Cass Dillon

Cass Dillon (May 3, 1986) is a singer-songwriter from Long Island, New York, whose first release is a song written by Billy Joel titled "Christmas in Fallujah".

Career

Dillon's first major release was written by Billy Joel and titled "Christmas in Fallujah". Joel wrote the song after receiving many letters from military service members serving in Iraq but chose not to perform it because he "thought it should be somebody young, about a soldier's age."^[1] Dillon came to Joel's attention through his longtime musical director Tommy Byrnes and artist manager Stefano DiBenedetto with whom Dillon had been working.^[2] The song was released to the public on iTunes on December 4, 2007, the day after being previewed on The Howard Stern Show.^[3] Net proceeds from the song will be donated to Homes For Our Troops, which builds homes for severely wounded veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan.

From 2010 until 2012, Dillon was in a relationship with Joel's daughter, Alexa Ray Joel. The pair met when Dillon was hired to play guitar on Alexa Ray Joel's upcoming album on which he co-wrote "Say Something" a track on the album with Alexa during the sessions.^[4]

Dillon then became popular and best known as the singer of the opening theme Hyper Drive for the english dub of Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's.

Cass has also been seen opening for other notable artists Gavin DeGraw and One Republic and has performed on several network TV shows, including Katie Couric on CBS, FOX and Friends Morning Show on FOX, The Early Show News on CBS, and The Second Cup Cafe on FOX. Cass has also performed accompanying other artists like Alexa Ray Joel on The Howard Stern Show and with several other artists on The View, Good Morning America, and TED.

Cass is a multi-instrumentalist and producer as well as an acclaimed songwriter who recently was chosen by Billboard Magazine as one of their favorite unsigned songwriters. Lately, he has produced several studio records of different genres due for release next year along with several songs used in films and TV. Cass's latest song for film can be heard in the new romantic comedy "My Man is a Loser" starring John Stamos and Michael Rapaport, directed by Mike Young, which is expected to hit theaters early 2014.

Cass also has a budding acting career. You can catch him playing a supporting role in the new film "Song One", starring Academy Award winner Anne Hathaway, also due to hit theaters in early 2014.

Cass Dillon released a new single "I Love You" The single, which was inspired by the passing of his longtime manager's father, has the charm of raw Americana folk, a warm intimate indie production presence, and the melodic and lyrical hook of a hit pop song. Its immediate release has been pulling the heart strings and capturing the eyes and ears of listeners, quickly catching the attention of local and national radio; the single "I Love You" was first played in Philadelphia on the renowned WXPN.

"This song means a lot to me, so it's amazing to hear that it's already touched a lot of other people too", Cass said, "It's such a simple message, to say 'I Love You' but it's something that sometimes gets lost in the everyday madness and distractions around us, that we forget the true power and meaning of the words - maybe this is a song that can help people remember".

Cass Dillon plans to release his new EP Oregon Road- summer 2015.

References