Billy Hinsche: Beach Boy Band Member and more...

written by Lon Levin

When did you first think about performing, writing and producing music as something you wanted to do?

I first started thinking about performing when Dino, Desi and I put the group together. We started playing local parties around Beverly Hills it was so much fun we just wanted to keep doing it.

Interview by

Lon Levin

William “Billy” Hinsche (born June 29, 1951) is an American musician who was part of the singing group Dino, Desi & Billy and a touring musician with The Beach Boys. Hinsche was born in Manila, the Philippines, where his father, Otto “Doc” Hinsche, owned a casino. After World War II, the family moved to the United States and settled in Beverly Hills. Hinsche attended Beverly Hills Catholic High School, where he met Desi Arnaz, Jr. and Dean Paul Martin. The three later formed the group Dino, Desi & Billy and signed with Frank Sinatra’s record label Reprise Records.

I first met Billy on the baseball diamond at Roxbury Park. We were on rival teams. Billy was a “cool” pitcher with great control and I was a power hitter who ate fastballs. I loved hitting against Billy! Later on Billy applied his cool to pop music becoming the musical backbone to his first big group, Dino, Desi and Billy. They were a teenage sensation that featuring Dino Martin, Desi Arnaz Jr. and Billy. I was delighted when my old rival and friend agreed to do this interview.

The notion of writing songs didn’t come ‘til much later and producing as well, after we saw the benefits of expanding our horizons in those areas. We started our own production company, created Dino Desi and Billy Music as our publishing company and started writing, producing and publishing our own songs. We also produced four songs for Dean Martin. I wrote two of them

What kind of kid were you?

I was basically kind of shy and quiet but I was a good student, president of my class for several years, got really good grades and was popular with the other kids in my class.

Where did you grow up? . I was born in Manila in the Philippines and our family moved to Beverly Hills when I was quite young - that’s where I was raised from about age 5.

What were your influences?

My piano tutors had me learn simple pieces from Mozart, Chopin, and some of the other Masters. I listened to a lot of musical soundtracks growing up such as My Fair Lady, Gigi, South Pacific and others. I started listening to the radio at an early age and enjoyed all the popular songs of the day like “Purple People Eater,” “Baby Talk,” “When,” “Splish Splash” and others. I started buying 45rpm Records around that time too. Listening to the radio always gave me an understanding of what was going on in the world musically and the popular

songs of the day continued to influence me throughout mylifetime and still going strong.

Did your dad’s business as a casino owner in Manila have any influence on you?

Not really, other than that provided the means by which we could live in Beverly Hills. Also I never became a gambler because of his advice that “the house always wins.”

How did Dino, Desi and Billy start?

I always get asked that question and a very simple answer is that we all met in school - grammar school, and were friends first and foremost. I met Dino when I was seven years old in second grade when he and his brother and sister came to our school, Beverly Hills Catholic, also known as Good Shepherd. We became best friends and did everything together. We did what most young boys do like ride bicycles, skateboard, play Little League, drive go carts, go to the movies, etc.

We were pretty much inseparable I was either at his house or he was at mine. In the mid-‘60s when music was becoming more and more popular with The Beach Boys and The Beatles and The British Invasion it was a natural progression for us to want to play music too. I already had a background in music and a basic understanding of the guitar because of lessons I had taken on ukulele while I was vacationing with my family in Hawaii, I taught Dino a few simple chords and we began learning simple songs. One thing led to another and we realized if we wanted to have a real group we needed a drummer. Desi Jr. and his sister Lucie Arnaz were also now attending our school. We knew Desi could play drums because one day he came around to each classroom and did a drum demonstration and was really good, very impressive. We approached him in the playground at school and asked if he’d like to be in our group as our drummer and he agreed. So that’s how we got together as a band.

How did all the notoriety affect you and the two of them?

Of course Dino and Desi’s parents already had incredible notoriety. But the three of us didn’t have any notoriety of our own until we formed our group and had a couple of hit records. In short, we loved it and enjoyed every minute of it.

How did you arrive at the band’s way of doing things and why?

Dino and I were older than Desi so we tended to make decisions for the group. Since I had a pretty extensive musical background already, you might say that I was the musical director. We tried to pick songs where Dino and I alternated lead vocals or pick songs where we could do 2-part harmony. Dino had a great sense of style so you might say he was in charge of wardrobe for stage.

When and how did that evolve into gigging with the Beach Boys ?

We opened for The Beach Boys on July 3, 1965 at the Summer Spectacular show at the Hollywood Bowl that included The Kinks The Byrds The Righteous Brothers, Sonny and Cher and others. After that, they took us on

the road with them to Bakersfield, Fresno, and Hawaii. You might say they took us under their wing. My sister Annie started dating Carl Wilson and they soon married. I started going on the road with them just for the fun of it - just to hang out. Once in a while I’d go on stage and play tambourine. I began playing piano and guitar for them more and more and eventually they offered me a full-time full membership in the group. For a number of reasons, I wasn’t able to make the commitment at that time. I continued touring with them throughout my years at UCLA and eventually went to work with them fulltime starting in 1974 when I graduated.

Your sister was married to Carl Wilson. How did that affect your relationship with the Beach Boys?

Annie’s marriage to Carl only solidified my relationship with the group even more. Now and forever The Beach boys are family to me. Carl’s death of cancer-related issues in 1998 was indescribable and I don’t think anybody in the family or friends that knew him have fully recovered from his loss even to this day. I do what I can to keep his memory alive in my own way and through the Carl Wilson Foundation that was set up by his two sons, my nephews, Jonah and Justyn Wilson. I have also written liner notes for two of his solo CD projects - one titled Carl Wilson and the other named Youngblood.

You have a film degree from UCLA. Have you had a chance to exercise your film chops?

When I was at UCLA, I was also traveling on the road with The Beach Boys whenever I could. I asked several professors if I could do documentaries while on the road as part of my film or television projects. As a result, I had all this great footage that I shot on the road both on video and film. Many years later I decided to start assembling them and editing them and as a result I have made several documentaries from the footage I shot during that period of time.

Any projects we should know about?

If you’re interested go to http://www.billyhinsche.com/videos.html

You’ve worked with a few rock n’ roll greats outside of the Beach Boy (Joan Jett, Elton John, etc) . How has that worked out for you?

It’s been great since most of these folks were friends of mine to begin with and remain so to this day; and I still get a check once a year for singing on “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” for Elton.

You live in Las Vegas now. Any kids, wife?NoWhat’s daily life at the Hinsche home like?

I got up early to do some reading, answer emails and do paperwork. I make calls and might have lunch at one of my favorite places in town. I go to the gym as much as possible and, weather permitting, I swim every day. I’ll either make dinner at home or eat with friends and I’ll often rent a movie to watch in the evening. It’s usually lights out by 11pm.

You grew up in LA, you traveled all over the world, why did you decide to settle in Las Vegas?

I needed a change in my life. The real estate market was good and so I bought a place at a really good time. I’ve been coming to Vegas for many years performing with The Beach Boys and was already familiar with it, so it wasn’t that difficult of a transition.

Do you still perform?...

Yes. My last big show was with Brian Wilson at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Honolulu in June 2017 for a private corporate event. I’ve done a few shows recently at the Rock Stars of Art gallery in Newport Beach, California.

...or is most of your work in the studio or writing and producing songs?

Most of my work over the years has been on the road in live performance. I’m not that prolific of a songwriter but when I do finish a song I like to go to the studio and record it as soon as possible. As I am recording, I’m also producing the song.

Which performer did you enjoy working with the most?

It was always a thrill to record anything with the Beach Boys especially if Brian Wilson was producing the date. My role in the studio would usually be as a musician but it was always such a thrill when Brian gave me a vocal part to sing like on “Heroes & Villains.” The Beach Boys and the group Chicago did a tour in 1975 (I named it the BeaChago tour) that is still my favorite tour ever. I stay in touch with some of the guys in the band, in particular singer/songwriter/keyboardist Robert Lamm.

How has the advent of the computer affected your work?

Tremendously, especially in the area of filmmaking. I made one documentary film every year for seven years and I couldn’t have done it without my iMac computer. Also, the ability to share songs through MP3 files, etc., has facilitated the recording process too. Recently, I was working on a song I had collaborated on with a friend in Los Angeles and his engineer sent me the file for the recording we had already done in LA and I finished up the track here in Las Vegas where I live. It’s also forced me to renew my typing skills for writing emails, letters and other documents.

Any special projects we should be looking for?

I recently collaborated on a song with Robert Lamm It will be on their next Christmas album to be released on Rhino records in October. The title is “(Because) It’s Christmastime.”

I’m also putting together my own show with multi media. It will be a storyteller type of show - a stories behind the music show called Straight From The Heart. I’ll take you through the early years with Dino Desi and Billy through The Beach Boys years and will be filled with anecdotes of many of the interesting and talented people I’ve met and worked with throughout the years.

You can learn about Billy at www.billyhinsche.com