Dino (singer)
Encyclopedia
Dean Esposito better known as Dino, is an American DJ
, singer-songwriter
and record producer
.
. The family later moved to Hawaii
and Connecticut
before settling in Las Vegas, Nevada
, where his father became a restaurant owner. It was here that Dino pursued his musical interests. He earned his Bachelor's Degree
in Communications/Broadcasting and Music at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas
. Shortly after, he received a job as a radio DJ at his college radio station as the program director with his own morning show called Urban Sunrise. Later becoming a Top 40 deejay at Nevada's Power 97 station, he was offered a job at KCEP, Las Vegas' largest black music station, eventually becoming its music director. During this time he also moonlighted as a local club DJ.
in Buena Park, California
with other artists such as Sweet Sensation
and Linear
, and also performed with Cyre in 1987 at the Rock of the 80s Take 2 in San Bernardino, California. Eventually his album 24/7 reached the number 34 position on the Billboard 200
charts in 1989. Dino developed a wider fanbase when he was contracted to become the opening act for the musical group New Kids on the Block
in the summer of that same year. He signed with 4th & B'way/Island
/PolyGram Records before moving on to East West Records
in 1993, on which he scored his last top 40 hit with "Ooh Child" (#27). Under the Island Record label he formed his own production label, ONID Productions, which is his name spelled backward.
After his singing career, he began producing and songwriting with other artists such as Tonya Mitchell
, Paul Taylor
, Jordan Knight
, Walter Beasley
, Sheena Easton
, and Joanna Pacitti
, the latter of whose collaborative song "Watch Me Shine" was released on the Legally Blonde
motion picture soundtrack.
.
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
, singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
and record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
.
Early life
Dino was born to Frank and Francis Esposito in Encino, CaliforniaEncino, Los Angeles, California
Encino is a hilly district of the city of Los Angeles, California, United States. Specifically, it is located in the central portion of the southern San Fernando Valley and on the north slope of the Santa Monica Mountains...
. The family later moved to Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
and Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
before settling in Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, where his father became a restaurant owner. It was here that Dino pursued his musical interests. He earned his Bachelor's Degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in Communications/Broadcasting and Music at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
University of Nevada-Las Vegas is a public, coeducational university located in the Las Vegas suburb of Paradise, Nevada, USA. The campus is located approximately east of the Las Vegas Strip. The institution includes a Shadow Lane Campus, located just east of the University Medical Center of...
. Shortly after, he received a job as a radio DJ at his college radio station as the program director with his own morning show called Urban Sunrise. Later becoming a Top 40 deejay at Nevada's Power 97 station, he was offered a job at KCEP, Las Vegas' largest black music station, eventually becoming its music director. During this time he also moonlighted as a local club DJ.
Music career
Dino then became a singer, first as part of the musical group Esquire, and later as a solo artist recording song hits during the late 1980s, including "I Like It" (U.S. #7), "24/7" (#42), "Summer Girls" (#50) and "Romeo" (#6). In the initial up-swing of his career Dino performed in theme parks such as Knott's Berry FarmKnott's Berry Farm
Knott's Berry Farm is a theme park in Buena Park, California, now owned by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, and a line of jams, jellies, preserves, and other specialty food, now part of The J. M. Smucker Company based in Placentia, California....
in Buena Park, California
Buena Park, California
Buena Park is a city in northwestern Orange County, California. As of Census 2010 the population was 80,530. The city is adjacent to the city of Anaheim and is 12 miles northwest of downtown Santa Ana. The Current OMB metropolitan designation for Buena Park and the Orange County Area is "Santa...
with other artists such as Sweet Sensation
Sweet Sensation
Sweet Sensation was a Puerto Rican female freestyle-dance music trio from The Bronx, New York.-History:Formed in 1986, In The Bronx . The original group members were Betty LeBron and sisters Margie and Mari Fernandez. Originally on Next Plateau Records, in 1988 they were picked up by Atco and...
and Linear
Linear (pop group)
Linear was a Latin freestyle-pop trio from Miami, Florida.It consisted of vocalist Charlie Pennachio, and percussionist Joey Restivo, who both hailed from New York, with Ecuadoran guitarist Wyatt Pauley. In 1990, the band had a hit with the gold single, "Sending All My Love," which was released...
, and also performed with Cyre in 1987 at the Rock of the 80s Take 2 in San Bernardino, California. Eventually his album 24/7 reached the number 34 position on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
charts in 1989. Dino developed a wider fanbase when he was contracted to become the opening act for the musical group New Kids on the Block
New Kids on the Block
New Kids on the Block are an American boy band from Boston, Massachusetts, assembled in 1984 by producer Maurice Starr. The band currently consists of brothers Jordan and Jonathan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg, and Danny Wood.New Kids on the Block enjoyed success in the late 1980s and...
in the summer of that same year. He signed with 4th & B'way/Island
Island Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
/PolyGram Records before moving on to East West Records
East West Records
East West Records is an American record label, owned by Warner Music Group, and operates under WMG's Independent Label Group.-History:...
in 1993, on which he scored his last top 40 hit with "Ooh Child" (#27). Under the Island Record label he formed his own production label, ONID Productions, which is his name spelled backward.
After his singing career, he began producing and songwriting with other artists such as Tonya Mitchell
Tonya Mitchell
-Early life:Mitchell was born in Madisonville, Kentucky to "Cowboy" Louie, who had quite a bit of fame as a performer, and Paulette Mitchell.Mitchell grew up in Huron, Tennessee, a small town just north east of Memphis. In 1998, Tonya was performing country music at a regional benefit for St....
, Paul Taylor
Paul Taylor (musician)
Paul Taylor is an American smooth jazz saxophonist who has released eight albums since his debut On the Horn in 1995. He is signed to Peak Records. Although originally from Denver, Colorado, he is based in Las Vegas, Nevada...
, Jordan Knight
Jordan Knight
Jordan Nathaniel Marcel Knight is an American singer-songwriter best known as the lead singer in the boy band, New Kids on the Block , and actor, who rose to fame in the 1980s and 1990s. He is best known for his distinctive falsetto style of singing, influenced by The Stylistics. After New Kids On...
, Walter Beasley
Walter Beasley
Walter Beasley is an American saxophonist, a professor of music at the Berklee College of Music, and founder of Affable Publishing and Affable Records.-Biography:Beasley grew up in El Centro, California...
, Sheena Easton
Sheena Easton
Sheena Easton is a Scottish recording artist. Easton became famous for being the focus of an episode in the British television programme The Big Time, which recorded her attempts to gain a record contract and her eventual signing with EMI Records.Easton rose to fame in the early 1980s with the pop...
, and Joanna Pacitti
Joanna Pacitti
Joanna Pacitti is an American singer and lead vocalist in the band City State.-Theater:In 1996, at age 12, Pacitti was chosen to star in the 20th anniversary revival of the musical Annie after entering a contest sponsored by the department store Macy's...
, the latter of whose collaborative song "Watch Me Shine" was released on the Legally Blonde
Legally Blonde
Legally Blonde is a 2001 American comedy film directed by Robert Luketic, written by Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith, and produced by Marc E. Platt...
motion picture soundtrack.
Personal life
Dino currently lives in Las Vegas and is married to Caroline Jackson, one of the original members of the singing group The Cover GirlsThe Cover Girls
The Cover Girls is a New York City-based freestyle-urban-dance-pop girl group that achieved the majority of its chart success in the late 1980s and early 1990s...
.
Albums
| Year | Album | Label |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 24/7 | 4th & B'way/Island Island Records Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group... /PolyGram Records |
| 1990 | Swingin | Polydor Polydor Records Polydor is a record label owned by Universal Music Group, headquartered in the United Kingdom.-Beginnings:Polydor was originally an independent branch of the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. Its name was first used as an export label in 1924, the British and German branches of the Gramophone... /PolyGram Records |
| 1993 | The Way I Am | Atlantic Records Atlantic Records Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz... |
Singles
| Year | Song | Album | Position | Chart |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | "Summergirls" | 24/7 | 50 | Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
| 1989 | "24/7" | 42 | Billboard Hot 100 | |
| 12 | Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
|||
| "I Like It" | 7 | Billboard Hot 100 | ||
| 3 | Hot Dance Club Play Hot Dance Club Play The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs... |
|||
| "Sunshine" | 23 | Billboard Hot 100 | ||
| 1990 | "Never 2 Much of U" | 61 | Billboard Hot 100 | |
| "Romeo" | Swingin | 6 | Billboard Hot 100 | |
| 1991 | "Gentle" | 31 | Billboard Hot 100 | |
| 1993 | "Ooh Child" | The Way I Am | 27 | Billboard Hot 100 |