'Dickie' Mayes Remembered As Singer, Gentleman, Loving Husband
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Richard Mayes is remembered as a talented and popular singer, but for a family in Minneapolis, he was a loving husband and father.
In the 1950s and '60s, Mayes entertained audiences at Twin Cities clubs with his smooth, silky voice.
His stage name was "Dickie" Mayes and he had quite the following during his years as a lead vocalist with bands across the Twin Cities.
"He had special songs he sang to me. 'Our Love is Here to Stay' which was our song," said Nila Mayes, his wife of more than 60 years. "The other one he'd sing to me is 'The More I See You, the More I Want You.'"
She says he was quite the entertainer and regularly performed at hotels like the old Sheraton-Ritz in Minneapolis, as well as weddings, fashion shows and holiday parties.
"I would always say 'I married the man I loved, he just happened to be black,' and it was difficult," she said.
Nila says interracial dating in the 1950s was rare in Minnesota.
"We were not welcome in restaurants or clubs," she said. "We could go in and they'd serve me, but they wouldn't serve him."
Blacks and whites were often treated differently.
"I recall very well he couldn't try on a hat because if he tried on a hat, he had to buy it," she said.
Dickie and Nila raised four sons.
As parenthood became a priority, Dickie's singing career took a back seat.
He went to beauty school and became a hair stylist. His favorite client was his wife.
"He would put rollers in my hair. And when I got up to go to work in the morning, he'd...do a comb out for me," she said.
Ladd Mayes, the couple's youngest son, says his father left a lasting impression on him.
"Just being a gentleman, treating a lady a certain way...which I witnessed so it wasn't hard to do," he said, adding: "Just the way I handle things sometimes is a lot like him."
Richard "Dickie" Mayes was 88 years old when he died on Aug. 8.
