Dino, Desi, & Billy
Encyclopedia
Dino, Desi & Billy was a singing group that existed between 1964 and 1969. The group featured Dean "Dino" Martin (Dean Paul Martin
, the son of traditional pop
singer Dean Martin
), Desi Arnaz, Jr.
(Desiderio Arnaz IV, the son of television
stars Desi Arnaz
and Lucille Ball
), and their friend Billy Hinsche
. A reconstituted version of the group performed between 1998 and 2010.
, who owned Reprise Records
, the recording label for Dean Martin. On most of their records, they did not play their own instruments, but used top session players, producers and songwriters. Producers included Lee Hazlewood
, Billy Strange
and Jimmy Bowen
. Songwriters whose compositions were recorded by the group included Lee Hazlewood, David Gates
, Boyce & Hart, Clint Ballard, Jr.
and Bonner & Gordon.
Dino, Desi & Billy's best known songs were "I'm A Fool" (1965; U.S. Billboard Hot 100
#17) and "Not The Lovin' Kind" (1965; U.S. #25). Both were hits for the group before any group member had reached the age of fifteen. Following this success, they toured as an opening act for the Beach Boys in 1965. The group also opened for Paul Revere & the Raiders
, Tommy Roe
, Sam the Sham
, the Lovin' Spoonful and the Mamas and the Papas.
The band did not have a top forty hit after 1965, despite releasing records for five years thereafter. The group's contributions to music history have been met with critically mixed reactions. Respected critic Richie Unterberger
describes the band as a group that "never had an ounce of credibility", with music that was "innocuously bland in the extreme, making The Monkees
...sound positively innovative and hard-nosed in comparison." He further contends that the resources devoted to Dino, Desi & Billy in an effort to make them successful took away valuable support needed by other bands at the time, such as label mates The Kinks
: Dino, Desi & Billy "took away valuable air time and sales from much better groups that really needed it, in an era in which chart considerations were much more vital to ensure an ongoing career." These sentiments may be contrasted with the fact that the band was well thought of by the Beach Boys, to the extent that Brian Wilson
co-wrote with Billy Hinsche one of the band's original songs, and their final single, "Lady Love".
The group released one album in 1965 and three albums in 1966. In contrast to the albums of other pop artists at that time, Dino, Desi & Billy albums contained primarily cover versions
of Top 40 songs made popular by others, with original content being minor. The three boys make an appearance in the Dean Martin Film Murderers' Row
and sing the Boyce & Hart song, "If You're Thinkin' What I'm Thinkin'". From 1966 to 1970, the group continued to release singles, encountering marginal success, which was not altered by a change of label to Columbia Records
in 1969. Also in 1969, the group contributed three songs to the soundtrack of the surf film Follow Me. The group received top billing on the soundtrack album, despite the fact that most of the album featured music by composer Stu Phillips. Later in 1969, the group broke up, due in part to Desi joining his mother's television show and Hinsche wishing to commence university studies. The group's last single, "Lady Love", was released by Reprise Records in 1970, after the group had broken up.
In 1996, Sundazed Records
released The Rebel Kind: The Best of Dino, Desi & Billy, in which all of the group's singles and other non-cover material was collected for the first time on one album.
From 1998 to 2010, a reconfiguration of the group, known as "Ricci, Desi, & Billy", performed at various times, in addition to releasing two live albums. The band performed new material and the original hits, with Ricci Martin, the youngest son of singer Dean Martin, replacing his late older brother, Dean Paul Martin.
Dean Paul Martin
Dean Paul Martin was an American entertainer, noted as a tennis player, a singer and actor, and a military pilot.-Early life and career:...
, the son of traditional pop
Traditional pop music
Traditional pop or classic pop or standards music denotes, in general, Western popular music that either wholly predates the advent of rock and roll in the mid-1950s, or to any popular music which exists concurrently to rock and roll but originated in a time before the appearance of rock and roll,...
singer Dean Martin
Dean Martin
Dean Martin was an American singer, film actor, television star and comedian. Martin's hit singles included "Memories Are Made of This", "That's Amore", "Everybody Loves Somebody", "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You", "Sway", "Volare" and "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?"...
), Desi Arnaz, Jr.
Desi Arnaz, Jr.
Desi Arnaz, Jr. , is an American actor and musician and the son of entertainers Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz.-Early life:...
(Desiderio Arnaz IV, the son of television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
stars Desi Arnaz
Desi Arnaz
Desi Arnaz was a Cuban-born American musician, actor and television producer. While he gained international renown for leading a Latin music band, the Desi Arnaz Orchestra, he is probably best known for his role as Ricky Ricardo on the American TV series I Love Lucy, starring with Lucille Ball, to...
and Lucille Ball
Lucille Ball
Lucille Désirée Ball was an American comedian, film, television, stage and radio actress, model, film and television executive, and star of the sitcoms I Love Lucy, The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour, The Lucy Show, Here's Lucy and Life With Lucy...
), and their friend Billy Hinsche
Billy Hinsche
William "Billy" Hinsche is an American musician who was part of the singing group Dino, Desi, & Billy. He has also provided backing vocals for Warren Zevon and toured with The Beach Boys. His sister, Annie Hinsche-Wilson-Karges, was married to the group's guitarist, Carl Wilson.- External links...
. A reconstituted version of the group performed between 1998 and 2010.
History
Dino Martin, Desi Arnaz Jr. and Billy Hinsche first met in grammar school. Due to the family connections of Dino and Desi, the band's first audition was for Frank SinatraFrank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
, who owned Reprise Records
Reprise Records
Reprise Records is an American record label, founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operated through Warner Bros. Records.-Beginnings:...
, the recording label for Dean Martin. On most of their records, they did not play their own instruments, but used top session players, producers and songwriters. Producers included Lee Hazlewood
Lee Hazlewood
Lee Hazlewood , born Barton Lee Hazlewood was an American country and pop singer, songwriter, and record producer, most widely known for his work with guitarist Duane Eddy during the late 1950s and singer Nancy Sinatra in the 1960s.Hazlewood had a distinctive baritone voice that added an ominous...
, Billy Strange
Billy Strange
William E. "Billy" Strange is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and actor.-Recordings and songwriting:...
and Jimmy Bowen
Jimmy Bowen
Jimmy Bowen is an American record producer and former pop music performer.Bowen was born in Santa Rita, New Mexico. He began as a teenage recording star in 1957 with "I'm Stickin' With You," originally the flip side of the hit record "Party Doll" by Buddy Knox, but ultimately a Top 20 recording...
. Songwriters whose compositions were recorded by the group included Lee Hazlewood, David Gates
David Gates
David Gates is an American singer-songwriter, best known as the lead singer of the group Bread, which reached the tops of the musical charts in Europe and North America on several occasions in the 1970s. The band was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame...
, Boyce & Hart, Clint Ballard, Jr.
Clint Ballard, Jr.
Clint Ballard, Jr. was an American songwriter. He wrote two Billboard Hot 100 number one hits. The first was "Game of Love" by Wayne Fontana and The Mindbenders in 1965...
and Bonner & Gordon.
Dino, Desi & Billy's best known songs were "I'm A Fool" (1965; U.S. Billboard Hot 100
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...
#17) and "Not The Lovin' Kind" (1965; U.S. #25). Both were hits for the group before any group member had reached the age of fifteen. Following this success, they toured as an opening act for the Beach Boys in 1965. The group also opened for Paul Revere & the Raiders
Paul Revere & the Raiders
Paul Revere & the Raiders is an American rock band that saw considerable U.S. mainstream success in the second half of the 1960s and early 1970s with hits such as "Kicks" , "Hungry" , "Him Or Me - What's It Gonna Be?" and the 1971 No...
, Tommy Roe
Tommy Roe
Tommy Roe is an American pop music singer-songwriter.Best-remembered for his hits "Sheila" and "Dizzy" , critic Bill Dahl wrote that Roe was "widely perceived as one of the archetypal bubblegum artists of the late 1960s, but Roe cut some pretty decent rockers along the way, especially early in his...
, Sam the Sham
Sam the Sham
Sam the Sham is the stage name of the American rock and roll singer Domingo “Sam” Samudio . Sam the Sham was known for his camp robe and turban and hauling his equipment in a 1952 Packard hearse with maroon velvet curtains...
, the Lovin' Spoonful and the Mamas and the Papas.
The band did not have a top forty hit after 1965, despite releasing records for five years thereafter. The group's contributions to music history have been met with critically mixed reactions. Respected critic Richie Unterberger
Richie Unterberger
Richie Unterberger is a US author and journalist whose focus is popular music and travel writing.-Life and writing:Having worked as a DJ at WXPN in Philadelphia, he started reviewing records for Op magazine in 1983...
describes the band as a group that "never had an ounce of credibility", with music that was "innocuously bland in the extreme, making The Monkees
The Monkees
The Monkees are an American pop rock group. Assembled in Los Angeles in 1966 by Robert "Bob" Rafelson and Bert Schneider for the American television series The Monkees, which aired from 1966 to 1968, the musical acting quartet was composed of Americans Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork,...
...sound positively innovative and hard-nosed in comparison." He further contends that the resources devoted to Dino, Desi & Billy in an effort to make them successful took away valuable support needed by other bands at the time, such as label mates The Kinks
The Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, by brothers Ray and Dave Davies in 1964. Categorised in the United States as a British Invasion band, The Kinks are recognised as one of the most important and influential rock acts of the era. Their music was influenced by a...
: Dino, Desi & Billy "took away valuable air time and sales from much better groups that really needed it, in an era in which chart considerations were much more vital to ensure an ongoing career." These sentiments may be contrasted with the fact that the band was well thought of by the Beach Boys, to the extent that Brian Wilson
Brian Wilson
Brian Douglas Wilson is an American musician, best known as the leader and chief songwriter of the group The Beach Boys. Within the band, Wilson played bass and keyboards, also providing part-time lead vocals and, more often, backing vocals, harmonizing in falsetto with the group...
co-wrote with Billy Hinsche one of the band's original songs, and their final single, "Lady Love".
The group released one album in 1965 and three albums in 1966. In contrast to the albums of other pop artists at that time, Dino, Desi & Billy albums contained primarily cover versions
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of Top 40 songs made popular by others, with original content being minor. The three boys make an appearance in the Dean Martin Film Murderers' Row
Murderers' Row (film)
Murderers' Row is a 1966 American comedy-spy-fi film starring Dean Martin and very loosely based upon the Matt Helm spy novel Murderers' Row by Donald Hamilton, which was published in 1962....
and sing the Boyce & Hart song, "If You're Thinkin' What I'm Thinkin'". From 1966 to 1970, the group continued to release singles, encountering marginal success, which was not altered by a change of label to Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
in 1969. Also in 1969, the group contributed three songs to the soundtrack of the surf film Follow Me. The group received top billing on the soundtrack album, despite the fact that most of the album featured music by composer Stu Phillips. Later in 1969, the group broke up, due in part to Desi joining his mother's television show and Hinsche wishing to commence university studies. The group's last single, "Lady Love", was released by Reprise Records in 1970, after the group had broken up.
In 1996, Sundazed Records
Sundazed Records
Sundazed Records is a record label based in Coxsackie, in the Catskills of New York. It specializes in obscure and rare recordings from the 1950s to the 1970s.Label founders Bob Irwin and his wife Mary started the label in 1989...
released The Rebel Kind: The Best of Dino, Desi & Billy, in which all of the group's singles and other non-cover material was collected for the first time on one album.
From 1998 to 2010, a reconfiguration of the group, known as "Ricci, Desi, & Billy", performed at various times, in addition to releasing two live albums. The band performed new material and the original hits, with Ricci Martin, the youngest son of singer Dean Martin, replacing his late older brother, Dean Paul Martin.
Singles
- Since You Broke My Heart / We Know -- Reprise 0324 -- released 11-2-64
- I'm A Fool / So Many Ways -- Reprise 0367 -- 4-12-65
- Not The Lovin' Kind / Chimes Of Freedom -- Reprise 0401 -- 8-18-65
- Please Don't Fight It / The Rebel Kind -- Reprise 0426 -- 11-10-65
- Superman / I Can't Get Her Off My Mind -- Reprise 0444 -- 1-19-66
- Tie Me Down / It's Just The Way You Are -- Reprise 0462 -- 3-23-66
- Look Out Girls (Here We Come) / She's So Far She's In -- Reprise 0469 -- 5-20-66
- I Hope She's There Tonight / Josephine -- Reprise 0529 --10-12-66
- If You're Thinkin' What I'm Thinkin' / Pretty Flamingo -- Reprise 0544 -- 12-13-66
- Two in the Afternoon / Good Luck, Best Wishes to You -- Reprise 0579 -- 4-19-67
- Kitty Doyle / Without Hurtin' Some -- Reprise 0619 -- 8-2-67
- My What a Shame / The Inside Outside Caspar Milquetoast Eskimo Flash -- Reprise 0653
- Tell Someone You Love Them / General Outlne -- Reprise 0698 -- 5-29-68
- Thru Spray Colored Glasses / Someday -- Uni 55127
- Hawley / Let's Talk it Over -- Columbia 4-44975 -- 1969
- Lady Love / A Certain Sound -- Reprise 0965 -- 10-14-70
Albums
- I'm a Fool -- RepriseReprise RecordsReprise Records is an American record label, founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operated through Warner Bros. Records.-Beginnings:...
R/RS 6176 -- U.S. #51, 9/65 - Our Time's Coming -- Reprise R/RS 6194 -- U.S. #119, 2/66
- Memories Are Made of This -- Reprise R/RS 6198 -- 1966
- Souvenir -- Reprise R/RS 6224 -- 1966
- Follow Me Original Soundtrack -- UniUni RecordsUni Records was a record label owned by MCA Inc. The brand, which long featured a distinct UNi logo, was established in 1966 by MCA executive Ned Tanen and developed by music industry veteran Russ Regan...
ST73056 -- 1969 - The Rebel Kind: The Best of Dino, Desi & Billy -- SundazedSundazed RecordsSundazed Records is a record label based in Coxsackie, in the Catskills of New York. It specializes in obscure and rare recordings from the 1950s to the 1970s.Label founders Bob Irwin and his wife Mary started the label in 1989...
, 1996