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Dean Dillon
Dillon in 2017
Background information
Birth name	Larry Dean Flynn
Also known as	Dean Rutherford Dean Dalton
Born	(1955-03-26) March 26, 1955 (age 69) Lake City, Tennessee, U.S.
Genres	Country
Occupation(s)	Singer, songwriter
Instrument(s)	Vocals, guitar
Years active	1979–present
Labels	RCA, Capitol, Atlantic

Dean Dillon (born Larry Dean Flynn; March 26, 1955) is an American country musician and songwriter. Between 1982 and 1993, he recorded six studio albums on various labels, and charted several singles on the Billboard country charts. Since 1993, Dillon has continued to write hit songs for other artists, most notably George Strait.

In 2002, Dillon was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 2020, he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Early life

Dean Dillon was born Larry Dean Flynn on March 26, 1955, in Lake City, Tennessee, where he was raised. He began playing the guitar at the age of seven, and when he was 15 he made his first public appearance as a singer and performer in the Knoxville variety show Jim Clayton Startime. After completing Oak Ridge High School in 1973 he hitchhiked to Nashville with hopes of starting a music career. Dillon first recorded on the Plantation label as Dean Rutherford, and then as Dean Dalton. Upon moving to RCA Records, he was persuaded to change his recording name; record executive Jerry Bradley randomly picked the name Dillon from a telephone book.

Career

Recording artist

As a recording artist between 1979 and 1983, Dillon charted eight times, including one top 30 hit, "I'm into the Bottle (To Get You out of My Mind)". He was featured on several duet albums with songwriting partner Gary Stewart. Early songwriting success earned Dillon a recording deal with Capitol Records for whom he released two studio albums. In 1991, now at Atlantic Records, Dillon released his most successful and most recent studio album, Out of Your Ever Lovin' Mind.

Songwriter

As a songwriter, early successes includes David Allan Coe's 1981 hit "Tennessee Whiskey". Dillon has written many singles for George Strait, including "Unwound", "Down and Out", "Marina del Rey", "The Chair", "Nobody in His Right Mind Would've Left Her", "It Ain't Cool to Be Crazy About You", "Ocean Front Property", "Famous Last Words of a Fool", "I've Come to Expect It from You", "If I Know Me", "Easy Come, Easy Go", "Lead On", "The Best Day", "She Let Herself Go", "Living for the Night", "Here for a Good Time", "Drinkin' Man", "I Believe" and "Every Little Honky Tonk Bar". Strait and his son Bubba co-wrote the latter five with Dillon.

Record label

In 2018 he met Sundance Head at a Houston Rodeo and fell in love with his voice. "The first time I heard 'Dance' I thought, 'where has THIS guy been hiding? I've been in this business all my life, and with the exception of a couple of people, I've never heard anybody sing the way this man does. He is extremely special," says Dillon. With the help of business associates from Texas, Dillon created his own record label WildCatter Records, signing Sundance Head. On January 25, 2019, their first album together, Stained Glass and Neon, was released.

Personal life

Dillon's daughter, Jessie Jo Dillon, is also a songwriter. He also has another daughter, named Song, who is also a singer songwriter.

Discography

Albums

Singles

Music videos

Songs written

Dillon has worked with a younger generation of country stars including Toby Keith and Kenny Chesney. In 2002, he was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame along with Bob Dylan and Shel Silverstein. Dillon co-wrote two songs on Toby Keith's 2005 album Honkytonk University, and five on his 2006 album White Trash with Money, including the single "A Little Too Late".

Dillon has either written or co-written the following singles for other artists:

Awards and nominations

As a recording artist

References

1. ^ "Poets and Prophets: Salute to Legendary Country Songwriter Dean Dillon Read more: Poets and Prophets: Salute to Legendary Country Songwriter Dean Dillon". Country Music Hall of Fame. November 1, 2008. Archived from the original on July 2, 2014. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
2. ^ Sterling, Todd. "Dean Dillon". AllMusic. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
3. Paulson, Matthew Leimkuehler and Dave. "Hank Williams Jr., Marty Stuart, Dean Dillon to enter the Country Music Hall of Fame". The Tennessean. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
4. "Biography". Dean Dillon. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
5. Clouse, Allie (August 13, 2020). "East Tennessee native Dean Dillon joins the Country Music Hall of Fame". Knoxville News Sentinel.
6. "About Sundance". Sundancehead.com. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
7. "Dean Dillon Launches Wildcatter Records, Signs 'Voice' Winner Sundance Head". Billboard.com. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
8. "New music from Sundance Head – "Stained Glass and Neon" –". Countryschatter.com. January 11, 2019. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
9. "Songwriter Profile: Jessie Jo Dillon". October 26, 2020.
10. "Dean Dillon - Hot Country Songs". Billboard. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
11. "Dean Dillon - RPM Country Singles". RPM. July 17, 2013. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
12. "New Videoclips" (PDF). Billboard. August 13, 1988.
13. "CMT : Videos : Dean Dillon : Hot, Country, And Single". Country Music Television. Archived from the original on July 22, 2012. Retrieved September 30, 2011.

External links

• Dean Dillon official website

• 1955 births
• American male singer-songwriters
• American country singer-songwriters
• Living people
• People from Rocky Top, Tennessee
• RCA Records Nashville artists
• Capitol Records artists
• Atlantic Records artists
• Singer-songwriters from Tennessee
• Country musicians from Tennessee
• Country Music Hall of Fame inductees