Best known as the lead singer of The Standells who sang DIRTY WATER. A Mouseketeer on the original Mickey Mouse Club TV show, Dick Dodd went on to help pioneer the West Coast rock of the early '60s. After playing drums and singing with the Casuals, Eddie & the Showmen, and the Bel-Airs, Dodd accepted an invitation to join the L.A.-based group the Standells. In addition to playing on the Standells' 1966 hit tribute to Boston's Charles River, "Dirty Water," he appeared with the group in the 1967 film Riot on Sunset Strip.

Dick Dodd is best known as drummer in surf music pioneers the Bel-Airs, and Eddie and the Showmen plus '60s garage rockers the Standells.



Born Joseph Richard Dodd Jr. on Oct. 27, 1945, in Hermosa Beach, Dodd cultivated an interest in singing, dancing and performing as a young boy. In 1955, at the age of nine, he was cast on "The Mickey Mouse Club," the beloved television variety show that came to epitomize post-war America, alongside series regulars such as Annette Funicello and Cubby O'Brien. On the show, he was the Mouseketeer known as Dickie.



In 1958, Dick performed drums on the Gisele McKenzie Show. He was the drummer for the Casuals band in 1961, followed by a stint with surf band The Bel-Airs. The Bel-Airs nabbed a hit with the 1961 instrumental "Mr. Moto".



Along with Eddie Bertrand of the Bel-Airs, Dodd launched Eddie and the Showmen in 1962.



Eddie and the Showmen, which performed on the same bill as some of the luminaries of the era including the Beach Boys, Sonny and Cher and the Righteous Brothers.



A kind of pop cultural "Where's Waldo," Dick Dodd also went on to appear on a number of television shows and was a dancer in the 1963 film version of the musical "Bye Bye Birdie."



But in 1964, Dick Dodd took a musical left turn out of the mainstream to become drummer-vocalist in the garage rock band the Standells, known primarily for their popular single "Dirty Water." Recorded in 1965, it became the Standells' first and only hit, peaking at No. 11 on the national singles chart. And with its unforgettable refrain, "Boston, you're my home," the song held a special renown in Beantown where it's still an anthem for its sports teams, including the Red Sox baseball team and hockey-playing Bruins.



The Standells also went on to provide a soundtrack to the clash between counter-culture revelers and the establishment in 1967 with Dodd singing their second best-known song, "Riot on Sunset Strip," on camera during the opening credits of a low-budget exploitation movie of the same name.



Dick Dodd also performed with Jackie DeShannon, Dodie Stevens, Vic Dana, Bill Medley, The Fleetwoods, Los Straitjackets and Deke Dickerson.



In his later years, gigs were sometimes hard to come by and to earn a living Dick Dodd worked as a limousine driver in Buena Park, where he lived. But he did play concerts into this year, sometimes with his oldies outfit the Dodd Squad.



In 2004 and 2007 Dick performed at a sold out Fenway Park in Boston along with the Standells during the American League Championship series and World Series singing The National Anthem and Dirty Water.



Dick Dodd died from cancer in a Fountain Valley hospital on Friday, November 29, 2013. He was separated from his second wife, Janet Dodd. He is also survived by his adult daughter, Nicole.