Dino , Desi And Billy were perhaps one of the earliest, and best, of the genre that later became known as the '
boy band'.
Formed in 1965, when all three members of the band were under 15, the band consisted of Dean Martin Jr (son of Dean Martin) on bass, Desi Arnaz IV (son of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz) on drums, and Billy Hinsche (not the son of anyone famous, he was the talented one) on guitar.
Given their families' entertainment connections, it was hardly surprising that the band got a contract on Reprise records (founded by Dean Martin's good friend Frank Sinatra) - what was more surprising was that the two top 40 hits they had in 1965, I'm A Fool and Not The Lovin' Kind, were actually extremely good examples of bubblegum pop.
The band continued recording up until 1970, but didn't score any further hits, despite releasing some really rather excellent sunshine pop tracks like Hinsche's Tell Someone You Love Them. Hinsche's sister, Annie, had married Carl Wilson of the Beach Boys, and Carl's brother, Brian Wilson, also co-wrote a track with Hinsche, the minor hit Lady Love.
The band split in 1970, and Hinsche became a touring member of the Beach Boys (he wrote the song One More Night Alone on Carl Wilson's eponymous first solo album, as well as contributing guitar, keyboards and vocals to the band's live shows and many of their albums from the early 70s through to the mid-90s). He currently plays in Al Jardine's band, whenever lawsuits allow.
Dean Martin Jr died in a plane crash in 1987.
Desi and Billy currently have a new band, Ricci, Desi and Billy with Ricci Martin (not Ricky Martin), Dino's brother, who Billy and Carl Wilson had previously produced an album for in the mid-70s. They play occasional gigs, often featuring Jeff Foskett on additional vocals, and have released two live albums through their website, www.riccidesibilly.com . Sundazed records released a 'best of' compilation of DDB's work , Rebel Kind in 1996.