R.I.P. Dale Corcoran (1966-2026)

I'd like to offer our deepest condolences to the family and friends of veteran local musician Dale Corcoran, who passed away on Sunday at the age of 59. His obituary is now up on SooToday, where it does not give details on services, but a "special musical gathering will take place at a later date", and in lieu of flowers, his family would appreciate memorial donations to a charity of your choice. Dale is survived by his wife Clare and his brother Phillip among other extended family, and he was predeceased by his daughter Krista-Lin. A native of Sackville, New Brunswick who was raised in the Soo, Dale will be familiar to local music fans of the 1980s from his work in hard rock/metal bands like Riggy Zomba, Vandyl, Dirty World, and Uncle Fester, along with later country-leaning bands like Tommy Gun, The Southern Guns, and The Hillbilly Heartbreakers, who evolved into what is today Tex Riviera & The Ride.

Dale also performed in Victim out of Sudbury, had a run as an Elvis Presley impersonator, and later worked and performed across Canada and internationally, later settling in Norwich, England with his wife. He most recently performed with the British pop rock band Paper Lace, who had a #1 single in 1974 with "The Night Chicago Died", and he toured with them in Australia in 2024. Dale's run in the local scene ended when I was still years away from following local bands, but he was a very talented musician and kind person by all accounts, and his far-flung music career has led to strong tributes here and afar from those who knew and worked with him. Understandably, media from his local band work is limited today, but his old Dirty World/Southern Guns bandmate Glen Thomas has posted a handful of videos on YouTube, including this C.C.R. cover by Dirty World.

This isn't a hard rock or metal performance, but I'll embed this brand new full-set video that Glen uploaded from a Southern Guns show that they played back in 1994 at the former(?) Princess Theater, where they were joined by the late Brent Blair (vocals/guitar), Terry Maich (bass), and Doug MacMillan (keyboard). While not getting much heavier than Steve Earle for cover choices, Dale does throw in some rock musician impressions between songs here, and the talent is very clear, even if the VHS quality is mixed by 2026 standards. Hopefully some more audio and video from his local career surfaces, as I'd be eager to hear and see more of his work. R.I.P. Dale!