Dolores Claman facts for kids

Dolores Olga Claman (born July 6, 1927 – died July 17, 2021) was a talented Canadian composer and pianist. She is most famous for creating the exciting theme song for the TV show Hockey Night In Canada. This song, called "The Hockey Theme", is so popular that many people call it Canada's unofficial second national anthem! Dolores also wrote "A Place to Stand". This song was part of a film shown at Montreal's Expo 67, a big world fair. Many people think "A Place to Stand" is like an anthem for the province of Ontario.

Early Life and Music Studies

Dolores Claman was born in Vancouver, Canada, on July 6, 1927. Her mother was an opera singer, and Dolores started learning piano in her hometown. She finished high school by age 16.

After high school, she studied music and drama at the University of Southern California. She then went to the Juilliard School to become a concert pianist. At Juilliard, she received a special scholarship. She learned piano from famous teachers like Rosina Lhévinne and Eduard Steuermann. She also studied composition with Vittorio Giannini and Bernard Wagenaar. Dolores became very interested in jazz music. Because of this, she decided to focus on composing music instead of just playing piano. After graduating, she moved to London, England, in 1953.

A Career in Music

In the 1950s, while living in Britain, Dolores Claman wrote music for ITV. She also composed songs for musical shows in London's West End. Later, she moved to Toronto, Canada. There, she worked with her writing partner and husband, Richard Morris.

Together, Dolores and Richard created over 3,000 commercial jingles. These are short, catchy tunes used in advertisements. They worked together for 30 years and won more than 40 international awards for their music. Dolores's two most famous songs, "A Place to Stand" and "The Hockey Theme", were arranged by Jerry Toth. Jerry, his brother Rudy Toth, and Richard Morris all worked together at a company called Quartet Productions.

In 2004, Dolores Claman took legal action against the CBC. She said they used "The Hockey Theme" without her permission in other shows. They also sold it as a phone ringtone and used it outside Canada. On June 9, 2008, it was announced that Dolores sold the rights to the song to CTV. CTV is a private TV company that also broadcasts hockey games. They bought the rights to the song forever. This happened after the CBC could not agree on a deal with Dolores.

"The Hockey Theme" was very popular. Many children sent letters and drawings to Dolores over the years. On June 20, 2016, Dolores Claman received the Cultural Impact Award. She won this award for "The Hockey Theme" at the SOCAN Awards in Toronto.

Personal Life

Dolores Claman married Richard Morris in 1957. They met when she was living in London. They remained married until her death, even though they lived separately. Richard lived in Spain, and Dolores continued to live in London. They had a daughter named Madeleine and a son named Michael. Dolores Claman passed away on July 17, 2021, in Spain. She was 94 years old.

See also

• Music of Canada
• List of Canadian composers