Andy DiMino Biography
Although Andy DiMino’s background may be more in music and singing than celebrity impersonations, DiMino is a natural when it comes to bringing ol’ Dino back to life. DiMino has been entertaining audiences for practically his entire life. Growing up in Southern California, his high school rock bands opened Hollywood club shows for groups like The Doors and Iron Butterfly. Playing the ski circuit in Colorado led to an album with RCA as a founding member and songwriter for the band First Fire, and later tour dates as keyboard player/singer with Mary MacGregor (“Torn Between Two Lovers”).
However, the road is a tough place to raise a family, and eventually DiMino decided to leave the rock club circuit to stay close to home and raise his son. He started focusing on songwriting, working as a solo guitarist/singer in restaurants and pubs. A first place prize on TV’s “Gong Show” planted the seed for variety. Eventually, DiMino wanted to expand his career, so he set out for Las Vegas in 1990 with the hopes of finding something different that would allow him to continue working with talented people while still singing great songs. Once in Las Vegas, DiMino quickly added acting and improv to his credits, appearing in TV commercials, a “Tonight Show” comedy sketch with Jay Leno and a bit part in a Kenny Rogers TV movie. DiMino also found work as Las Vegas legend Buddy Greco's production manager, working his big band dance/live radio shows at the Flamingo. It was here that DiMino got some of his earliest Vegas singing experiences, when Greco arranged a big band vocal chart for DiMino to sing on stage with his band.
DiMino found various gigs at the local hotels, playing a Medieval musician (guitar) at Excalibur to Caesar himself at Caesar’s Palace. He joined the strolling opera group at the Venetian as the mandolin/guitarist, and also worked as a gondolier. His vocal contributions? The Italian/American songs of Dean Martin.
As a child, DiMino watched the Dean Martin Variety Hour weekly on TV. He was drawn to Martin’s relaxed style of singing, and soon started collecting CDs, videos and books on the Rat Pack member. DiMino collected Martin memorabilia for over five years before he ever put on the tux and held his first fake cigarette, and was even encouraged by his mother to use his physical likeness, ability to sing and even walk like Martin as a career opportunity. DiMino saw other Rat Pack acts working in Las Vegas and decided to give it a try, taking his new “Dino” act on the road, performing as Martin in a long running lounge show at Harrahs, big band/concerts and local corporate events. DiMino was a success, and people of all ages would stop to tell him how close his recreation of Martin was. One older lady even stopped DiMino to tell him how much she loved Frank and remembered how all the guys wanted to be Frank, before leaning in close and whispering, “but Frank always wanted to be Dean.”
Recent credits include:
... a “live performance” video of Dean Martin’s “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” duet for country music superstar Martina McBride, that she sings “with” in her holiday concerts.
... a successful six week performance in the Tropicana Hotel’s main showroom in Atlantic City.
... a returning cast member of “All That Swing”. A live swing music show in Berlin, Germany.
When DiMino isn’t on stage in a Las Vegas showroom, he can still be found performing at corporate events. DiMino’s also back on the road, traveling to both coasts and in between, for various engagements crooning and swinging the "standards" as himself. With his love for music and comedy of the Rat Pack generation, his close physical resemblance to Dean Martin and an Italian background (DiMino’s father and all four grandparents were from Sicily), it looks like Andy DiMino has truly found his calling.