Billy Dean

{{short description|American country music singer and songwriter}}
{{Other people|William, Bill or Billy Dean|William Dean (disambiguation){{!}}William Dean}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2015}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name         = Billy Dean
| image        = Billy Dean in 1998 by Jim Williams.jpg
| caption      = Dean performing at the Country For Kids concert in 1998 in [[Stafford, Virginia]]
| birth_name   = William Harold Dean Jr.<ref name="allmusic"/>
| birth_date   = {{birth date and age|1962|4|2}}
| birth_place  = [[Quincy, Florida]], United States
| instrument   = Vocals, guitar, [[fiddle]], [[banjo]]<ref name="book">{{cite book |title=Country Music: The Encyclopedia |last=Stambler |first=Irwin |author2=Grelun Landon |year=2000 |publisher=Macmillan |isbn=978-0-312-26487-1 |pages=124–25 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RjfB6-nVHZIC&q=%22Billy+dean%22+%22moo+mesa&pg=PA125}}</ref><ref>{{cite AV media notes |title=Billy Dean |others=Billy Dean |year=1992 |type=cassette |publisher=Liberty Records |id=C4-96728}}</ref>
| genre        = [[Country music|Country]]
| occupation   = Musician, songwriter, actor
| years_active = 1989–present
| label        = [[SBK Records|SBK]]/[[Liberty Records|Liberty]], [[Capitol Records Nashville|Capitol Nashville]], Dreamcatcher, View 2, [[Curb Records|Curb]]
| website      = {{URL|billydean.com}}
}}
'''William Harold Dean Jr.''' (born April 2, 1962) is an American [[country music]] singer and songwriter.

He first gained national attention after appearing on the television talent competition ''[[Star Search]]''. Active as a recording artist since 1990, he has recorded a total of eight studio albums (of which the first three have been certified gold by the [[RIAA]]) and a greatest hits package which is also certified gold. His studio albums have accounted for more than 20 hit singles on the ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' country charts, including 11 Top Ten hits.

In 2000, he had a Billboard Number one as a guest artist along with [[Alison Krauss]] on [[Kenny Rogers]]' "[[Buy Me a Rose]]", and had two Number Ones on the ''[[RPM (magazine)|RPM]]'' country charts in Canada.

==Biography==
Dean was born in [[Quincy, Florida]], on April 2, 1962.<ref name="allmusic">{{cite web |url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p1582/biography|pure_url=yes}} |title=Billy Dean biography |access-date=2008-11-30 |last=Loftus |first=Johnny |work=[[Allmusic]]}}</ref> His father, also known as Billy Dean, maintained a band called The Country Rocks in his spare time.  By the age of 8, Dean began playing in his father's band.<ref name="book"/> Throughout high school, at [[Robert F. Munroe Day School]], he continued to play music, both in his father's band and with other local musicians. He soon began touring in local clubs, and sang [[Frank Sinatra]]'s "[[My Way]]" at his high school graduation.<ref name="oldies">{{cite web |url=http://www.oldies.com/artist-biography/Billy-Dean.html |title=Billy Dean biography |access-date=2008-11-30 |work=Oldies.com}}</ref>

Dean was also a basketball player in high school, and was offered a scholarship to [[East Central Community College]] in [[Decatur, Mississippi]].<ref name="allmusic"/> He attended college for one year before dropping out in order to pursue his desired career in music.<ref name="book"/> By the time he was 20, Dean made the finals on the [[Wrangler Jeans|Wrangler]] Country Star Search, followed by a Male Vocalist win on the television competition ''[[Star Search]]'' six years later.<ref name="allmusic"/> He also worked as a demo singer and took acting lessons, appearing in television commercials for [[McDonald's]], [[Chevrolet]] and [[Valvoline]].<ref name="book"/> By the end of the decade, he had signed to a publishing contract with [[EMI]] Music, as well as a recording contract with [[SBK Records]], a subsidiary of [[Liberty Records]].

==Musical career==

===1990–1995===
Dean's first single was "Lowdown Lonely", which did not enter the charts.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Flint|first1=Joseph H.|last2=Nelson|first2=Judy A.|title=The insider's country music handbook|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pin7Ya25sGkC&q=%22billy+dean%22+%22lowdown+lonely%22|date=August 24, 1993|page=82|publisher=Gibbs-Smith |isbn=9780879055639}}</ref> It was followed by "[[Only Here for a Little While]]", the second release from his debut album ''[[Young Man (Billy Dean album)|Young Man]]''. This song and its follow-up, "[[Somewhere in My Broken Heart]]" (previously recorded by [[Randy Travis]] on his 1989 album ''[[No Holdin' Back]]''<ref name="oldies"/>) were both No.&nbsp;3 hits on the ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' country charts. The latter was also a minor hit on the [[Hot Adult Contemporary]] Tracks charts.  ''Young Man'' was certified gold by the [[RIAA]].

Dean's self-titled [[Billy Dean (album)|second album]] followed in 1991, and soon earned a gold certification as well. Four singles were released from it: "[[You Don't Count the Cost]]", "[[Only the Wind (song)|Only the Wind]]" and "[[Billy the Kid (Billy Dean song)|Billy the Kid]]" each peaked at No.&nbsp;4 on the country charts, while "[[If There Hadn't Been You]]" was a No.&nbsp;3 on ''Billboard'', and a No.&nbsp;1 on both the former ''[[Radio & Records]]'' (now ''[[Mediabase]]'') country charts in the U.S.<ref name="book"/> and the ''[[RPM (magazine)|RPM]]'' Country Tracks charts in Canada.

Dean toured with [[The Judds]] on their farewell tour in 1991, he also toured with [[Wynonna Judd]] and [[Clint Black]].<ref name="book"/> He wrote and recorded the theme song to the [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] animated television series ''[[Wild West C.O.W.-Boys of Moo Mesa]]'', and hosted a Top 21 countdown on [[VH1]].<ref name="book"/> In 1992, he earned the Top New Male Vocalist award and the Song of the Year award for "Somewhere in My Broken Heart" from the [[Academy of Country Music]].<ref name="book"/>

''[[Fire in the Dark]]'' was the title of Dean's third album. Issued in 1993, it was his third straight gold-certified album, earning that certification from both the RIAA and [[Music Canada|CRIA]].His lead-off single "[[Tryin' to Hide a Fire in the Dark]]" peaked at No.&nbsp;6 in the United States and became his second No.&nbsp;1 in Canada. Following it were "I Wanna Take Care of You", "I'm Not Built That Way", and a cover of [[Dave Mason]]'s 1977 pop hit "[[We Just Disagree]]".  Also in 1993, Dean had an opening slot on [[Alan Jackson]]'s tour.<ref name="book"/><ref name="oldies"/>

Following his first three studio albums was a [[Greatest Hits (Billy Dean album)|greatest hits]] album in 1994. This album reprised his first nine singles, as well as a new song, "Once in a While", which Dean wrote and recorded for the [[8 Seconds (soundtrack)|soundtrack]] to the 1994 film ''[[8 Seconds]]''.<ref name="book"/> This song peaked at No.&nbsp;53 based on unsolicited airplay.

''[[Men'll Be Boys]]'', his final release for SBK/Liberty, came later in 1994. This album was not as successful in sales or chart performance, producing the No.&nbsp;24 "Cowboy Band" and No.&nbsp;60 title track. After this album, Dean placed his career on hiatus to raise his children.

===1996–present===
Dean returned to the recording studio in 1996 for his fifth album, ''[[It's What I Do]]'', on [[Capitol Records]] Nashville. This album returned him to the Top Ten with its [[It's What I Do (song)|title track]] and "[[That Girl's Been Spyin' on Me]]", which reached numbers 5 and 4, respectively.<ref name="oldies"/> The final single, a cover of [[Don Williams]]' 1988 single "[[I Wouldn't Be a Man]]", fell short of Top 40. He also worked with actress and singer [[Crystal Bernard]] on her 1996 debut album ''Girl Next Door'', in addition to co-writing its debut single "Have We Forgotten What Love Is."<ref name="book"/> Later that year, Dean released a non-charting single, "In the Name of Love", which never appeared on an album. In 1998, [[Victoria Shaw (singer)|Victoria Shaw]] and several other artists, including Dean, collaborated on the charity single "One Heart at a Time".

''[[Real Man]]'', his sixth album, was issued in mid-1998. This album produced only one Top 40 hit in its title track, followed by "Innocent Bystander" which reached number 68. After this album, Dean exited Capitol's roster. He also took up acting once more, appearing in the minor TV specials ''A Face to Kill For'' and ''Blue Valley Songbird''.<ref name="oldies"/> In 2000, he and [[Alison Krauss]] made guest appearances on [[Kenny Rogers]]' single "[[Buy Me a Rose]]", which reached the top of the ''Billboard'' country charts in May of that year. This song was also a Top 40 hit on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]], and Rogers' first number 1 single in thirteen years.

A year later, Dean joined [[Suzy Bogguss]] and 12-year-old singer [[Jillian Jacqueline|Jillian]] on "Please Keep Mom and Dad in Love," which was issued on Rogers's Dreamcatcher Records, and never included on an album.<ref name="oldies"/> Although he continued touring, he did not chart again until 2003 with "I'm in Love With You", released on the independent View 2 label. His next release for View 2 was a cover of [[John Denver]]'s "[[Thank God I'm a Country Boy]]". [[Curb Records]] took over promotion of this single shortly after its release,<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KhAEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22Billy+dean%22+%22View+2%22&pg=PA28 |title=Billboard – Google Books |date=April 10, 2004 |access-date=2012-03-25}}</ref> and by mid-2004 it reached number 27 on the country charts. Following it was the single "[[Let Them Be Little (song)|Let Them Be Little]]", co-written by [[Richie McDonald]] of [[Lonestar]] and recorded by the band on its 2004 album ''[[Let's Be Us Again]]''. Dean's seventh studio album, also titled ''[[Let Them Be Little]]'', was finally issued in late 2004 on Curb.<ref name="oldies"/> Although "Let Them Be Little" reached a peak of number 8 on the country charts in early 2005, the album's other singles all failed to reach Top 40. A [[Christmas music]] album, ''The Christ (A Song for Joseph)'', followed in late 2005. Included on the album was a duet with his daughter.

In addition to recording and touring, Dean is branching into using music for corporate marketing. One of his ventures, ''Song Sessions'', combines songwriting and corporate team building exercises.

Billy has taken over the lead role (formerly played by Kenny Rogers), playing Hank Longley, in "The Toy Shoppe" (a musical written by Kenny Rogers and Kelly Junkerman) at the Starlite Theater in Branson, Missouri, through the end of 2013.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.starlitetheatre.com/show-in-branson-mo/the-toy-shoppe-shows-in-branson-mo/ |title=The Toy Shoppe - Shows in Branson MO - Starlite Theatre |access-date=2013-11-17 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131115005605/http://www.starlitetheatre.com/show-in-branson-mo/the-toy-shoppe-shows-in-branson-mo/ |archive-date=November 15, 2013 |df=mdy }} Retrieved 2013-11-16.</ref>

==Discography==
{{Main|Billy Dean discography}}

==Awards and nominations==
=== Grammy Awards ===

{{awards table}}
|-
|[[34th Grammy Awards|1992]]
|"[[Somewhere in My Broken Heart]]"
|[[Grammy Award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance|Best Male Country Vocal Performance]]
|{{nom}}
|}

=== American Music Awards ===

{{awards table}}
|-
|[[American Music Awards of 1992|1992]]
|Billy Dean
|[[American Music Award for Favorite Country New Artist|Favorite Country New Artist]]
|{{nom}}
|}

=== TNN/Music City News Country Awards ===

{{awards table}}
|-
|[[27th TNN/Music City News Country Awards|1993]]
|Billy Dean
|Star of Tomorrow
|{{nom}}
|}

=== Academy of Country Music Awards ===

{{awards table}}
|-
|rowspan=2| [[27th Academy of Country Music Awards|1992]]
|Billy Dean
|[[Academy of Country Music Award for New Male Artist of the Year|Top New Male Vocalist]]
|{{won}}
|-
|"[[Somewhere in My Broken Heart]]"
|Song of the Year
|{{won}}
|-
|[[28th Academy of Country Music Awards|1993]]
|Billy Dean
|[[Academy of Country Music Award for Male Artist of the Year|Top Male Vocalist of the Year]]
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[36th Academy of Country Music Awards|2001]]
|"[[Buy Me a Rose]]"{{Ref|1|[A]}}
|Top Vocal Event of the Year
|{{nom}}
|}

=== Country Music Association Awards ===

{{awards table}}
|-
|[[1992 Country Music Association Awards|1992]]
|Billy Dean
|[[Country Music Association Award for New Artist of the Year|Horizon Award]]
|{{nom}}
|-
|[[1994 Country Music Association Awards|1994]]
|''[[Common Thread: The Songs of the Eagles]]''
|[[Country Music Association Award for Album of the Year|Album of the Year]]
|{{won}}
|}

{{Note|1|[A]}}<small>Nominated alongside [[Alison Krauss]] and [[Kenny Rogers]]</small>

== Politics ==
In January 2024, Dean released "Never Back Down," a single "inspired" by [[Ron DeSantis]]. The song's name is the same as one of DeSantis's super PAC.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Daugherty |first=Eric |date=2024-01-10 |title=Country singer Billy Dean drops new song for DeSantis called 'Never Back Down' |url=https://flvoicenews.com/country-singer-billy-dean-drops-new-song-for-desantis-called-never-back-down/ |access-date=2024-01-12 |website=Florida’s Voice |language=en-US}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Official website}}

{{Billy Dean}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dean, Billy}}
[[Category:1962 births]]
[[Category:American country singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:American male singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:Capitol Records artists]]
[[Category:Curb Records artists]]
[[Category:Liberty Records artists]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Singer-songwriters from Florida]]
[[Category:People from Quincy, Florida]]
[[Category:East Central Community College alumni]]
[[Category:Country musicians from Florida]]