(418) DINO DESI AND BILLY ON REPRISE : I'M A FOOL

Jimmy Bowen also produced DINO DESI and BILLY, and they were hot in the mid sixties. They were so young themselves their appeal was mostly to the young teens. They did a whole album of cover tunes, and had two top hits, including "I'm a Fool." They were on TV commercials, toured the country, and then faded away, moving on to other ways to have a go at life. (That they did cover tunes at this point when everybody's competition became the Beatles, who were writing most of their own songs at this point, probably hurt them.)

Dean Martin's son, Dino Martin, was the DINO. Desi Arnez is the son of the famous television comedian Lucille Ball and her Cuban band leader husband Desi (of "I Love Lucy" fame). And BILLY was a school friend of theirs, Billy Hinsche. Dino went on to act and was doing well, but when he died in an aircrash Dean's heart was broken. Some said Dean was never the same after this loss. Today, Dean's younger son Ricci Martin takes his brother's place in a revival band with Billy Hinsche leading.