Dean Dillon

Read Dean’s Q&A with Bedell

It’s been quite the journey for Dean Dillon since hitchhiking his way to Nashville in 1973.  From his first rejection by a publisher because of the length of his hair, to present, is a book in itself.  It wasn’t until 1975 that Dillon caught the attention of Music Row mogul Tom Collins.  After signing with Collins for $50 a week, within three weeks he had three songs on the Barbara Mandrell’s album “Friends, Lovers and Strangers.”  Writing constantly, he hooked up with fellow songwriter Gary Harrison of “Strawberry Wine” fame and the two had their first number 1 record with a song called “Lying in Love with You” by Jim Ed Brown and Helen Cornelius, in 1979.  It was also the same year that Dean met up and comer George Strait through friend and producer Black Mevis. To date, no one in country music has enjoyed a more fruitful relationship than Dillon and Strait.  With an amazing 80 songs recorded by Strait alone, the duo have topped the charts together serveral times.  Along the way, Dillon also had songs recorded by everybody from Wayne Newton, Alabama, Toby Keith, and Keith Whitley to the amazing talents of George Jones, LeAnn Womack and Kenny Chesney.  Dillon not only loves writing; he eats, sleeps and breathes it.  It is far to say that he is among the most well known of his generation.  At 57 he is still cranking out the hits.  Married to his wonderful wife Susie, he spends most of his time in Gunnison, CO.  The past several years he has enjoyed sitting down with the king himself, George Strait, and his son Bubba and the fruits of their labor are evident on George’s latest smash “Here for a Good Time.”

One thing is for sure – between the classic cars he loves to restore and churning out the hits, he’s always got the country music that he loves on his ‘ever lovin’ mind.

Visit his website