winter & spring | 2022
dean dillon:
backyard hitmaker by bud bush
T
heheclosest closestthing thingtotoocean ocean front front property property in in the Gunnison valley might be Blue on theMesa Blue Reservoir, Mesa Reservoir, youprobably have probably heard might be on the but youbut have heard about aboutfront the “ocean propertyifinyou Arizona” if youtuned have ever in the “ocean propertyfront in Arizona” have ever in to tuned country to country music radio. Gunnison is home to one of the greatest country music songwriters of all-time who wrote that song and who was recently inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame this year – and that would be the one and only Dean Dillon. There is a gentle humility that precedes this legend, part from his upbringing and part from his preference to craft melodies rather than to perform. Dean grew up in humble surroundings in rural Tennessee and bounced around among family members before deciding to hitchhike to Nashville at the age of 17 to find his way in the music business. His tall and slim stature is accented by long, silver blond hair and a prominent parallel mustache, like bull horns pointing down, with a matching goatee.
He marches to his own beat and sings from his heart. In one of his first meetings with a record executive, he was told to cut his hair, which abruptly ended the meeting for Dean. “Guys like me were taught that every time we sit down you try to write the greatest song you ever put a pen to pad with. I had just refused to do it (regarding writing with a formula for radio). I had guys come into my office and want to do it, and I’m like I’m sorry, you’re walking through the wrong door if you’re wanting me to enter that scope… and I promise you this, if my hearts not in it, it’s not going to be worth a **** and I ain’t doing it. My mentor was a guy named Hank Cochran who wrote Make the World Go Away – beat that.” Music was in his blood at an early age. His family listened to country music records and at age 7 he got his first steel string Stella guitar. Continued on page 18 17
