Country’s Billy Dean to play his many hit songs at Tulalip

If you’re looking forward to hearing Billy Dean’s brand of outlaw- and pop-inspired country, you’d better act fast.

Tickets to the Grammy-winning star’s show at the Tulalip Resort Casino on Feb. 15 are nearly sold out.

A country star of the 1990s best known for the hit single “Somewhere in My Broken Heart,” Dean, now 56, has been a singer, songwriter and guitarist for more than three decades.

He got his start when he was 8 years old. His father, also known as Billy Dean, liked to invite Billy Jr. to perform with his band The Country Rocks in their hometown of Quincy, Florida. Dean remembers stepping on stage to sing along to Hank Williams’ songs like “Your Cheatin’ Heart.”

“I would hang out during their rehearsals,” Dean said in a phone interview with The Daily Herald while in Naples, Florida, for a show. “I just fell in love with all the instruments that were in the living room: the drums, the amps, the guitars. When they weren’t practicing, I was usually over there fiddling with a guitar or something.

“That’s how I got started. I just wanted to hang out with my dad and his buddies.”

At 13, Dean officially joined his father’s country band. Then at 18 he struck out on his own, playing all over the Gulf Coast circuit. Rather than country, he played popular folk and rock songs of the time.

He attended college in Mississippi, but he dropped out after a year to pursue a career in music. Still, one good thing came out of college. That’s where he taught himself to play piano and started writing his own songs — including one called “Nowhere Under the Rainbow” that led to a songwriting job in Nashville.

In 1988, Dean was a contestant on “Star Search,” a precursor to shows like “American Idol” and “The Voice.” The TV appearances helped get him noticed; Dean was offered a record deal soon after.

Two years later, Dean’s original song “Only Here for a Little While” hit No. 3 in the nation. Dean followed that with the No. 1 song “Somewhere in My Broken Heart” on his Grammy-nominated album “Young Man” in 1990.

He has recorded eight studio albums, of which the first three were certified gold, and a greatest hits package that also is certified gold. His studio albums have accounted for more than 20 hit singles on the Billboard country charts, including 11 top 10 hits.

Dean credits his father’s influence — and family genes — for inspiring his career in country music.

“My dad was a crooner; he had a nice deep, rich voice,” said Dean, who, like his father, sings baritone. “He almost sounded like Glen Campbell sometimes, and I liked that, so I think I just emulated his voice and I sang the music that he listened to, which was country music.”

While he loves traditional country, Dean’s sound is more progressive. His early influences included James Taylor, the Eagles and KISS, as well as Carole King, Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard.

“I struggled with fitting in to country music,” he said. “I think we were all trying to move the box when we got to Nashville in the ’90s. We were trying to get country music to open up its boundaries a little bit. I mean, the (country) stars of today listen to hip-hop and rap. Country music has allowed and embraced a wide range of music-makers.”

At the Tulalip show, Dean will play his familiar hits, such as “You Don’t Count the Cost,” “Only the Wind,” “Billy the Kid,” “If There Hadn’t Been You” and “Tryin’ to Find a Fire in the Dark.”

“Pretty much people want to hear the hits from the ’90s,” said Dean, who after decades in Nashville now is back in Florida. “The ’90s country music is really strong right now.”

Even after all those hit singles, “Somewhere in my Broken Heart” is the song Dean’s most proud of.

“I think if it wasn’t for ‘Somewhere in My Broken Heart,’ I wouldn’t still be working right now,” he said. “(It’s) given me the most respect among my peers. I think it said ‘he’s here to do music, he’s not here to be rich and famous.’”

If you go

Billy Dean will play the Tulalip Resort Casino at 8 p.m. Feb. 15. Tickets start at $40. Limited seats available. You must be at least 21 to attend. Order tickets by calling 800-745-3000, visiting the box office at 10200 Quil Ceda Blvd., Tulalip or going online to www.tulalipresortcasino.com.