Biography
Dion McGregor’s nighttime speech went well beyond ordinary mumbling once he entered his late thirties, as he delivered extended, articulate accounts of elaborate and peculiar dreams that his roommate captured on tape from 1961 through 1967. Raised in N.Y.C., he left college early and relocated to Hollywood before returning to N.Y.C. by 1953 to work with Bob Cobert, who would later compose for the Dark Shadows television series. In 1955 he met Mike Barr, after which the pair wrote songs exclusively together. They released a single as Mac & Mike on the Glory label in 1958, though the effort produced no further recognition or projects. Around 1960 McGregor’s British roommate, writer and filmmaker Peter DeRome—who would become known for directing erotic films—informed Barr about the unusually loud dream narrations. Barr then arranged for McGregor to move in so the irregularly timed episodes could be recorded. McGregor consented, anticipating possible song lyrics. No lyrics resulted, but Barr played selections for friends and, on one occasion, for a record-industry acquaintance. That connection produced a 1964 Decca album containing ten dreams. A few months later a book of additional transcriptions appeared, yet both releases sold poorly and were soon withdrawn. McGregor and Barr, still seeking success as lyricists, placed “Where Is the Wonder” on Barbra Streisand’s My Name is Barbra after her 1965 breakthrough, but no further hits followed. Discouraged, McGregor returned to the L.A. area in the late 1970s, abandoned songwriting by the early 1980s, and moved to Oregon by the end of the decade. Although his lyric work never flourished, the distinctive artistic record formed by his dream narrations proved more singular than typical releases. In 1999 the N.Y.C. label Tzadik issued the posthumous collection Dion McGregor Dreams Again, featuring twenty further dreams.
Albums
