狄恩出生于美国纽约的基督教家庭,从小就十分热中参与音乐活动,像是学习长笛、钢琴,或者参加乐队、合唱团、唱诗班等,对音乐有一种与生俱来的热情和敏锐度。
对于狄恩来说,音乐和大自然是他一生的最爱。他曾经向哥哥借了录音机,把麦克风放在窗边,就只为了录下暴风雨的雷声;而跟着牧师到野外郊游时,也不忘顺便录下鸟儿的叫声,他觉得大自然的所有声音都是音乐、都是如此迷人。然而,为了探究大自然的真理,他后来甚至专攻生物学,取得缅因大学分子生物硕士学位。
即便享有国家科学基金会的赞助,狄恩仍旧希望能透过音乐传达珍惜大自然的理念,于是他毅然决然放下研究计划,转任录音工程师,打算边创作边学技术,作为发展音乐事业的基础,在美国著名的Regent Sound Studios担任录音师期间,狄恩很幸运地能够和许多大师合作,像Eric Clapton、Les McCann、Robert Flack等,充实了他日后的创作内容。
1979年,狄恩和妻子搬到亚利桑那州的雷蒙山定居,在海拔10000英尺的山顶埋首创作,同时把自己录制的录音带,用以物易物的方式交换给登山客,没想到狄恩以长笛演奏加入大自然采集录音的音乐风格,大受新世纪乐迷欢迎,他的传奇于是像滚雪球般,迅速地成为热门话题,而他创办的品牌----Soundings of the Planet也在他的领导下,连续三年获得Billboard评鉴为十大独立音乐厂牌。
另一方面,狄恩在音乐上的表现丝毫不惶多让:他制作的专辑,连续7张登上Billboard新世纪榜;他的个人专辑《森林之雨》是少数以长笛打进Billboard新世纪榜Top 20的经典之作;此外,他的所写的曲子甚至被迪士尼、美国公共电视频道选为片头曲,在制作、演奏、创作等多项领域的成绩都极为亮眼,堪称美国音乐界当代传奇人物
by Linda Kohanov
In the 70s, Evenson and his wife Dudley traveled across the country with early portable video equipment to the awakening consciousness as it was manifesting in peoples lives. The couple eventually settled in Tucson, AZ, and built a small empire with their Soundings of the Planet record company. Their stated purpose was to help people experience the healing energies of music and natural sounds and get in touch with a more peaceful place inside themselves. Soundings of the Planet has had amazing success in creating and distributing recordings that communicate this goal. Evenson produces many of the labels artists. He also has several albums of his own that combine natural sounds with his softly flowing flute melodies and various other acoustic and electronic instruments.