Retro Redux: The Amazing Dinnings - Page 2

Part of: Retro Redux

Over the next decade the sisters continued to do well, even appearing on records with Bob Crosby, Tennessee Ernie Ford, and Tex Ritter. But marriage and their own growing families along with occasional solo efforts began to take the sisters' time away from the trio, but they remained involved with music in one way or another.

Of all the sisters, Jean was probably the most multi-talented, and in the late 1950s she began to sharpen her songwriting talents. She came up mdwith a song for younger brother Mark Dinning, who was trying to build a singing career. Mark leaned a little closer to country music than his older siblings, but his voice and singing style was reminiscent of Roy Orbison, and he was well suited to his sister's song, "Teen Angel." (Video below.)

Depending on your point of view, the song was either sad and moving or sappy and morbid, but it didn't matter to teenagers because they bought so many records that it shot up to Number One on the U.S. charts. It even made a ripple in Great Britain, although it was banned by the BBC because of the subject matter.

Unfortunately, Mark was unable to duplicate the level of success reached by the song, and within a few years he'd faded from sight. He died young in 1986, but even then the Dinning family still contributed to music because it wasn't long before his nephew, bassist Dean Dinning, was instrumental in founding the alternative rock group, Toad the Wet Sprocket.

But the earlier generation wasn't quite finished, and again it was original sister Jean acting as the catalyst. In the 1990s she helped kick-start a rebirth of the Dinning Sisters with an emphasis on spirituals, working with the Jordanaires, Elvis Presley's original backing group.

The Dinning siblings — in fact, the entire family — an amazing musical story.


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Article Author: Big Geez

Big Geez is a retiree who takes time off from trimming his ear hair to write about music -- occasionally writing reviews, but most often using his regular music feature, Retro Redux, to share his opinions about how something resonates with his memories and those of his generation. …

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