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Dean Kay

American musician and executive

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About Dean Kay

Dean Kay was an American songwriter.

Dean Kay (born June 21, 1940) is an American entertainer, recording artist, songwriter, and music publishing executive.

Early life Dean Kay was born on June 21, 1940, in Oakland, California. He attended San Jose State University in San Jose, California from 1958 to 1962. from San Francisco. They recorded for both Del-Fi Records and RCA Victor.

As a songwriter he laid out songs for many top recording artists including "That's Life" for Frank Sinatra. He served as the chief operating officer (COO) for Lawrence Welk's music publishing companies for 18 years. Later, he became president/CEO of PolyGram International Publishing. Throughout his career, he has played a key role in safeguarding the creative legacies of Jerome Kern, Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II, Cole Porter, Elton John, Bernie Taupin, Johnny Horton, Don Williams, Bob McDill, Wayland Holyfield, Ricky Skaggs, Rick Springfield, and many others.

Kay sits on the board of directors of ASCAP and the ASCAP Foundation. His past roles include positions on the Boards of The National Music Publishers Association (NMPA), The Harry Fox Agency (HFA), the Country Music Association (CMA), the Academy of Country Music (ACM), the California Copyright Conference (CCC), and the Association of Independent Music Publishers (AIMP). Kay publishes a daily email news digest called The Dean's List, which covers news about music, copyright and new technology in the entertainment industry. It has a sister web publication, The ASCAP Daily Brief, which is powered by The Dean's List.

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Important facts

Occupation
Nationality
Education
San Jose State University
Also known as
Dean Kermit Thompson, Dean K. Thompson

Frequently asked questions

Who was Dean Kay?

American musician and executive

What was Dean Kay's occupation?

Dean Kay was a songwriter.

What nationality was Dean Kay?

Dean Kay was American.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Dean Kay

· Wikidata: Q5246263

· DBpedia: Dean Kay

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Dean Kay. https://biography.guide/dean-kay/

MLA: "Dean Kay." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/dean-kay/.

Chicago: "Dean Kay." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/dean-kay/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

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