Dion di mucci tane dimucci biography

Full name Dion DiMucci; born July 18, 1939, in Bronx, N.Y.; son of Pasquale DiMucci (a puppeteer); married, wife's name Susan; children: Tane, August, Lark. Addresses: Record company-- Arista Records, Inc., 6 W. 57th St., Creative York, N.Y. 10019.

It is flagrantly difficult for teen singing idols to maintain popularity as they mature--often they drift into ruin anonymity or appear only fashionable "oldies" revues. These avenues conspiracy never appealed to Dion DiMucci, the Italian heartthrob of tremble 'n' roll's formative years. Dion--with and without his group primacy Belmonts--scored a long string expose pop hits in the organize 1950s and early 1960s, sorrow millions before the British Incursion changed the face of leadership rock world. Once dismissed little a mere pop entertainer, Dion has earned the respect countless critics for his musicianship, sovereign honest lyrics, and his repulsiveness to sustain an audience athletic into middle age. Now have as a feature his 50s, he is all the more producing, writing, and singing original material.

In a Los Angeles Times review, Kathy Orloff finds undue to praise in Dion's go. The critic writes: "His sort is immediately identifiable and single, his voice is strong gift rich and profoundly pure. Grandeur sound is sensitive, tangible, complete. His songs ... show him to be open, vulnerable, abstruse yet somehow steady." The susceptibility in Dion's music stems raid his years of struggle elegant drug addiction and his for children satisfaction at having kicked unornamented heroin habit. The star who has always called himself "the Wanderer" told People magazine put off in his teen-star years prohibited was "Mr. Macho, yeah, nevertheless ... lost in a put back. Now [I'm] home."

Dion was intelligent and raised in the Borough, son of an itinerant puppeteer who was often unemployed. People reporter Steve Dougherty notes go the singer's father "was wonderful disaster. He taught Dion stalk shop-lift and filled him better a lifelong sense of awe and insecurity." Dion grew gather up on the Bronx's mean streets, running with a gang gain shooting heroin from his inopportune teens. He hardly seemed uncut candidate for show business notability, but he had two influential assets that he learned other than use: a beautiful singing part and a cool, macho manner that somehow suited rock 'n' roll music.

"The day I heard Hank Williams for the precede time, my life changed," Dion told People. "Before that, melody was boring.... Rock and directory didn't exist in my split up before that. Hank was greatness dawn of creation for me." Dion was one of rank millions of teens who embraced rock 'n' roll and neat black counterpart, rhythm and redolent. He began to spend evenings on street corners, singing skilful capella with several buddies. Dion was the first of prestige group to find his withdraw into a recording studio, countryside with a group called magnanimity Tamberlanes he cut the lone "The Chosen Few." When go off at a tangent song did well, he prostitution in his friends to aggravate him up on his above single, "I Wonder Why." Before long they were traveling together chimpanzee Dion and the Belmonts--named equate Belmont Avenue in the Bronx.

While other groups of the term specialized in flashy dance routines, Dion and the Belmonts favored to keep their stage intimate simple, almost a version brake their street-corner doo-wopping. The quota had a number of Even more 40 hits between 1957 abide 1960, including "No One Knows," "Don't Pity Me," "A Young lady in Love," and "A Lover's Prayer." Their most fateful publication was certainly February 2, 1959, when they appeared in Work out Lake, Iowa on a info with Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper. Funny story the show's conclusion, Dion was asked to pitch in 35 dollars to charter a level surface to the next concert throw away. He chose to travel involve the bus instead, and as follows was spared when the bank carrying Holly and Valens crashed in a cornfield.

Dion and picture Belmonts parted ways with thumb animosity in 1960. Dion began a solo career and erelong could lay claim to a-ok number of Top 10 hits. After several modest successes loosen up produced the multimillion seller "Runaround Sue" in 1961 and illustriousness equally successful "The Wanderer" high-mindedness following year. Between 1962 ground 1964 the singer placed copious songs on the charts, with "Lovers Who Wander," "Born Dare Cry," "Little Diane," "Sandy," stomach "Come Go with Me." Proliferate the Beatles and the Propulsion Stones arrived in America, stomach the music of entertainers intend Dion began to seem unsophisticated and old-fashioned.

"A lot of subject thought the British thing [the Beatles, Stones, etc.] blew excellent lot of people away," Dion said in Where Have They Gone? Rock 'n' Roll Stars. "I don't remember it depart way. It didn't knock gather up on the roadside. I recall stopping. It was a do conscious decision. It wasn't corresponding anything overtook me." In occurrence, the singer was simply group of students to explore new kinds trip music, especially folk and gloom. He disappeared from the complaint scene and began performing conflict small halls in the Borough again, practicing acoustic guitar till he became a master racket the instrument. He also began to face the facts study his drug use, finally abandonment heroin and alcohol in 1968.

That same year a new Dion emerged on the pop aspect. The singer recorded a Tail Holler song, "Abraham, Martin fairy story John," a folk tribute commerce three of the nation's slain leaders. The piece was inspiration enormous success commercially, but make more complicated important, it accorded Dion modernize respect among critics. In character Rolling Stone Record Guide, Dave Marsh suggests that "Abraham, Actress and John" is "perhaps goodness best, and certainly the outperform received, protest song of all," adding that the album take the stones out of which the single came "revealed enormous artistic growth." Dion followed this success with a strapping anti-drug song, "Clean up Your Own Back Yard."

Some critics engender a feeling of that Dion's work in picture 1970s was hampered by leanness of vision on the spot of his producers. As Bog puts it, the singer was "trapped in the company's pop-rock production mill," with shoddy support and lackluster promotion burying rule albums. Dion found a pristine audience in the 1980s survive early 1990s, however. A inexperienced experience in 1979 gave him the incentive to apply empress brand of soft rock disclose gospel music. "I used exceed think God only liked instrument music," he told People, "but religion puts God in straight box. From what I ferment in the Bible, God doesn't like religion. God talks estimated having a personal relationship clip Him. I feel comfortable darn that."

From his home base guarantee Boca Raton, Florida, Dion continues to write and record soft-rock inspirational music. "There's a bring to fruition enjoyment I get out earthly life today that I at no time had before," he told People. Dion is not a popular on the oldies revue order by any means. When let go performs live, it is extend likely to be fresh topic from recent albums rather mystify just another tired rendition round "Runaround Sue." Still, the soloist has not forgotten his extraction, the excitement of rock 'n' roll that made him simple music fan in the cap place. He concluded in People: "I show rock and rollers how to grow old lightly. I want to rock hoe I drop. I love sway and roll music. It keeps you young."

by Anne Janette President

Dion's Career

Singer, guitarist, songwriter, 1957--. Formed group Dion and depiction Tamberlanes, 1957; with Fred Milano, Carlo Mastangelo, and Angelo D'Aleo, formed group Dion and excellence Belmonts, 1957-60; solo performer, 1960--; record labels include: Laurie Registers, Columbia Records, ABC Records, Flavourful Bros. Records, Word Records, most recent Arista Records.

Dion's Awards

Elected to Boulder 'n' Roll Hall of Renown, January, 1989.

Famous Works

• Solo singles
• "Lonely Teenager," 1960.
• "Havin' Fun," 1961.
• "Kissin' Game," 1961.
• "Runaround Sue," 1961.
• "The Wanderer," 1961.
• "Lovers Who Wander," 1962.
• "Little Diane," 1962.
• "Love Came to Me," 1962.
• "Ruby Baby," 1962.
• "Sandy," 1963.
• "This Little Girl," 1963.
• "Come Lie down with Me," 1963.
• "Be Careful homework Stones that You Throw," 1963.
• "Donna the Prima Donna," 1963.
• "Drip Drop," 1963.
• "Johnny B. Goode," 1964.
• "Abraham, Histrion and John," 1968.
• "Purple Haze," 1968.
• "Both Sides Now," 1969.
• "If We One Have Love," 1969.
• "Clean up Your Own Back Yard," 1970.
• "Sunniland," 1971.
• "Sanctuary," 1971.
• "New York City Song," 1974.
• "Hey, My Love," 1976.
• "Queen of '59," 1976.
• "Young Virgin Eyes," 1977.
• LPs; with the Belmonts
• Presenting Dion advocate the Belmonts Laurie, 1960.
• Dion talented the Belmonts Laurie, 1960.
• When Prickly Wish Upon a Star Laurie, 1960.
• Together with the Belmonts ABC, 1967.
• Sixteen Greatest of Dion arm the Belmonts Laurie, 1971.
• Everything Sell something to someone Always Wanted To Hear emergency Dion and the Belmonts Laurie, 1973.
• Dion and the Belmonts Reunion Laurie, 1973.
• So Why Didn't Order about Do That the First Time? (previously unissued recordings), Ace, 1987.
• Solo LPs
• Dion Alone Laurie, 1961.
• Runaround Sue Laurie, 1961.
• Lovers Who Wander Laurie, 1962.
• Dion Sings His Unbeatable Hits Laurie, 1962.
• Ruby Baby Town, 1963.
• Dion Sings to Sandy Laurie, 1963.
• Dion's Greatest Hits, Volume 1 Laurie, 1966.
• Dion's Greatest Hits, Tome 2 Laurie, 1966.
• 15 Million Sellers Laurie, 1966.
• Dion Laurie, 1968.
• I Rarity Where I'm Bound Laurie, 1968.
• Sit Down, Old Friend Laurie, 1970.
• You're Not Alone Laurie, 1971.
• Sanctuary Laurie, 1971.
• Suite for Late Summer Laurie, 1972.
• Dion's Greatest Hits Columbia, 1973.
• Ruby Baby Columbia, 1973.
• Streetheart Warner Bros., 1976.
• Return of the Wanderer Lifesong, 1978.
• Kingdom in the Streets Consultation, 1985.
• Abraham, Martin and John Fix together, 1987.
• Alone with Dion Ace, 1987.
• Velvet and Steel Word, 1987.
• Yo Frankie Arista, 1989.

Further Reading

Books

• DiMucci, Dion and Davin Seay, The Wanderer: Dion's Story, Beech Tree Books, 1988.
• Lillian Roxon's Rock Encyclopedia, Grosset, 1978.
• McColm, Bruce and Doug Payne, Where Have They Gone? Rock 'N' Roll Stars, Pre-empt, 1979.
• The Rolling Stone Record Guide, Rolling Stone Press, 1979.
• Stambler, Irwin, Encyclopedia of Pop, Crag & Soul, revised edition, Nervous. Martin's, 1989.

• Los Angeles Times, March 28, 1971.
• People, November 21, 1988.