Mark Dinning
Max Edward Dinning (August 17, 1933 — March 22, 1986)[1] was an American pop music singer. In February 1960, the song "Teen Angel", written by his sister Jean (Eugenia)(March 29, 1924 — February 22, 2011) and her husband (Mark's brother-in-law) Red Surrey[2], reached No. 1 on the Billboard Charts. Jean and two of her sisters, Virginia and Lucille, comprised the "The Dinning Sisters" [3], a popular singing trio in the 1940s. Following the February 2011 death of Jean Dinning, only two (Virginia, aka "Ginger", and Dolores, aka "Tootsie") of the nine siblings are still alive.
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[edit] Biography
Max Edward Dinning was born in Manchester, Oklahoma, the youngest of nine children, and was raised on a farm near Nashville, Tennessee after his family relocated from Kansas. He followed his sisters and pursued a career in country music and, in 1957, record producer Wesley Rose signed him to a recording contract as Mark Dinning.
His recording efforts met with limited success until 1959, when "Teen Angel" became a hit. The lyrics, which told of the death of a teenage girl, were deemed by British radio stations to be too morbid to be aired, but it reached #37 on the UK Singles Chart.[4] It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc.[5]
Dinning had an addiction to alcohol that eventually ended his career. His repeated appearances at performances too intoxicated to perform caused promoters to stop booking him and he faded from public view. Although Dinning never duplicated the success of "Teen Angel", he had three minor hit records in the ensuing years.[citation needed]
[edit] Death
Mark Dinning continued performing until his death from a heart attack in Jefferson City, Missouri, aged 52.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Singles
| Year | Title | US Hot 100 |
US R&B |
UK |
AUS |
Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | "Teen Angel" | 1 | 5 | 37 | 3 | MGM 12845 |
| 1960 | "A Star Is Born (A Love Has Died)" | 68 | -- | -- | 32 | MGM 12888 |
| 1960 | "The Lovin' Touch" | 84 | -- | -- | -- | MGM 12929 |
| 1961 | "Top Forty, News, Weather And Sports" | 81 | -- | -- | 17 | MGM 12980 |
[edit] References
- ^ "Social Security Death Index" Accessed March 11, 2011
- ^ "Jean Dinning, who wrote 'Teen Angel', dies at 86" Los Angeles Times Accessed March 11, 2011
- ^ "The Dinning Sisters" singers.com
- ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 156. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p. 123. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
