Kenny Dino, who recorded the 1961 hit "Your Ma Said You Cried In Your Sleep Last Night" (#24), died of a heart attack while driving on a Florida highway early Thursday morning (December 10) near his home in Cocoa, Florida. He was 70. Kenny was born in Queens, New York and grew up in Long Island. After a stint in the Navy he settled on a recording career, performing at one point in San Antonio, Texas with Doug "Sir Douglas" Sahm. Initial recordings on the Arrow and Dot labels were unsuccessful, but when Aaron Schroeder at Musicor picked up his recording of "Your Ma Said You Cried In Your Sleep Last Night"-- a tune Kenny actually disliked-- he had his one-and-only hit. While Kenny was friends with songwriter Doc Pomus (he had recorded the demo for Doc's Elvis Presley hit, "Good Luck Charm") and wanted his own follow-up to be Doc's "Suspicion," Aaron insisted on "Rosie, Why Do You Wear My Ring." It and all subsequent recordings for Musicor and later Smash and Columbia Records, failed to chart. And "Suspicion" became a hit down the road for Terry Stafford. Despite this, Kenny never gave up performing. In fact, he was returning from two concerts in Melbourne, Florida when he died.Saturday, December 12, 2009
'60s Singer Kenny Dino Has Died At Age 70
Kenny Dino, who recorded the 1961 hit "Your Ma Said You Cried In Your Sleep Last Night" (#24), died of a heart attack while driving on a Florida highway early Thursday morning (December 10) near his home in Cocoa, Florida. He was 70. Kenny was born in Queens, New York and grew up in Long Island. After a stint in the Navy he settled on a recording career, performing at one point in San Antonio, Texas with Doug "Sir Douglas" Sahm. Initial recordings on the Arrow and Dot labels were unsuccessful, but when Aaron Schroeder at Musicor picked up his recording of "Your Ma Said You Cried In Your Sleep Last Night"-- a tune Kenny actually disliked-- he had his one-and-only hit. While Kenny was friends with songwriter Doc Pomus (he had recorded the demo for Doc's Elvis Presley hit, "Good Luck Charm") and wanted his own follow-up to be Doc's "Suspicion," Aaron insisted on "Rosie, Why Do You Wear My Ring." It and all subsequent recordings for Musicor and later Smash and Columbia Records, failed to chart. And "Suspicion" became a hit down the road for Terry Stafford. Despite this, Kenny never gave up performing. In fact, he was returning from two concerts in Melbourne, Florida when he died.
