Dion DiMucci | |
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 DiMucci performing inMadison Square Garden (1987) | |
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| Born | Dion Francis DiMucci (1939-07-18)July 18, 1939 (age 86) The Bronx, New York, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1957–present |
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| Website | diondimucci |
Dion Francis DiMucci (born July 18, 1939),[15] better knownmononymously asDion, is an American singer and songwriter. His music incorporates elements ofdoo-wop,pop,rock,R&B,folk andblues.[16] Initially the lead singer of the vocal groupDion and the Belmonts, Dion embarked on a solo career, and was one of the most prominentrock and roll performers of the pre-British Invasion era.[2] He had 39 Top 40 hits in the late 1950s and early 1960s as a solo performer, or withthe Belmonts andthe Del-Satins.[17] He is best remembered for his signature hit songs "Runaround Sue", "The Wanderer", "Ruby Baby" and "Lovers Who Wander", among others.[18]
Dion continued making music after his popularity waned in 1964,[19][20] and for the rest of the decade he diversified his style, fervently exploring country and urban blues, and recording electric folk rock. After a religious transformation in 1968, he resuscitated his commercial career with the major hit "Abraham, Martin and John".[21]
During the 1980s, Dion producedseveral Christian albums, winning aGMA Dove Award in 1984 for the albumI Put Away My Idols.[22][23] He returned tosecular music in the late 1980s withYo Frankie (1989).[24] Between the mid-2000s and 2024, Dion releasedseven chart-topping blues albums (three at No. 1).[25] Critics who had dismissed his early work, labeling him as ateen idol, praised his later work and noted the influence he has had on other musicians.[16]
AGrammy-nominated artist,[26] Dion has released over 40 albums, andscored eleven Top 10 hits (including with the Belmonts) on the USBillboard Hot 100 chart.[27] He was inducted into theRock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989.[28] In 2002, Dion was inducted into theGrammy Hall of Fame for "Runaround Sue".[29]AllMusic album awards include: Favorite Blues Album forNew York Is My Home (2016), Favorite Compilations and Reissues forKickin Child: Lost Columbia Album 1965 (2017) and Favorite Blues Album forBlues with Friends (2020).[30]
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Dion was born to anItalian-American family inthe Bronx,New York,New York.[31] He accompanied his father, Pasquale DiMucci (avaudeville entertainer), on tour as a child. He developed a love ofcountry music, particularly the work ofHank Williams. He was also fond ofblues anddoo-wop musicians he heard performing in local bars and on the radio. His singing was honed on street corners and local clubs in the Bronx, where he and other neighborhood singers createda cappella riffs.[32]
In early 1957, Dion auditioned for Bob and Gene Schwartz, for their short-lived Mohawk Records label.[33] They asked Dion to sing a song which had been arranged byHugo Montenegro, and recorded featuringVic Damone doing vocals. At first Dion refused, stating the song would sound like something his old fashioned parents would listen to, but the Schwartzes convinced him to give it a try. The backing vocals were by a group called "the Timberlanes", whom Dion had never met.[34] The resulting single, "The Chosen Few", was released under the name "Dion and the Timberlanes", and became a minor regional hit. In a 2019 interview at "Crashing the Party" (aradio program related toNorton Records in Brooklyn, New York), Dion stated that "The Chosen Few" hit the Top Ten locally in Boston, which enabled him to perform this song onAmerican Bandstand. The kids at the show started screaming during his performance, and gave Dion his first impression of being a record star. In his autobiography,The Wanderer, Dion explained that he didn't know who the Timberlanes were. "The vocal group was so white bread, I went back to my neighborhood and I recruited a bunch of guys – three guys – and we called ourselves Dion andthe Belmonts".[35]
Bob and Gene Schwartz signed Dion's friends, the Belmonts:Carlo Mastrangelo,Fred Milano, and Angelo D'Aleo. The vocal group was named for theBelmont, Bronx neighborhood, with Dion singing as lead. The new group's breakthrough came in early 1958, when "I Wonder Why" (on their newly formedLaurie Records) made No. 22 on the U.S. charts. The record was the first release forLaurie Records. Dion said of the Belmonts:
"I'd give 'em sounds. I'd give 'em parts and stuff. That's what 'I Wonder Why' was about. We kind of invented this percussive rhythmic sound. If you listen to that song, everybody was doing something different. There's four guys; one guy was doing a bass, I was singing lead, one guy's going 'ooh wah ooh', and another guy's doing a tenor part. It was totally amazing. And when I listen to it, oftentimes what I'm thinking of is 'man, those kids are talented'."[35]
Their initial hit was followed by "No One Knows" and "Don't Pity Me", which also charted theBillboard Top 100. This success won a place for Dion and the Belmonts on the ill-fated "The Winter Dance Party" tour withBuddy Holly,Ritchie Valens,the Big Bopper (J.P. Richardson),Frankie Sardo and other performers. On February 3, 1959, after playing a concert inClear Lake, Iowa, Holly decided to charter an overnight flight to the next venue rather than travel on the tour bus. Dion was invited to accompany him but decided that he would not spend $36 ($382 in 2024) for the flight, as he considered 36 an unlucky number ($36 was the same monthly rent his parents paid for his childhood apartment) and he could not justify the indulgence.[36][37]The plane crashed, killing all on board: Holly, Valens, Richardson and the pilot Roger Peterson. Dion and the Belmonts continued on the tour, along withFrankie Sardo, whileBobby Vee (then an unknown artist) performed in Holly's place at the very next concert.[38]Jimmy Clanton,Frankie Avalon, andFabian were later added to replace the other now-deceased headliners.[citation needed]
Dion and the Belmonts' next single, "A Teenager in Love", was released in March 1959. It eventually reached No. 5 on the U.S. pop charts and No. 28 in the UK.[39] The group's biggest hit, "Where or When", was released in November of that year, and reached No. 3 on the U.S. charts. However, in early 1960, Dion checked into a hospital forheroinaddiction, a condition he battled since his mid-teens.[40] Further single releases for the group that year were less successful. With musical, personal and financial differences between Dion and members of the Belmonts, Dion left the group for a solo career in October 1960.[41][42] By the time of their breakup, alleight Laurie releases had charted on the Hot 100.[citation needed]
By the end of 1960, Dion produced his first solo album onLaurie Records,Alone with Dion, released in 1961.[43] The single "Lonely Teenager" rose to No. 12 in the US charts. The name on his solo releases was simply "Dion". Follow-ups "Havin’ Fun" and "Kissin’ Game" had less success, and the signs were that Dion would drift onto the cabaret circuit.[44] However, he then recorded an up-tempo number co-written withErnie Maresca with a new vocal group,the Del-Satins. The record, "Runaround Sue", stormed up the U.S. charts, reaching No. 1 in October 1961, and No. 11 in the UK,[39] where he also toured. "Runaround Sue" sold over a million copies, achievinggold disc status.[45]
For the next single, Laurie promoted the A-side, "The Majestic", but it was the B-side, Maresca's "The Wanderer", which received more radio play and climbed swiftly up the charts to reach No. 2 in the U.S. in February 1962 and No. 10 in the UK. The 1976 re-release made the UK Top 20.[39]
By the end of 1961, Dion had become a major star, touring worldwide and making an appearance in theColumbia Pictures musical filmTwist Around the Clock. In 1962, he followed with a string of singles he wrote or co-wrote including "Lovers Who Wander" (No. 3), "Little Diane" (No. 8), "Love Came to Me" (No. 10). He also had successful albums withRunaround Sue andLovers Who Wander.[27]
At the end of 1962, Dion moved from Laurie toColumbia Records. He was the first rock ‘n’ roll artist signed to the label, which was an anomaly considering thatMitch Miller (its then-A&R director) loathed that particular genre of music. In 1958 Miller dismissed rock entirely: "Rock ‘n’ roll is musical baby food: it is the worship of mediocrity, brought about by a passion for conformity."[46]
Dion's first Columbia single,Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller’s "Ruby Baby" (originally a hit forthe Drifters) reached No. 2, while "Donna the Prima Donna" and "Drip Drop" (another remake of a Drifters hit) both reached No. 6 in late 1963. Dion also recorded an Italian version of "Donna the Prima Donna" using the identical backup vocals. His other Columbia releases were less successful, and problems with hisdrug addiction[47] and changing public tastes, especially theBritish Invasion, saw a period of commercial decline.
Following a European tour, Dion returned to the U.S. and was introduced to classicblues by Columbia'sJohn Hammond. To the consternation of his management, he began recording more blues-oriented material, includingWillie Dixon’s "Hoochie Coochie Man" and "Spoonful". These releases, some produced byTom Wilson withAl Kooper on keyboards, were not commercially successful. Still with Columbia, Dion formed a new group to back him in 1965. The Wanderers were composed of John Falbo on guitar, Pete Baron (Pete Falciglia) on bass, andCarlo Mastrangelo ofthe Belmonts on drums. They made national appearances onDick Clark’sWhere The Action Is, and onThe Lloyd Thaxton Show. A number of self-penned tracks were recorded and released unsuccessfully as singles, and did not appear in album format until years later. In June 1965, he recorded fellow Columbia Records contemporaryBob Dylan’s composition "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue", a half-year beforeThem (featuringVan Morrison)’s hit version.
In 1966–67, Dion briefly reunited with the Belmonts, recording the LPTogether Again forABC Records. The album was unsuccessful, despite one classic self-penned song, "My Girl the Month of May". Two singles were released from the LP. While neither charted in the United States, they fared better in the UK. "My Girl The Month of May" entered theRadio London "Fab 40" at No. 9 the week of December 25, 1966. A ‘turntable’ hit at London underground clubs likeMiddle Earth, the disc received a lot of play frompirate radio DJ'sJohn Peel andKenny Everett. The follow-up, "Movin’ Man", reached No. 17 on the "Radio London" charts on Easter Sunday, March 26, 1967. "My Girl The Month of May" was later covered by English artistsAlan Bown in 1967, andIsland Records artistsThe Bunch (featuringSandy Denny and other members ofFairport Convention) in April 1972. During their brief mid-60's reunion, Dion and the Belmonts appeared on the popularClay Cole Show performing "Berimbau" and "My Girl The Month of May",[8] and occasionally performed at local New York City clubs such as "The Mardi Gras" on Staten Island (April 29, 1967) before disbanding. While Dion's career appeared to be nearing an end, he still retained enough credibility to be, along with Bob Dylan, one of only two rock artists featured on the album cover ofthe Beatles’Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band in 1967.[48]
In April 1968, Dion experienced what he identified as a powerful religious transformation.[49] Aftergetting clean once again from his heroinhabit,[50] an experience he documented in his 1970 song "Your Own Backyard",[51] he approachedLaurie Records for a new contract.[52] They agreed on the condition that he record the song "Abraham, Martin and John", written byDick Holler (also the writer ofthe Royal Guardsmen’s "Snoopy vs. the Red Baron") in response to the assassinations ofJohn F. Kennedy,Martin Luther King Jr. andRobert F. Kennedy.[53] The success of this song (released by Dion in August 1968 and later recorded by many others includingMarvin Gaye) which reached No. 4 in the US charts and No. 1 in Canada, resuscitated Dion's career. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded agold disc.[54]
For the next few years, Dion's music became radically different, moving to more contemplative and mature material.[55] He released several albums essentially as a singer-songwriter, to moderate sales, moving to theWarner Brothers label in 1969.[56]
A live reunion show withthe Belmonts atMadison Square Garden was recorded on June 2, 1972.[57] It was released as a live album by Warner, titledReunion: Live at Madison Square Garden, the following year.[58] In 1973, Dion and the original Belmonts performed together again, doing a sold-out concert at the Nassau Coliseum in Long Island, New York.[59] However, no recording of the 1973 reunion was released. This was followed in 1975 by the albumBorn to Be with You produced byPhil Spector. The album was a commercial failure, but was praised by artists such asJason Pierce ofSpiritualized[21] andPete Townshend ofThe Who,[53] with the track "Only You Know" being sampled byPulpfront manJarvis Cocker for his single "Don't Let Him Waste Your Time" (from his 2006 solo albumJarvis).[60]
In 1978, Dion released an album drawing on many of his teenage influences,Return of the Wanderer, another commercial failure.[19]
In December 1979, there was a radical spiritual change in Dion, who had become aborn againChristian.[61] Thereafter, his recordings for several years were in acontemporary Christian vein, in which he released five albums on theDaySpring Records label, a division of Word Records inWaco, Texas. These albums reflecting hisevangelical Christian convictions wereInside Job (1980),Only Jesus (1981),I Put Away My Idols (1983) which charted at No. 37,[62]Seasons (1984),Kingdom in the Streets (1985)[63] andVelvet & Steel (1986). Several singles were successfully released toChristian radio,[53] notably "Still in the Spirit" fromKingdom in the Streets.[64]
In 1984, Dion was nominated for aGMA Dove Award (Christian Music Award) for the albumI Put Away My Idols.[23] He was also nominated forGrammy Award for Best Gospel Vocal Performance, Male for the same album.[22][65]
On September 24, 1985, Dion was a guest on100 Huntley Street.[33]
In 1987, Dion agreed to do a concert of his old hits atRadio City Music Hall in New York. The two disc CD of this concert was released in 2005,[58] featuring concert photos by Dion's friend, Michael J. Friedman. This concert helped free him to celebrate both his past and his future, and led to a series of special appearances, including a fundraiser for homeless medical relief.[66] There he shared the stage with fans such asBruce Springsteen,Paul Simon andLou Reed,[67] all of whom cited Dion as one of their prime influences.[68]
Dion's autobiography,The Wanderer: Dion's Story, was co-authored by Davin Seay and published in the late-1980s.[69]
In 1989, DiMucci returned to rock music with the contemporary albumYo Frankie, which included appearances by Simon ("Written on the Subway Wall"/“Little Star"),[70] Reed,k.d. lang,Patty Smyth andBryan Adams.[71][72] Produced byDave Edmunds (who also played guitar on the album), "Yo Frankie has a sharp sound while never losing sight of Dion's soulful,doo-wop voice."[73] Overall, "the relevant and nostalgic statement from an artist who helped forge rock & roll's first wave" found his way back on radio and in music videos during this period (both onVH1 andMTV), as well as touring.[74][75][76][77]
In 1989, Dion was inducted into theRock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), with an introduction by Reed.[78] Controversially, when Dion's solo induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame occurred, the other original members of the Belmonts (Carlo Mastrangelo,Fred Milano and Angelo D’Aleo) were not inducted.[79] In aBillboard magazine article dated January 3, 2012, it stated: "There was strife between DiMucci and Belmonts members, who were not pleased when DiMucci was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame without them in 1989."[80]
In 1996, DiMucci joinedScott Kempner andFrank Funaro ofthe Del-Lords, and Mike Mesaros ofthe Smithereens, in a short-lived band called Little Kings.[81] A live album was released in 2001,[82] but not widely circulated or promoted.[83]
Dion'sThe Best of the Gospel Years was released in 1997.[84]
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 World Over – Dion DiMucci, his life and music – Raymond Arroyo with Dion DiMucci – 08-11-2011, 56:30,EWTN |
Dion has released several albums with contemporary rock artists.[2] HisDéjà Nu album in 2000 had him coveringBruce Springsteen,[85] a lifelong fan of Dion.[86] In 2002, he joined Springsteen onstage in Miami, for a performance of "If I Should Fall Behind" fromDream on Fire.[87]
In 2002, Dion was inducted into theGrammy Hall of Fame for "Runaround Sue".[29] He continued to perform songs from his albums live, including a concert in 2004 being recorded for release on DVD.[88]
In January 2006, Dion releasedBronx in Blue, an album ofblues andcountry standards, which was nominated for aGrammy Award. It peaked at No. 2 on the Top Blues Albums chart.[89]
In November 2007, Dion issued a follow-up album titledSon of Skip James, which peaked at No. 4 on the Top Blues Albums chart.[90]
In October 2008, DiMucci releasedHeroes: Giants of Early Guitar Rock, an album of his covers of early rock and roll songs he considers seminal to the genre.[91] The album includes versions of songs originally recorded byBuddy Holly,Ritchie Valens,Ricky Nelson,Johnny Cash, and many other early rock guitarists.[92]
In October 2009, Dion performed "The Wanderer" withPaul Simon at the25th Anniversary Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Concert.[93]
Anaudiobook and paperback by Dion andMike Aquilina, titledDion: The Wanderer Talks Truth (Stories, Humor & Music), was published in April 2011. DiMucci shares stories aboutThe Bronx in the 1950s, how he ended up on the cover ofSgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, and his travels withSam Cooke in theJim Crow South.
Dion releasedTank Full of Blues on January 24, 2012. It peaked at No. 3 on the Top Blues Albums chart.[94]
While touring, Dion performed "Donna the Prima Donna" live inLas Vegas, on April 5, 2015.[95] On July 11, 2015, he held a concert in Westbury, New York.[96]
That same year he released the single "New York Is My Home" with Simon.[97] The single was followed by the albumNew York Is My Home, released February 12, 2016.[98] The album peaked at No. 3 on the Top Blues Album chart.[99] It was also awardedAllMusic's Favorite Blues Albums of 2016.[100]
Dion planned four concerts in the U.S. during early 2016,[101] and was invited as a keynote speaker for the 2016SXSW in Texas. He spoke on the topicA Conversation with Dion: Rock's Enduring Voice on March 17, 2016.[102]
Dion appeared onThe Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon on April 8, 2016.[103]
In May 2017, Dion releasedKickin’ Child: The Lost Album 1965 fromNorton Records,[104] containing songs recorded in 1965 when he was withColumbia Records (but were not previously released). The album was awarded AllMusic's Favorite Compilations and Reissues of 2017.[100]
In June 2020, Dion releasedBlues with Friends viaKeeping the Blues Alive Records (KTBA),[105] anindependent record label created byJoe Bonamassa and Roy Weisman for Dion and otherblues musicians to showcase their talents.[106] The album featuresVan Morrison,Jeff Beck,Paul Simon,Bruce Springsteen and others (includingliner notes byBob Dylan).[107][108][109] Adigital album (and a doublevinyl record set), Dion released a music video for every song from the album on his website and social media platforms, such asFacebook andYouTube.[110] The album reached No. 1[111] on theBillboard Blues Albums chart[112] (9 weeks at No. 1 and 59 weeks total),[113] and No. 4 oniTunes.[114] It also charted in United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Canada and Australia.[115][116][117][118]
The album was awardedAllMusic's Favorite Blues Album of 2020.[100]American Songwriter magazine honored Dion's "Song for Sam Cooke (Here in America)" as the "Greatest of the Great 2020 Songs".[119]
Dion also released twoChristmas songs in 2020: "Hello Christmas" (featuringAmy Grant) and "You Know It's Christmas" (featuring Bonamassa).[120] Both songs were co-written withMike Aquilina.[121] Music videos were produced for both songs.[122]
Dion's song "Blues Comin’ On" (with Bonamassa) fromBlues with Friends was nominated for a 2021Blues Music Award.[123][124]
In November 2021, Dion releasedStomping Ground (with music videos),[125][126] which includes extensive liner notes written byPete Townshend.[127] Except for a cover of "Red House", the songs were written by Dion and Aquilina. Multiple guest artists participated on the album,[128] including Springsteen andPatti Scialfa on "Angels in the Alleyways".[129][130] The album became Dion's second No. 1 blues album.[131]
In 2023,Rolling Stone ranked Dion at No. 154 on its list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.[132] On April 24, 2024, he was one of four musicians honored by the Bruce Springsteen Archives & Center for American Music atMonmouth University in New Jersey.[133]
In March 2024, Dion released his third No. 1 blues album,Girl Friends.[134] In October 2024, he released a patriotic collaboration withCarlene Carter, titled "An American Hero" (along with music videos for singles from the album).[135][136]
In January 2025, Dion released thenostalgic single "New York Minute" andbiographical bookDion: The Rock ‘n’ Roll Philosopher (co-written withrecovery and performance coach Adam Jablin). The book covers Dion's personal life and rock-and-roll journey, with contributions fromEric Clapton, Paul Simon, BishopRobert Barron andStevie Van Zandt.[137] His albumThe Rock 'n' Roll Philosopher followed in October.
In October 2011, an industry-only reading of a new play about Dion's life was performed inNew York City.[138]
In a December 2011 article fromThe New York Times, Dion and his collaborator (writer and directorCharles Messina) discussed details about the project – titledThe Wanderer: The Life and Music of Dion – which would focus on the years between 1957 until the late-1960s. It was planned to feature more than twenty songs from that era, as well as new original music. In the article, Dion gave his perspective on the story: "You know, I always saw my story as a youngSopranos with great music and aRocky GrazianoSomebody Up There Likes Me ending. It's a story of redemption. Arock and roll redemption story!"[139]
DiMucci revealed that Michael Wartella would be starring inThe Wanderer on December 16, 2017.[140] There was a reading of themusical in November 2017, while working on the play continued (with Dion posting about the musical via hisInstagram account @diondimucciofficial).[141] In December 2019, it was announced thatNew Kids on the Block memberJoey McIntyre would star as Johnny, Michael Wartella as Dion andChristy Altomare as wife Susan. The first performance at thePaper Mill Playhouse was scheduled to start on May 28, 2020.[142] Due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, the opening performance was rescheduled to March 24, 2022.[143]
In April 2022, Dion appeared in an interview onEWTN'sThe World Over withRaymond Arroyo. They discussed his career, his recent blues albums andThe Wanderer musical.[144]
Dion has been married to Susan Butterfield since March 25, 1963. Their first daughter, Tane DiMucci, was born in 1966. Originally from New York City, they moved toBoca Raton, Florida in 1968. Dion and Susan DiMucci's second daughter, Lark, was born circa 1969. Their youngest daughter, August, was born circa 1974. Dion is a grandfather and a great-grandfather.[145][23]
In the late 1990s, Dion visited his oldBronxparish,Our Lady of Mount Carmel, and returned toCatholicism.[146] Sparking Dion's reversion to Catholicism was "a chance viewing ofThe Journey Home program onEWTN."[147] As a practicingRoman Catholic and having struggled with aheroinaddiction during his youth,[148] Dion has been involved inprison religion, reaching out to men going throughdrug recovery.[53] In 2009, he traced his detour into drugs and alcohol to the aftermath of theBuddy Holly plane crash: "You know they didn't have grief counseling in the Bronx. So what did I do? I drank, I took a little of this drug, a little of that drug... I tried to avoid the pain in so many ways, or the frustration or the confusion."[149]
DiMucci was a member of the American board of directors forRenewal Ministries in 2004.[150] He appeared onThe Journey Home and discussed his wanderings from Catholicism toProtestantism and back again on May 1, 2006.[151] In 2013, he received an honorary degree from Fordham University.[152][153]
With the Belmonts
Solo albums
Pop singer Dion DiMucci in 1939 (age 80)
his critical rep has risen steadily since the early '60s, with many noted contemporary musicians showering him with praise and citing his influence.
Recorded live at the Tropicana, Atlantic City.
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