Dinosaur is the name used by several different acts, including an American artist, Arthur Russell, and a British jazz group led by Laura Jurd.

Arthur Russell

Arthur Russell is a New York-based avant-garde cellist and composer who forms Dinosaur in the late 1970s. He is born in 1952 in Oskaloosa, United States, and dies in 1992.

Under the Dinosaur name, he releases the first disco single on Sire in 1979. The single, “Kiss Me Again,” features David Byrne on guitar and Myriam Naomi Valle on vocals. Although it does not become a commercial hit, it gains an underground reputation after being championed by Larry Levan of Paradise Garage.

Other artists using the name

British jazz group

One Dinosaur is an acclaimed jazz group from the United Kingdom, described as a jazz-meets-synthpop act. It is led by trumpeter and composer Laura Jurd and includes keyboardist Elliot Galvin, bassist Conor Chaplin and drummer Corrie Dick. The group signs to Edition Records and releases the albums Together, As One, Wonder Trail and To The Earth. It tours extensively and performs at festivals including North Sea Jazz, Montreal Jazz Festival and Molde International Jazz Festival.

Dinosaur Jr

Another act, Dinosaur Jr, begins as Dinosaur in 1983 in Amherst, Massachusetts. Its founding members are J Mascis and Lou Barlow, with Murph joining soon afterwards. The band releases its debut album, Dinosaur, in 1985 under the original name before changing its name after legal pressure from another group called The Dinosaurs.

Other uses

The name is also used by a thrash metal band from Portugal formed in 1989 and by a dinosaur-themed idol group from Japan.