One-hit wonder Mark Dinning

Of all the one-hit songs, Teen Angel, which was NO. 1 in 1960, must surely be one of the most mawkish. The song, recorded by Mark Dinning (born Max Dinning), was written by his sister and brother-in-law and told of a teenage girl whose car stalled out while crossing a railroad track and how she made it out in time, but ran back to retrieve the high school ring her boyfriend had given her-- and was squished. Remarkably, she was found with the ring clutched in her lifeless hand.

Dinning, who grew up on a Tennessee farm, came from a musical family. His three older sisters performed as The Dinning Sisters in the 1940s and had a big hit of their own in 1948, Buttons and Bows.

Dinning made a few more records, but none succeeded as had Teen Angel. He died of a heart attack in 1986.