HUNTSVILLE — For two nights next month, Huntsville will be the epicenter of the country music universe with the celebration of Hall of Famer Dean Dillon.
The first night features a songwriters’ showcase Oct. 8, followed by the “Songs and Stories of Dean Dillon” tribute show Oct. 9 that will be filmed for a television special.
Both events are in the Von Braun Center Propst Arena. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster and the Von Braun Center Box Office.
The “Songs and Stories of Dean Dillon” concert is a virtual who’s who of country music.
Scheduled to perform are Cole Swindell, Craig Morgan, LeeAnn Womack, Neal McCoy, Randy Houser, Sammy Kershaw, George Strait, Vince Gill, Ronnie Dunn, Riley Green, Justin Moore, Jamey Johnson, ERNEST, Billy Currington, Pam Tillis, Mark Chesnutt, Zach Top, Gramps Morgan, Due West, Tim Watson, and Larry Fleet.
Doors open at 5:30 p.m.; the concert is at 7. Tickets can be purchased here.
The Dean Dillon & Friends Songwriters Celebration features Dillon, Bob DiPiero, “Moose” Brown, Scotty Emerick, and Jessie Jo Dillon. Doors open Oct. 8 at 5:30 p.m.; a VIP dinner is 6:30 and Dean Dillon & Friends is at 7. For tickets, click here.
Dillon is a three-time Grammy nominee with 26 No. 1 singles to his songwriting credit and was named the 1985 Billboard Country Artist of the Year. In 2002, Dillon was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame along with Bob Dylan and Shel Silverstein. In 2021, he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame along with Hank Williams Jr. and Marty Stuart.
One of the most successful and influential songwriters in country music, Dillon has furnished more than 60 compositions for George Strait, including his first hit single, “Unwound.”
Dillon also wrote honky-tonk hits for Kenny Chesney, Vern Gosdin, Pam Tillis, Keith Whitley, and other singers. “Tennessee Whiskey,” which Dillon co-wrote with Linda Hargrove, has become a modern classic with widely heard versions by George Jones and Chris Stapleton.
DiPiero’s first number one hit as a songwriter was 1983’s “American Made” by The Oak Ridge Boys; it also became a national advertisements jingle for Miller Beer and Baby Ruth candy bar. Since then, DiPiero co-wrote hit singles for other country music artists, with 15 of his songs reaching No. 1 on the country music charts.
Some of the hits he wrote include:
- The Church On Cumberland Road – Shenandoah
- Cleopatra, Queen of Denial – Pam Tillis
- Wink – Neal McCoy
- Little Rock – Reba McEntire
- Mirror, Mirror – Diamond Rio
- Walking Away A Winner – Kathy Mattea
- Take Me As I Am – Faith Hill
- Till You Love Me – Reba McEntire
- Blue Clear Sky – George Strait
- Daddy’s Money – Ricochet
- World’s Apart – Vince Gill
- Cowboy’s Like Us – George Strait
- You Can’t Take The Honky Tonk Out Of The Girl – Brooks & Dunn
- Gone – Montgomery Gentry
- If You Ever Stop Loving Me – Montgomery Gentry
- As Good As I Once Was – Toby Keith
- Beer For My Horses – Toby Keith w/ Willie Nelson
- I Don’t Believe In Goodbye – Sawyer Brown
- A Little Too Late – Toby Keith
- ‘Round Here – Sawyer Brown
- Where Thay Came From – Randy Travis
- Like My Dog – Billy Currington
- I Love This Bar – Toby Keith
- Get My Drink On – Toby Keith
- Lies, Lies, Lies – Morgan Wallen
- Messed Up As Me – Keith Urban
- Memory Lane – Old Dominion
- To Hell & Back – Maren Morris
- 10,000 Hours – Dan & Shay w/ Justin Bieber
- Rich – Maren Morris
- Break Up In The End – Cole Swindell
- The Breath You Take – George Strait
- Crazy Woman – LeAnn Rimes
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