hits with the Miami Showband, including seven number ones.[3] Dickie Rock and the Miami were the first Irish artists to go straight into the number one spot with "Every Step of the Way" in 1965.[4] During his time with the Miami Showband, Rock attracted the kind of mass hysteria normally reserved for the Beatles.
In 1966, he sang for Ireland in the 1966 Eurovision Song Contest with the song, "Come Back to Stay". He entered as a solo artist and finished fourth in the Contest.[5] This song also became a number one hit in Ireland.
Solo years
Rock went solo in 1973, although still performed occasionally with the Miami Showband after this.
Later years
Rock continues to tour at the age of 78 (2016), after a career spanning more than 50 years. 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, Dickie received a lifetime achievement award in October 2009.
Wikipedia controversy
In 2008, an anonymous employee of the stricken financial company Anglo Irish Bank made lewd comments about Dickie Rock on this Wikipedia page. The bank launched an investigation into how this had happened and the incident was reported in the Irish media some months later. Rock himself commented on the incident.[6]
Discography
- Irish chart singles
- 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 "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
- ↑ Allmusic
- ↑ "Miriam Meets...", 18 October 2009
- ↑ Irish charts - search Dickie Rock
- ↑ Irish charts - straight in at No.1
- ↑ Official Eurovision website - 1966
- ↑ "Lewd edits to Dickie Rock Wikipedia page" at the Wayback Machine (archived April 15, 2010), Sunday Tribune
| Preceded by Butch Moore with "Walking the Streets in the Rain" |
Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest 1966 |
Succeeded by Sean Dunphy with "If I Could Choose" |