Billy Dean
William Harold "Billy" Dean Jr. (born April 2, 1962 in Quincy , Florida ) is an American country singer and songwriter who had a series of top 10 hits in the 1990s.
Beginnings
Billy Dean first played in his father's band at the age of eight. As a teenager he appeared in clubs on the Gulf Coast. Thanks to excellent performance in basketball, he received a college scholarship. But his real interest was in music, and so he dropped out after a year. A first important career step was in 1982 reaching the finals of a nationwide talent competition.
A little later he moved to Nashville , where he kept his head above water for several years as a backup singer, songwriter and with the recording of advertising jingles. Then he found employment with a music publisher. In 1988, winning the renowned Star Search talent competition led to a record deal with the Liberty label. In 1989, Randy Travis recorded Dean's composition Somewhere in My Broken Heart for his album No Holdin 'Back .
Career
Dean's first album Young Man was released in 1990. It contained several original compositions. Two decoupled singles were able to place in the country top 10. Somewhere in My Broken Heart was named Song of the Year by the Academy of Country Music . Billy Dean was also named Young Singer of the Year and received a Grammy nomination.
His second album Billy Dean was released in 1991. Again, several successful singles were released, including his most famous song Billy The Kid . The album achieved high sales and was gilded. After these initial successes, things went slightly downhill over the next few years. Only a few singles were able to place in the top 10. His albums fared significantly better. Fire In The Dark , released in 1993, achieved gold status, as did his greatest hits album and debut album Young Man .
In addition to his musical activities, Dean also worked as an actor and appeared in several television films. His last big hit for the time being came in 1996 with the song That Girl's Been Spyin 'On Me , which reached number five on the country charts. In 1999 he lost his record deal. In May 2000 he sang the harmony voices with Alison Krauss on Kenny Rogers ' number one hit Buy Me a Rose .
It took seven years until he released a new album with Let Them Be Little on the Curb label in 2005 . The title song made it into the top 10 again after many years of absence, but was also his last major success. Since 2005 Dean has not been able to place himself in the country charts.
Since the previous studio album was released in 2012 with the title A Man of Good Fortune for the indie label Rainman.
The artists who recorded Dean's songs include the Oak Ridge Boys , Kenny Rogers, Joe Diffie , Chad Brock and Ricky Skaggs .
Private
Dean has been married for the second time since 2005. He has two children from his first marriage. In the 1990s, Dean was in a relationship with actress and singer Crystal Bernard , who also recorded the duets Have We Forgotten What Love Is and To Dream Without You .
Discography
Studio albums
year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | |
---|---|---|---|---|
US | Country | |||
1990 | Young Man |
US99
gold
(26 weeks)US |
Country12 (74 weeks) Country |
|
1991 | Billy Dean |
US88
gold
(37 weeks)US |
Country22 (90 weeks) Country |
|
1993 | Fire in the Dark |
US83
gold
(16 weeks)US |
Country14 (26 weeks) Country |
|
1994 | Men'll be boys | - |
Country51 (10 weeks) Country |
|
1996 | It's What I Do |
US143 (5 weeks) US |
Country18 (25 weeks) Country |
|
1998 | Real man | - |
Country41 (5 weeks) Country |
|
2005 | Let Them Be Little |
US50 (3 weeks) US |
Country8 (16 weeks) Country |
More studio albums
- 2005: The Christ (A Song for Joseph)
- 2009: Sings Richard Leigh
- 2010: The One Behind the Wheel
- 2012: A Man of Good Fortune
Compilations
year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | |
---|---|---|---|---|
US | Country | |||
1994 | Greatest hits |
US148
gold
(11 weeks)US |
Country29 (26 weeks) Country |
More compilations
- 2000: Love Songs
- 2002: Certified Hits
- 2003: The Best of Billy Dean
- 2005: The Very Best of Billy Dean
Singles
year | Title album |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | |
---|---|---|---|---|
US | Country | |||
1990 | Only Here for a Little While Young Man |
- |
Country3 (22 weeks) Country |
|
1991 | Somewhere in My Broken Heart Young Man |
- |
Country3 (20 weeks) Country |
|
You Don't Count the Cost Billy Dean |
- |
Country4 (20 weeks) Country |
||
Only the Wind Billy Dean |
- |
Country4 (20 weeks) Country |
||
1992 | Billy the Kid Billy Dean |
- |
Country4 (20 weeks) Country |
|
If There Hadn't Been You Billy Dean |
- |
Country3 (20 weeks) Country |
||
Tryin 'to Hide a Fire in the Dark Fire in the Dark |
- |
Country6 (20 weeks) Country |
||
1993 | I Wanna Take Care of You Fire in the Dark |
- |
Country22 (20 weeks) Country |
|
I'm Not Built That Way Fire in the Dark |
- |
Country34 (13 weeks) Country |
||
We Just Disagree Fire in the Dark |
- |
Country9 (20 weeks) Country |
||
1994 | Cowboy band Men'll Be Boys |
- |
Country24 (20 weeks) Country |
|
Men Will Be Boys Men'll Be Boys |
- |
Country60 (6 weeks) Country |
||
Once in a While 8 Seconds OST |
- |
Country53 (8 weeks) Country |
||
1996 | It's What I Do It's What I Do |
- |
Country5 (20 weeks) Country |
|
That Girl's Been Spyin 'on Me It's What I Do |
- |
Country4 (20 weeks) Country |
||
I Wouldn't Be a Man It's What I Do |
- |
Country45 (14 weeks) Country |
||
1998 | Real Man Real Man |
- |
Country33 (18 weeks) Country |
|
Innocent Bystander Real Man |
- |
Country68 (3 weeks) Country |
||
2000 | Keep Mom and Dad in Love |
- |
Country51 (6 weeks) Country |
with Suzy Bogguss & Jillian
|
2003 | I'm in Love with You Let Them Be Little |
- |
Country52 (16 weeks) Country |
|
2004 | Thank God I'm a Country Boy Let Them Be Little |
- |
Country27 (20 weeks) Country |
|
Let Them Be Little Let Them Be Little |
US68 (11 weeks) US |
Country8 (31 weeks) Country |
||
2005 | This Is the Life Let Them Be Little |
- |
Country52 (2 weeks) Country |
More singles
- 1990: Lowdown Lonely
- 1996: I Still Believe in Christmas
- 1997: In the Name of Love
- 2005: Race You to the Bottom
- 2005: Shine On
- 2006: Swinging for the Fence
- 2013: I Can't Leave a Good Thing
Guest Posts
year | Title album |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | |
---|---|---|---|---|
US | Country | |||
1998 | One Heart at a Time |
US56 (20 weeks) US |
Country69 (5 weeks) Country |
with various artists
|
1999 | Buy Me a Rose She Rides Wild Horses |
US40 (20 weeks) US |
Country1 (37 weeks) Country |
with Kenny Rogers & Alison Krauss
|
2001 | America The Beautiful |
- |
Country58 (6 weeks) Country |
with various artists
|
The most important awards
year | Org. | Award | title |
---|---|---|---|
1991 | ACM | Song Of The Year | "Somewhere In My Broken Heart" |
1991 | ACM | Top New Male Vocalist |
Web links
- Official website (English)
- Billy Dean at Allmusic (English)
- Billy Dean at Discogs (English)
- Billy Dean in the Internet Movie Database (English)
swell
- ↑ Music Sales Awards: US
- ↑ https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/63198/life-is-a-little-better-for-billy-dean
- ↑ http://www.musicvf.com/Billy+Dean.art
- ↑ https://www.discogs.com/Billy-Dean-A-Man-Of-Good-Fortune/release/8840375
- ↑ https://www.discogs.com/artist/655863-Billy-Dean?filter_anv=0&subtype=Writing-Arrangement&type=Credits
- ↑ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0212714/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm
- ↑ http://edition.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/Music/9905/07/crystal.bernard/
- ↑ a b c d Chart sources: US
- ↑ a b Awards for Music Sales: US
personal data | |
---|---|
SURNAME | Dean, Billy |
ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Dean, William Harold (maiden name) |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American country musician |
DATE OF BIRTH | April 2, 1962 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | Quincy , Florida |