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Dale was born and raised in Ottawa Ontario, and to use a cliché, he was "Raised on Country Music". Born into a musical family, Dale was fortunate to have a father, (2007 Hall of Fame inductee Dan Ducharme), himself an aspiring Country Music singer/musician, provide guidance and patience as Dale took up playing guitar at age 5.
Dale’s early years were also filled with family gatherings. These family events would no doubt be filled with the sounds of guitars and singing; an impression left on Dale, as Dan and his brothers all played music. By the age of 14, after much encouragement by Dan, Mother Eileen, Dale was playing bass professionally at establishments from Ottawa to Fort Coulonge with several groups, however most notably with the late Ed Pigeon.
While Dale continued to periodically play music with Ed, when possible, he continued to shadow his Father Dan’s band at the time, Hi & Dri Country. Dale would sit in with the group on rhythm guitar, just for the opportunity to play live music, and of course, to share time with Dan. Doug and Shirley Sinclair, of Hi & Dri, were also contributors and influence which inspired Dale’s career. By his late teens, Dale had played bass for several years with Hi & Dri, and on weekends off, would freelance on bass with Joe Teevens, Gord Barnes, Ron McMunn, and along with Gary Fairburn & Donna Moon.
By his early twenties, Dale was asked to play bass in a house band at the newly opened Nashville Palace in Ottawa. The proprietors, Gary & Donna, whom Dale had played music with for a number of years, thought Dale would be a good ’fit‘ for their venue and a great addition to an already formed group. Over a three year period, playing sometimes 3-4 nights a week, Dale was honored to play music with many entertainers during this period; Neville Wells, Tony True, Rick Thompson, Rodger Coulombe, Carl Cesare, Al Bragg, Steve Piticco, Bob Boucher, Sam Henry, Christine McCann, Buddy McCann, and Ralph Carlson, to name a few. Dale has continued to play music with many of these individuals to this day.
By the late 90’s, with encouragement from his father, Dan, and Ralph Carlson, Dale was asked to join the Board of Directors of the Ottawa Valley Country Music Hall of Fame. Dale continued to volunteer on the Hall of Fame Board of Directors from Jan 1999 to Jan 2013, serving 2 terms as President. Dale also ushered the Hall of Fame into the era of the Internet, by initially creating the Hall of Fame website, and continuing to be its Webmaster to this day. Moreover, Dale has participated heavily with the production of the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies since joining the board in ’99. First, as a key production assistant for many years, eventually becoming the Hall of Fame show Producer/Director since 2012. In 2015, Dale has stepped back slightly from the producer/director role of the show, and presently volunteers his services as a Direction Consultant for the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.
Over many years of playing music, Dale has become extremely proficient on numerous instruments such as Bass and acoustic guitars, as well as the drums. Through to present day, Dale has been honored to play "tons" of music and record with many wonderful musicians and singers. Most notably, over the last 22 years, along with dear friends Rodger Coulombe, Mike Hamelin, and Brian Ostrom, Dale continues to play Country Music in the valley with their group "Unwound".
Dale is happily married to Debralee, and together they have 3 children, Alex, Deanna and Sabrina.
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