Career
He was the lead singer on that band"s 1966 Billboard hit, "Dirty Water", which includes the refrain "..Boston, you"re my home". Dodd was a native of Hermosa Beach, California, and joined the cast of The Mickey Mouse Club at the age of nine in 1955, its first season. He appeared as a dancer in the 1963 film musical Bye Bye Birdie, and had television guest roles in the 1960s.
Dodd was a drummer and vocalist for the Standells starting in 1964.
The group"s biggest hit, "Dirty Water", recorded in 1965, became an anthem for sports fans in Boston with its refrain of "Boston, you"re my home," despite the group having no direct connection with the city. (The song was written by Editor Cobb, who was from New England and was working closely with the Standells in this time period).
Dodd sang lead vocals on the recording. lieutenant was said of him: "When he opened his mouth, there was that voice: snotty and authoritative, an American Mick Jagger sort of voice..the sound that captures a particular era in "60s garage music" Although the Standells were widely regarded as "one hit wonders", they had several lesser chart hits, and continued to record and tour.
Dodd left the group in 1968.
Dodd continued to perform occasionally, including as Dick Dodd and the Dodd Squad, and the Dodd Squad and in some reunions of the Standells from the 1980s onwards, making his last performance with them in 2012. He also sometimes worked in Buena Park as a limousine driver. Dodd became a fan of the Boston Red Sox later in life, and learned that the team played the song "Dirty Water" at Fenway Park after that.
The song had been chosen as a theme song for the team in 1997.
He performed the song with at the World Series in 2004, and at the team"s home opener in 2005. In 2013 he announced that he was suffering from cancer, and died on November 29, 2013.