โStar Searchโ Winner Billy Dean Brings New Perspective To Rebaโs โThe Greatest Man I Never Knewโ
on Oct 24, 2017 โข Updated Aug 12, 2020

Country singer Billy Dean first found his claim to fame on the television competition series Star Search in 1988. He generated a great deal of attention during that time, and finished the show as the Male Vocalist winner of the season.
Following that, Dean kicked off his career with the release of his debut record, Young Man. While his first single failed to chart, his second and third singles both reached the third spot on the Billboard country chart.
Dean now has nearly 30 years of experience under his belt, and countless other hits to his name. Perhaps his most well-known song is โBuy Me a Rose,โ which was a Kenny Rogers single with Alison Krauss and Dean as featured vocalists. The song reached the top spot on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, and also claimed the 40th spot on the Billboard Hot 100.
According to his biography on AllMusic, Dean grew up listening to some of country musicโs greatest, including Merle Haggard and Marty Robbins. Based on that information, you can bet that Dean has a great appreciation for songs recorded by countryโs legendary artists.
One such song is Reba McEntireโs โThe Greatest Man I Never Knew.โ Released in 1992, four years after Dean won Star Search, โThe Greatest Man I Never Knewโ climbed as high as the third spot on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.
Written by Richard Leigh and Layng Martine, Jr., โThe Greatest Man I Never Knewโ is told through the voice of a woman reflecting on her relationship with her father. She remembers her childhood and recalls how her father was always there, yet seemed emotionally absent.
Dean offered up a new perspective on the song when he performed it during an appearance on Larryโs Country Diner in 2017. After all of these years, weโve grown used to hearing โThe Greatest Man I Never Knewโ through a womanโs voice. Deanโs rendition tells the story from a manโs point of view.
By hearing โThe Greatest Man I Never Knewโ from a male vocalist, the songโs story shows how a lack of parental affection can affect all children. It also shows the universal nature of the story, and how it sadly affects more people than we probably even realize.
On Deanโs part, he did a convincing job of telling the heartbreaking tale through his performance. His connection to the songโs story furthers the connection that others can feel when they watch him sing it.
Go ahead and tune in to the video below to see Deanโs rendition of โThe Greatest Man I Never Knew.โ Itโs like hearing the song for the first time all over again.