Dion
Born: July 18, 1937
Bronx, NY
Bridging the era between late-'50s rock and the British Invasion, Dion DiMucci
(b. July 18, 1939) was one of the top white rock singers of his time, blending
the best elements of doo wop, teen idol, and R&B styles. Some revisionists
have tried to cast him as a sort of early blue-eyed soul figure, although
he was probably more aligned with pop/rock, at first as the lead singer of
the Belmonts, and then as a solo star. Drug problems slowed him down in the
mid-'60s, yet he made some surprisingly interesting progressions into blues-rock
and folk-rock as the decade wore on, culminating in a successful comeback
in the late '60s, although he was unable to sustain its commercial and artistic
momentum for long.
When Dion began recording in the late '50s, it was as the lead singer of
a group of friends that sang on Bronx street corners. Billing themselves
as Dion & the Belmonts (Dion had released a previous single with the
Timberlanes), their first few records were prime Italian-American doo wop;
"I Wonder Why" was their biggest hit in this style. His biggest single with
the Belmonts was "A Teenager in Love," which pointed the way for the slightly
self-pitying, pained odes to adolescence and early adulthood that would characterize
much of his solo work.
Dion went solo in 1960 (the Belmonts did some more doo wop recordings on
their own), moving from doo wop to more R&B/pop-oriented tunes with great
success. He handled himself with a suave, cocky ease on hits like "The Wanderer,"
"Runaround Sue," "Lovers Who Wander," "Ruby Baby," and "Donna the Prima Donna,"
which cast him as either the jilted, misunderstood youngster or the macho
lover, capable of handling anything that came his way (on "The Wanderer"
especially).
In 1963, Dion moved from Laurie to the larger Columbia label, an association
that started promisingly with a couple of big hits right off the bat, "Ruby
Baby" and "Donna the Prima Donna." By the mid-'60s, his heroin habit (which
he'd developed as a teenager) was getting the best of him, and he did little
recording and performing for about five years. When he did make it into the
studio, he was moving in some surprisingly bluesy directions; although much
of it was overlooked or unissued at the time, it can be heard on the Bronx
Blues reissue CD.
In 1968, he kicked heroin and re-emerged as a gentle folk-rocker with a number
four hit single, "Abraham, Martin and John." Dion would focus upon mature,
contemporary material on his late '60s and early '70s albums, which were
released to positive critical feedback, if only moderate sales. The folk
phase didn't last long; in 1972, he reunited with the Belmonts, and in the
mid-'70s cut a disappointing record with Phil Spector as producer. He's been
recording and performing fairly often over the last two decades (sometimes
singing Christian music) to indifferent commercial results. But his critical
rep has risen steadily since the early '60s, with many noted contemporary
musicians showering him with praise and citing his influence, such as Dave
Edmunds (who produced one of his periodic comeback albums) and Lou Reed (who
guested on that record). — Richie Unterberger (Allmusicguide.com)