2007 Inductee - Dan Ducharme
Dan was born in Ottawa
in 1946, one of a family of ten, many of whom carried the music gene. Dan
gravitated to country music while still in hig
h
school, and it was due to this early direction that, many years later, he found
himself on the Board of Directors of the Ottawa
Valley Country Music Hall of Fame.
Dan’s love of the music, together with his leadership and organizational skills, have taken the Board in many new directions, all of which have been geared to furthering the Hall of Fame’s objectives of promoting public interest in country music and organizing events at which it can be heard and enjoyed.
In addition to his position as Treasurer and Director of Events Planning with the Board, Dan, with some initial trepidation, took on the role of Producer of the Awards Show in 2000. Over the years, he has spent countless hours of pre-production work involving the show schedule, lighting and sound requirements, stage lay-out, poster design, performer rehearsals, meetings with Centrepointe technical staff, etc., etc. and, during the show, he’s backstage directing the entire operation. He will tell you that he hasn’t done it single-handedly, but we know that he’s the driving force behind it, with his dedication, attention to detail, and commitment to recognizing the many talented people who made country music what it is today in the Ottawa Valley. In 2009, Dan decided to pass on the reins of directing the yearly HOF induction Ceremony to his son Dale, however, Dan still remains behind the scenes as co-producer.
In addition to his work with the Hall of Fame, Dan has played in many groups through the years. As lead guitar player for 19 years with Hi & Dri Country, Burt Acres, as a lead vocalist for Ghost Train, and more recently as a member of WRD, consisting of HOF alumni, Wilf Arsenault, and Doug Sinclair. In 2001, Dan released a CD, entitled "Danny Boy", of which includes some of Dan's favourite Country Tunes, including a song penned by his elder brother Don.
Dan and his wife, Eileen, have been married for over 44 years and have two sons, Dean and Dale, and three grandchildren, Alex, Deanna and Sabrina.