In 1964, with the producer Lou Adler, he helped found Dunhill Records, which released music by Johnny Rivers, the Mamas and the Papas and Three Dog Night.
Plucking aimlessly at an acoustic guitar on his lap, Beck recited the history of the building: how it had been home to ABC-Dunhill Records, where powerhouses of AM radio like the Mamas and the Papas and Three Dog Night worked their magic.
In "Great Big Dog," Mama and Papa shoo away the menace with the power of their love.
Such predictions have largely come true since Xi Dada, which is also translated as Uncle or Papa Xi, became China's top dog in November 2012.
"We know a good hot dog when we taste one," Mrs. Papa said, "and it's worth the extra effort to find it".
(Derek begins "Easter," from "The Fortunate Traveller," with the reassuring words of a loving Papa: "Anna, my daughter, / you have a black dog / that noses your heel, / selfless as a shadow; / here is a fable / about a black dog").
Next stop was Giorgio's home (his yard is filled with barking dogs), so he could introduce us to his papa, Aldo Remedia, 87, a seriously grande formaggio in the Acqualagna truffle world.
Three Dog Night and the Grass Roots were regular hit-makers, but the Mamas and the Papas became Dunhill's flagship act on the strength of the hits "California Dreamin' " (1965) and "Monday, Monday" (1966).
