Biography
Kenny Dino exerted a substantial influence on Elton John as well as Robert Plant, even though the sole chart success he ever enjoyed, “Your Ma Said You Cried in Your Sleep Last Night,” dated back to 1961; Plant later included a version on his 1990 release Manic Nirvana. Born in Astoria, Queens, NY, he relocated with his family in 1955 to the comparatively rural surroundings of Hicksville on Long Island and passed seven summers working on his grandfather’s farm.
After joining the U.S. Navy in 1957, Dino was posted to Iceland for several months. Friends persuaded him to enter a local talent contest, where his rendition of an Elvis Presley number earned second place. He kept performing during subsequent assignments in Maine, Florida, and Texas. There he assembled a vocal group with five Mexican-American singers and spent three years on the road across Texas and Louisiana. Regular appearances at the San Antonio Blues Club gave him frequent chances to jam with a young Doug Sahm.
Once back in New York, Dino secured a contract with Dot Records, but the arrangement proved fleeting. The label had anticipated a fresh Pat Boone and promptly dropped him when that expectation went unmet.
At Columbia he encountered further setbacks: a planned album remained unreleased, and he declined an offer to form a duo with Paul Simon, then recording under the name Jerry Landis. Although he cut several demonstration recordings for Elvis Presley, among them “Good Luck Charm,” Columbia could not decide whether to present him as an Elvis-style rocker or a Roy Orbison-style balladeer. The uncertainty led the label to prevent him from cutting “Suspicious Minds,” which Terry Stafford turned into a number-one hit thirteen months afterward.
After joining the U.S. Navy in 1957, Dino was posted to Iceland for several months. Friends persuaded him to enter a local talent contest, where his rendition of an Elvis Presley number earned second place. He kept performing during subsequent assignments in Maine, Florida, and Texas. There he assembled a vocal group with five Mexican-American singers and spent three years on the road across Texas and Louisiana. Regular appearances at the San Antonio Blues Club gave him frequent chances to jam with a young Doug Sahm.
Once back in New York, Dino secured a contract with Dot Records, but the arrangement proved fleeting. The label had anticipated a fresh Pat Boone and promptly dropped him when that expectation went unmet.
At Columbia he encountered further setbacks: a planned album remained unreleased, and he declined an offer to form a duo with Paul Simon, then recording under the name Jerry Landis. Although he cut several demonstration recordings for Elvis Presley, among them “Good Luck Charm,” Columbia could not decide whether to present him as an Elvis-style rocker or a Roy Orbison-style balladeer. The uncertainty led the label to prevent him from cutting “Suspicious Minds,” which Terry Stafford turned into a number-one hit thirteen months afterward.
Albums
