Dolores Claman, the woman behind the catchy tune that used to introduce CBCB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址淗ockey Night in CanadaB次元官网网址� broadcasts, has died at 94.
ClamanB次元官网网址檚 daughter Madeleine Morris said Saturday that her mother died in Spain this week, about two years after she was diagnosed with dementia.
B次元官网网址淪he was a good, ripe old age, and she had an incredible life,B次元官网网址� Morris told The Canadian Press. B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 teary from time to time, but mostly IB次元官网网址檓 thankful sheB次元官网网址檚 in peace.B次元官网网址�
Claman was born in Vancouver, grew up with an opera singer for a mother and studied at the University of Southern California, before being accepted to the Juilliard School in New York to train as a performing concert pianist, said Morris.
By the time she graduated, Claman decided she would rather be a composer and had developed a love of jazz, Morris recalled.
After graduating and the end of Second World War, her mother moved to England and met and married Richard Morris.
They later moved to Toronto and co-wrote thousands of jingles, including B次元官网网址滱 Place To StandB次元官网网址� with its popular B次元官网网址淥ntari-ari-ari-oB次元官网网址� lyric for the 1967 Expo.
Claman was working for Maclaren Advertising in 1968 when she was hired to write the theme song that opened CBCB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址淗ockey Night in CanadaB次元官网网址� broadcasts.
She never expected the song, often called CanadaB次元官网网址檚 second anthem, to become as successful as it did and said it wasnB次元官网网址檛 until at least 10 years after the tuneB次元官网网址檚 debut that she really realized its popularity.
B次元官网网址淪ome of my sonB次元官网网址檚 friends at school thought I was amazing. They came to the door to see me. And it became more and more popular,B次元官网网址� Claman told The Canadian Press in 2016.
B次元官网网址淚 wanted my name on it because I was watching hockey and at the end they say B次元官网网址榣ighting byB次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址榖est boy.B次元官网网址� I phoned CBC and wrote to somebody (there). They wouldnB次元官网网址檛 give it to me. They saw no reason why.B次元官网网址�
She eventually negotiated the credit before licensing rights for the beloved track were sold to CTV in 2008, when Claman and the music agency representing her were unable to negotiate a deal with CBCB次元官网网址檚 sports division.
Claman was always pleased with the song, but the attention it got seemed to surprise her, Morris said.
B次元官网网址淪he was pretty stunned when people started making a really big fuss about it,B次元官网网址� Morris said.
B次元官网网址淚 remember watching her listen to a recording of it way later in lifeB次元官网网址� She was analyzing it and she said, B次元官网网址業 am really proud of that. It was good, it was good for what it should have been.B次元官网网址� B次元官网网址�
The song landed her a spot in the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2010.
Morris remembers her mom always having a deep love of music and said sheB次元官网网址檇 often analyze and comment on chord progressions or other elements of songs.
She also said her mother was a B次元官网网址渟trong feministB次元官网网址� and said sexism in the advertising business never seemed to faze her.
B次元官网网址淚 just did what I do. The mostly men (who) worked with me were very nice,B次元官网网址� Claman said in 2016, when discussing how she was one of few women in her industry.
B次元官网网址淩arely did I have any problems with them not wanting to work with a woman B次元官网网址� well yeah, a couple of times, but thatB次元官网网址檚 fair enough. I was lucky that I didnB次元官网网址檛 worry about it at the time.B次元官网网址�
But Morris did recall at least one incident when Claman went out for dinner decades ago with a client in Toronto. The restaurant refused to serve Claman because women were supposed to wear skirts and dresses. She was wearing an emerald green top and bell-bottoms.
B次元官网网址淪he just stood thereB次元官网网址n front of the ma卯tre dB次元官网网址� and the whole table and just unzipped her pants and took them off,B次元官网网址� said Morris.
The family will scatter her ashes at the park and in the Mediterranean because Morris said her mother loved travelling and admired the gardens in the U.K.B次元官网网址檚 RegentB次元官网网址檚 Park.
Tara Deschamps, The Canadian Press
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