DiFosco "Dee" T. Ervin Jr. (July 6, 1932 - August 27, 1995), usually known professionally as Big Dee Irwin, was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 singer and songwriter whose biggest hit was a version of "Swinging On A Star

Swinging on a Star

"Swinging on a Star" is an American pop standard with music composed by Jimmy Van Heusen and lyrics by Johnny Burke. It was sung by Bing Crosby in the 1944 film Going My Way, winning an Academy Award for Best Original Song that year, and has been recorded by numerous artists since...

" in 1963, recorded as a duet with Little Eva

Little Eva

Eva Narcissus Boyd , known by the stage name of Little Eva , was an American pop singer.-Biography:...

.

Life and career

Dee Ervin was born in Harlem, New York. Some sources give his first name as Defosca and his family name as Erwin.

He joined the United States Air Force

United States Air Force

The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...

, and in 1954 was based at Narsarssuak Air Base in Greenland

Greenland

Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...

. While there, he formed a singing group, The Pastels, with himself as lead singer, Richard Travis (first tenor), Tony Thomas (second tenor) and Jimmy Willingham (baritone). They performed in Air Force talent shows and, after being transferred to Washington D.C., took part in a national show, Tops In Blue, in 1957. They then auditioned and won a contract with Hull Records in New York

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

, and recorded a song written by Ervin, "Been So Long". The record was released locally on the subsidiary Mascot label before being leased to Chess Records

Chess Records

Chess Records was an American record label based in Chicago, Illinois. It specialized in blues, R&B, soul, gospel music, early rock and roll, and occasional jazz releases....

 who issued it on their Argo label. At the same time, the members of The Pastels were leaving the Air Force, Ervin being discharged in February 1958. "Been So Long" reached # 4 on the Billboard

Billboard (magazine)

Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...

R&B chart and # 24 on the pop chart, and The Pastels toured widely and appeared on concert bills. In March 1958 they featured as part of Alan Freed

Alan Freed

Albert James "Alan" Freed , also known as Moondog, was an American disc-jockey. He became internationally known for promoting the mix of blues, country and rhythm and blues music on the radio in the United States and Europe under the name of rock and roll...

's touring Big Beat Show, which also included Jerry Lee Lewis

Jerry Lee Lewis

Jerry Lee Lewis is an American rock and roll and country music singer-songwriter and pianist. An early pioneer of rock and roll music, Lewis's career faltered after he married his young cousin, and he afterwards made a career extension to country and western music. He is known by the nickname 'The...

, Chuck Berry

Chuck Berry

Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such as "Maybellene" , "Roll Over Beethoven" , "Rock and Roll Music" and "Johnny B...

, Buddy Holly

Buddy Holly

Charles Hardin Holley , known professionally as Buddy Holly, was an American singer-songwriter and a pioneer of rock and roll...

, Frankie Lymon

Frankie Lymon

Franklin Joseph "Frankie" Lymon was an American rock and roll/rhythm and blues singer and songwriter, best known as the boy soprano lead singer of a New York City-based early rock and roll group, The Teenagers. The group was composed of five boys, all in their early to mid teens...

, Larry Williams

Larry Williams

Larry Williams was an American rhythm and blues and rock and roll singer, songwriter, producer, and pianist from New Orleans, Louisiana...

, and Screamin' Jay Hawkins

Screamin' Jay Hawkins

Jalacy Hawkins , best known as Screamin' Jay Hawkins was an American musician, singer, and actor...

. The group's second record, "You Don't Love Me Anymore", was released in April 1958, but was not a hit

Hit record

A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...

. They performed at the Apollo Theater

Apollo Theater

The Apollo Theater in New York City is one of the most famous, and older, music halls in the United States, and the most famous club associated almost exclusively with Black performers...

 later in 1958, but split up early the following year.

Ervin then started a solo career on Hull Records as Dee Erwin, and also recorded on the Bliss label, before signing for Dimension Records

Dimension Records

Dimension Records was a record label founded in 1962 in New York City by Don Kirshner and Al Nevins, owners of Aldon Music. It concentrated on the girl group sound and showcased songs by Goffin and King. Their composition "The Loco-Motion", sung by Little Eva, gave it its biggest hit...

 as Big Dee Irwin, and releasing a version of the 1944 Bing Crosby

Bing Crosby

Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....

 song "Swinging On A Star" which also featured Little Eva (uncredited on the UK issue). In 1963 the song reached # 38 on the US pop chart. It became a bigger hit in the UK

UK Singles Chart

The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...

 where it rose to # 7, and Irwin then took part in a nine month tour of Britain. Neither Irwin's follow-up, "Happy Being Fat", again with Little Eva, nor later releases on Dimension, were successful. However, Irwin continued to release singles for a variety of labels through the 1960s, and also worked as a songwriter for Ray Charles

Ray Charles

Ray Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...

, Bobby Womack

Bobby Womack

Robert Dwayne "Bobby" Womack is an American singer-songwriter and musician. An active recording artist since the early 1960s where he started his career as the lead singer of his family musical group The Valentinos and as Sam Cooke's backing guitarist, Womack's career has spanned more than 40...

, and others - the Hollies included his "What Kind of Boy" on their 1964 album In The Hollies Style

In The Hollies Style

In The Hollies Style is the second studio album by British beat group The Hollies, released on the Parlophone label in November 1964. The album was later released in Canada by Capitol Records on October 4, 1965 with a different track listing....

. In 1976, initially under the name DiFosco, he released the disco

Disco

Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...

 single "Face To Face". His last record release was in 1978.

Irwin died of heart failure

Congestive heart failure

Heart failure often called congestive heart failure is generally defined as the inability of the heart to supply sufficient blood flow to meet the needs of the body. Heart failure can cause a number of symptoms including shortness of breath, leg swelling, and exercise intolerance. The condition...

 in 1995. His son, David Ervin

David Ervin

David Ervin is a jazz funk keyboard player.From the age of 10 Ervin grew up in Altadena, California, where he began to take after his musical father DiFosco Ervin, a.k.a. Big Dee Irwin. DiFosco Ervin was a singer, songwriter, and recording artist who led the Doo-Wop singing group "The Pastels"...

, has played piano

Piano

The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...

 professionally as a studio

Recording studio

A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...

 musician.

Discography

Hull Records - (as Dee Erwin)

• "I Can't Help It (I'm Falling In Love)" / "Rubin Rubin" — 1959
• "Let's Try Again" /"'Tis Farewell" — 1960

Bliss Records (as Dee Erwin)

• "Someday You'll Understand Why" / "Anytime" — 1961

Dimension Records

Dimension Records

Dimension Records was a record label founded in 1962 in New York City by Don Kirshner and Al Nevins, owners of Aldon Music. It concentrated on the girl group sound and showcased songs by Goffin and King. Their composition "The Loco-Motion", sung by Little Eva, gave it its biggest hit...

 (as Big Dee Irwin; * with Little Eva

Little Eva

Eva Narcissus Boyd , known by the stage name of Little Eva , was an American pop singer.-Biography:...

)

• "Everybody's Got A Dance But Me" / "And Heaven Was Here" — 1962
• "Swinging On A Star" / "Another Night With The Boys" — 1963 - U.S.
  Billboard Hot 100
  The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
  
   # 38, UK
  UK Singles Chart
  The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
  
   # 7
• "Happy Being Fat" * / "Soul Waltzin'" — 1963
• "Skeeter" / "You're My Inspiration" — 1963
• "The Christmas Song" * / "I Wish You A Merry Christmas" * — 1963
• "Heigh Ho" */ "I Want So Much To Know You" — 1964

20th Century Fox Records (as Big Dee Irwin)

• "Donkey Walk" / "Someday You'll Understand Why" — 1963

Roulette Records

Roulette Records

Roulette Records is an American record label, which was founded in late 1956, by George Goldner, Joe Kolsky, Morris Levy and Phil Khals, with creative control given to producers and songwriters Hugo Peretti and Luigi Creatore. Levy was appointed as director...

 (as Dee Erwin)

• "Discotheque" / "The Sun's Gonna Shine Tomorrow" — 1965

Rotate Records (as Big Dee Irwin)

• "I Wanna Stay Right Here With You" / "You Satisfy My Needs" — 1965
• "Follow My Heart" / "Stop Heart" — 1965

Fairmont Records (as Big Dee Irwin)

• "Sweet Young Thing Like You" / "You Really Are Together" — 1966

Astra Records (as Dee Irwin)

• "I Can't Help It" / "My One And Only Dream" — 1966

Phil-La Records (as Big Dee Irwin)

• "Better To Have Loved And Lost" / "Linda" — 1967

Polydor Records

Polydor Records

Polydor is a record label owned by Universal Music Group, headquartered in the United Kingdom.-Beginnings:Polydor was originally an independent branch of the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. Its name was first used as an export label in 1924, the British and German branches of the Gramophone...

 (as Big Dee Irwin and Suzie [Maria Pereboom])

• "Ain't That Loving You Baby" / "I Can't Get Over You" — 1968

Imperial Records

Imperial Records

Imperial Records is a United States based label started in 1947 by Lew Chudd and reactivated in 2006 by label owner EMI.- The independent and Liberty Records years :...

 (as Dee Irwin)

• "I Only Get This Feeling" / "Wrong Direction" — 1968
• "I Can't Stand The Pain" / "My Hope To Die Girl" — 1968

Imperial Records (as Big Dee Irwin and Mamie Galore)

• "By the Time I Get to Phoenix
  By the Time I Get to Phoenix
  "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" is the title of a song written by Jimmy Webb. Originally recorded by Johnny Rivers in 1965, it was made famous by American country music singer Glen Campbell, appearing as the opening track on the latter's 1967 album of the same name. Campbell's version reached #2 on...
  
  " / "I Say A Little Prayer" — 1968
• "Day Tripper
  Day Tripper
  "Day Tripper" is a song by The Beatles, released as a double A-side single with "We Can Work It Out". Both songs were recorded during the sessions for the Rubber Soul album...
  
  " / "I Didn't Wanna Do It, But I Did" — 1969
• "Ain't No Way" / "Cherish" — 1969

Earthquake Records (as DiFosco)

• "Sunshine Love" / "You Saved Me From Destruction" — 1971

Signpost Records (as Dee Ervin)

• "Darling, Please Take Me Back" (Stereo
  STEREO
  STEREO is a solar observation mission. Two nearly identical spacecraft were launched into orbits that cause them to respectively pull farther ahead of and fall gradually behind the Earth...
  
  ) / "Darling, Please Take Me Back" (Mono) — 1972

Roxbury Records

• "You Broke My Face" / "Face To Face" — 1976 (as DiFosco)
• "You Broke My Face" / "Face To Face" — 1976 (as Dee Ervin)
• "The I Love You Song" / "I Can't Get You Off My Mind" — 1976 (as Dee Ervin)

20th Century Fox (as Dee Erwin)

• "The I Love You Song" / "Ship Of Love" - 1978

External links

• The Dead Rock Stars Club website