Dion de Marbelle

Musician · 1818–1903
Best known for Songwriter

Dion de Marbelle was a nineteenth-century European-born American actor, musician, soldier, and one of the first clowns in the touring Bailey circus (the precursor of Barnum & Bailey). He is credited with the lyrics and tune of the gospel song “When They Ring Those Golden Bells,” which entered the standard bluegrass and Southern-gospel repertoire after recordings by Roy Acuff, the Stanley Brothers, and Bill Monroe.

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  • Born Daniel de Marbelle in 1817 or 1818 in León — sources differ on whether in France or Spain — and emigrated to the United States as a child.
  • Worked the post-Civil War era as a touring actor and musician.
  • Became one of the first clowns in the touring James Anthony Bailey circus, which later merged into the Barnum & Bailey show.
  • Wrote both words and music to “When They Ring Those Golden Bells” (also known as “Ring Those Bells” and “De Golden Wedding”), one of the most-recorded gospel songs of the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
  • The song has since been recorded by Roy Acuff, the Stanley Brothers, Bill Monroe, the Carter Family, Loretta Lynn, and a long line of country and bluegrass acts.
  • Died in 1903.

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