Ep14 - Dig Richards & the R’Jays

In the early days of Rock 'n' Roll in Australia, Dig Richards & the R'Jays were one of the biggest bands in the land.

With movie-star good looks, Dig was Australia's very first teenage idol, and with his band the R'Jays, they were at the forefront of the Rock 'n' Roll revolution.

They were the first Aussie band to release a full length album through Festival Records and as a live act, they were as popular as any local band. They also appeared on many Lee Gordon Big Shows and more than held their own playing alongside the visiting American superstars.

At a time when the "establishment" was doing it best to stop this new form of music from taking hold, Dig Richards & the R'Jays led the way in spreading the gospel of Rock 'n' Roll. They even had their own TV show on Channel 7 called Teen Time.

I speak with R'Jays drummer Leon Isaacson about his amazing musical journey hanging out with the like of The Bee Gees and Louis Armstrong and I also spoke with Dig's brother, Doug and gained some insight into Digs career. Sadly, Dig died aged just 42-years-old in 1983 , however, his musical legacy lives on. 

This is the first of 4 episodes featuring Leon Isaacson, each episode stands alone but is linked via it's musical timeline. The next episode focuses on Dig's solo career as Digby Richards.

The 3rd episode with Leon takes a look at what happened to the R'Jays when Dig went solo and they changed names from the R'Jays to the Rajahs. They became known as the "Aussie Beatles", they were Festival Records resident recording band and also had the prestigious job as Johnny O'Keefes backing band for several years.

The 4th episode featuring Leon is about his band in the 1980's, The Mighty Guys, a band at the forefront of the Rock 'n' Roll revival, alongside groups such as Ol' 55. 

These four episodes of All Australian Music Stories feature some fantastic yarns and is a good-time history lesson of music in Australia.

Thank you for Listening, interview suggestions are more than welcomed - please like our Facebook page - All Australian Music Stories.

Hail, Hail, Australian Rock 'n' Roll.