Billy Hinsche is a founding member of the pop musical group, Dino, Desi & Billy, who achieved instant international teen star status when their debut hit single, “I’m A Fool,†exploded onto the Billboard music charts in the summer of 1965. They were the youngest band ever to have commercial success, opening the door for other teen groups, which quickly followed their lead. They subsequently had five more songs chart on the Billboard Hot 100.
The trio performed on every music-oriented television show of that era including The Hollywood Palace, Shindig, Hullabaloo, Shivaree, Where The Action Is, a Sammy Davis, Jr. Thanksgiving Day Special, and the legendary Ed Sullivan Show. DD&B also made a cameo appearance in a Dean Martin movie, “Murderer’s Row,†and their production company recorded and produced four songs for him. Billy wrote two of the songs which Dean recorded --- “For the Love of a Woman†and “Come on Down.†He co-wrote “Lady Love†with Brian Wilson, “Away†with Dennis Wilson, and wrote “Tell Someone You Love Them,†the group’s last big hit in 1968.
Headlining their own shows, they toured extensively throughout the United States and Canada and were the opening act for the Beach Boys, Paul Revere and the Raiders and Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs. The Beach Boys took a particular interest in the group and their guitarist, Carl Wilson, eventually married Billy’s sister, Annie. DD&B recorded four albums for Frank Sinatra’s Reprise Records, and then disbanded in 1970 to pursue other interests.
In 1974, Billy earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Motion Pictures and Television from UCLA, and has one of the most extensive collections of rare, archival footage of the Beach Boys, both on film and video. He then joined the Beach Boys on a more permanent basis as a recording and touring band member, playing a variety of instruments including piano, guitar, bass and harmonica. He has played and sang on many of the group’s albums and has performed with them in every major venue including the Hollywood Bowl, the Greek Theater, Carnegie Hall, Madison Square Garden and Wembley Stadium in the UK. He has played to audiences around the world including private concerts for Presidents Ford, Reagan and Bush (Sr.).
In 1980, he joined the Carl Wilson band on Wilson’s solo venture during which time Carl recorded Billy’s song “One More Night Alone.†Both he and Carl rejoined the Beach Boys in the early ‘80s. Billy left the Beach Boys in 1995 and renewed his interest in film and video. He began a successful career making instructional videos such as “Play Songs of the Beach Boys†for piano players, and “Know the Road,†a humorous yet educational rock ‘n’ roll travel tips tutorial. His short subject film on Dennis Wilson called “One in a Million†was debuted at the CineVegas Film Festival in Las Vegas in 2004.
He produced the legendary Whisky a Go Go’s 35th Anniversary month-long celebration in January 2000 and was instrumental in the creation and production of the Carl Wilson Limited Edition guitar for Rickenbacker (RIC) International in the same year. His song, “Automan,†was an ABC TV theme song of the same name in 1983. In 2002 his song, “Patria,†was up for consideration for an Emmy nomination for its inclusion in the I Love Lucy 50th Anniversary Television Special.
Billy is a published writer and ongoing contributor to both the Endless Summer Quarterly magazine and the Beach Boys Britain newsletter. Guitar One magazine published an interview he conducted with Carl Wilson in 1981 for their November 2001 issue.
He is currently the Musical Director (MD) for "A Tribute to Dean Martin --- His Son Remembers," starring Ricci Martin, and tours the U.S. and Canada on a regular basis.
He also sits on the Board of Directors for The Carl Wilson Foundation, which raises money annually for cancer research and benefits musicians and children with cancer; he has done work on behalf of the Los Angeles based Wings Foundation for battered women, and for the Caring Program of Utah for children. His composition, “Let’s Build a World,†is used as their theme song and as a result of this association, has also co-written 6 songs with Utah’s Senator Orrin Hatch.
· Founding member of ‘60s pop trio Dino, Desi & Billy (1964 – 1969)
· Touring and recording member of the Beach Boys (1970 – 1995)
· Touring member of the Carl Wilson Band (1980 – 1982)
· Created instructional video production company (1996 – present)
· Music instructor (piano & guitar) (1998 – present)
· Founding member of Ricci, Desi & Billy (1999 – present)
· MD for former Beach Boy Al Jardine’s Endless Summer Beach Band (1999 – present)
· Board of Directors for the Carl Wilson Foundation (1999 – present).
· Released first solo CD “Bay of Plenty†(2002)
· MD for Ricci Martin & the Pack (2002 – present)
Check out the artist's website:
http://beachboysfanclub.com/billyhinscheTrack List:
1. Music Is Freedom
2. Don't Know Why
3. Good Things Are Comin' My Way
4. Automan
5. Call in the Light
6. The Valentine Song
7. Juliette
8. Fbi Wipeout
9. Beautiful Girl
10. Good Memory, Bad Feeling
11. Me & My Pillow
12. Let It Rain
13. My Lucky Day
14. Don't Fall Too Deeply
15. Let's Build a World
16. I Believed She Loved Me
17. Carlata Said
18. I Do
19. Ride That Wave
20. I Wonder
21. I Exist
22. One in a Million
23. With This Heart
24. Merima
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