Dinah (song)

"Dinah" is a popular song. The music was written by Harry Akst, and the lyrics by Sam M. Lewis and Joe Young. It was introduced by Eddie Cantor in Kid Boots (1923) in Pittsburgh. The song was published in 1925.

It was immensely popular with jazz bands and vocalists of the period and beyond, with versions by Chet Baker, Fats Waller, Ethel Waters, Bing Crosby with The Mills Brothers, The Boswell Sisters, Joséphine Baker, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, Benny Goodman, The Temperance Seven, The Revelers, Django Reinhardt and even Thelonious Monk.

A 1966 cover by The Chambers Brothers was released as a single, and later as a bonus track on the CD reissue of The Time Has Come.

Japanese versions

In Japan, it was released by Teichiku Records; it was Dick Mine(ディック・ミネ)'s debut song in December, 1934.

Tokuichi Mine (Mine Tokuichi (三根徳一^?)) had previously been an unknown band singer. He referred to himself as Dick Mine, translated the lyrics of "Dinah" into Japanese by himself, and sang the song. He called himself Kōich Mine (Mine Kōich (三根耕一^?)), a pen name, as the translator. "Dinah", sung by Dick Mine, became the first hit song for Teichiku Records, with "Dark Eyes" on the flip side.

"Dinah" was also covered by, among others, Tadaharu Nakano (Nakano Tadaharu (中野忠晴^?)) as "Dinah", Akira Kishii (Kishii Akira (岸井明^?)) as "Dinah", Kenichi Enomoto (Enomoto Ken'ichi (榎本健一^?)) as "Enoken No Dinah" (エノケンのダイナ^?), meaning "Enoken's Dinah", Isao Hayashi (Hayashi Isao (林伊佐緒^?)) as "Dinah", and Yoshio Kawada (Kawada Yoshio (川田義雄^?) as "Rōkyoku Dinah" (浪曲ダイナ^?).

See also

• List of 1920s jazz standards