Dean was born in
Quincy, Florida, on April 2, 1962. His father, also known as Billy Dean, maintained a band called The Country Rocks in his spare time. By the age of 8, Dean began playing in his father's band. Dean was also a basketball player in high school, and was offered a scholarship to
East Central Community College in
Decatur, Mississippi. He attended college for one year before dropping out in order to pursue his desired career in music. By the time he was 20, Dean made the finals on the
Wrangler Country Star Search, followed by a Male Vocalist win on the television competition
Star Search six years later. He also worked as a demo singer and took acting lessons, appearing in television commercials for
McDonald's,
Chevrolet and
Valvoline. By the end of the decade, he had signed to a publishing contract with
EMI Music, as well as a recording contract with
SBK Records, a subsidiary of
Liberty Records. ==Musical career==