Representatives for The Songwriter Agency are pleased as punch to have added Dean Dillon, one of country music's most consistent hit-makers, to the company's roster.
Per a Feb. 10 correspondence via email, the agency shared its good news about landing Dillon for bookings. The Lake City, Tenn., native was inducted in the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2002 and has more than 90 charted songs to his tunesmithing credit, including a string of George Strait's biggest hits.
"Dean Dillon has been one of the most prolific songwriters in Nashville for over 30 years, and he's also one of the most entertaining artists on the road," said Paul Compton, company president and co-founder. "The list of cuts he has had with some of the biggest names in the business is amazing."
For his part, "I'm pretty excited about The Songwriter Agency," said Dillon, who first hitchhiked his way to Music City in '73, with dreams of making it as an artist-songsmith. "These guys have a great approach to what they're doing, and I look forward to working with them and getting out and playing some shows."
Founded in 2010 by Compton and Randy Harrell, The Songwriter Agency, in addition to newest-signee Dillon, lists a star-packed roster that can lay claim to Steve Wariner, Don Schlitz, Skip Ewing, Ira Dean, Rebecca Lynn Howard, Regie Hamm, Bryan White, Elsten Torres, Chris Wallin and Nick Norman.
More about Dean Dillon
Two short years after moving to Nashville, Dean Dillon caught the attention of hit producer Tom Collins, who had Barbara Mandrell cut three of his songs on her Friends, Lovers and Strangers album. In 1979, the same year Dillon had his first No. 1 song, "Lying in Love With You" by Jim Ed Brown and Helen Cornelius, he met a then-new artist, the aforementioned "King George." Their friendship has resulted in Strait cutting more than 80 of Dean's songs, many of which have topped the country charts. Over the years, he has had songs cut by Alabama, Brooks & Dunn, Kenny Chesney, Vern Gosdin, Toby Keith, Keith Whitley, Lee Ann Womack and others.
Dillon signed a deal with RCA Records in 1979, which yielded eight charted singles. He released two albums on Capitol Records in the late '80s. A deal with Atlantic Records in 1991 led to the release of his most successful album as a recording artist, Out of Your Ever Lovin' Mind.
When not in Nashville writing or on the road performing, Dillon and his wife spend much of their time at their home in Gunnison, Colo. Their passion for organizing and performing events for "Tough Enough To Wear Pink" has led to more than $700,000 being raised for breast-cancer awareness in their community. The money has been used to purchase a mammogram machine now used in a local hospital and helped pay for 350-plus breast exams for local women.
For more information about Dillon, please access his official website. To hear Jim Ed Brown and Helen Cornelius perform Dillon's first No. 1, 1979's "Lying in Love with You," simply access the video embedded on the left side of this article.
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