Dion Francis DiMucci
"Dion"
born July 18, 1939
Bbetter known as Dion An American singer-songwriter whose work has incorporated elements of doo-wop, pop oldies music, rock and R&B styles. One of the most popular American rock and roll performers of the pre-British Invasion era, Dion had over a dozen Top 40 hits in the late 1950s and early 60s. He is best remembered for the 1961 singles "Runaround Sue" and "The Wanderer".
Genres:
Rock and Roll, Doo-Wop, Pop, R&B, Folk, Christian
Instruments:
Vocals
Contributions to music:
- Considered by some to be the godfather of "blue-eyed soul"
- Bridged the gap between doo-wop and the pre-British Invasion Sixties
- With the Belmonts, one of the Fifties premier doo-wop artists
- Helped bring doo-wop and blues into the pop mainstream
- One of rock's finest interpretive voices
- Adept at almost all styles of postwar popular music
Early years:
The son of a Borscht Belt puppeteer, Dion DiMucci grew up in the Bronx doing what many kids from that rough area did -- running in gangs and singing doo-wop on the corner well into the night (although he'd also been singing pop on regional TV and radio since the age of 12). After recording one flop single, Dion insisted on cutting the next with his backing group, the Belmonts, a hand-picked group of the neighborhood's best Italian doo-woppers, named after the Bronx's Belmont Street thoroughfare.
Success:
That single, "I Wonder Why," was a smash, setting the stage for two years of classic hits. Dion and the Belmonts were poppier than most doo-wop groups, but Dion's earthy tenor was as accomplished as anyone's, and the singles remain classics of the genre. In 1960, Dion dropped his last name professionally and went solo after the Belmonts decided they could make it on their own. They floundered, but Dion scored even bigger hits like "The Wanderer" and a solid cover of the Drifters' "Ruby Baby."
Later years:
The British Invasion hurt most American rock stars, but Dion especially so, partly because he was also struggling with a heroin addiction he'd acquired back in the Belmonts days. He switched to folk-rock in the mid-to-late Sixties, scoring one big comeback hit with the timely ballad "Abraham, Martin, and John" and producing a number of critically acclaimed albums. Clean since 1968, Dion is a sometime fixture on the oldies circuit, occasionally recording new material with his many admirers.
Other facts:
- First musical inspiration was country singer Hank Williams
- Member of Fordham Baldies street gang in the Bronx
- First discovered by jazz legend Paul Whiteman
- The Belmonts played the infamous Winter Dance Party Tour; Dion couldn't afford a seat on the plane that crashed killing Buddy Holly and others
- The backing vocal group on his solo hits was known as The Del-Satins
- Reunited briefly with the Belmonts in 1972
- Re-entered the rock scene after a triumphant appearance at Radio City Music Hall in 1987
Awards/Honors:
- Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1989)
- Vocal Group Hall of Fame (2000)
- Grammy Hall of Fame (1999, 2002)
Songs, Albums, and Charts:
#1 hits:
Pop:
- "Runaround Sue" (1961)
Pop:
- "A Teenager in Love" (1959) with the Belmonts
- "Where Or When" (1960)
- "The Wanderer" (1962)
- "Lovers Who Wander" {1962}"Little Diane" (1962)
- "Love Came To Me" (1962)
- "Ruby Baby" (1963)
- "Donna The Prima Donna" (1963)
- "Drip Drop" (1963)
- "Abraham, Martin and John" (1968)
- "Runaround Sue" (1961)
Appears on: "Dirty Blvd.," Lou Reed
Covered by: Harry Belafonte, Marvin Gaye, Donald Fagen, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Less Than Jake, Arthur Alexander, Dave Edmunds, Smokey Robinson and The Miracles, Marillion, Leonard Nimoy, Leif Garrett, Status Quo
Appears in the movies: "Twist Around the Clock" (1961), "The Teenage Millionaire" (1961)
