Dion
DiMucci
Dion
DiMucci was born in the Bronx, New York, July 18, 1939, and is
credited with melding Doo-Wop and R&B musical styles, though
many remember him only for his teen idol packaging. The result
was a highly successful, albeit troubled, career.
In 1957, DiMucci
rounded up the best singers he could find and began rehearsing
on the subways heading into Manhattan. They called themselves
Dion & the Belmonts, after Belmont Street in the Bronx. By
1958, the group had its first hit with the Doo-Wop sounding "I
Wonder Why," followed by "No One Knows." The next
year, Dion & the Belmonts scored its biggest hit with "A
Teenager in Love."
Dion went
solo in 1960 (the Belmonts did some more 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 a long
string of hits like "The Wanderer," "Runaround
Sue," "Lovers Who Wander," "Ruby Baby,"
and "Donna the Prima Donna". These tunes cast him as
either the jilted, misunderstood youngster or the macho lover,
capable of handling anything that came his way.
In 1968 he
re-emerged as a gentle folk-rocker, and scored a #4 hit single,
"Abraham, Martin and John." The song was sort of an
anthem for the times, asking why some of America's greatest leaders
were killed in their prime. Dion would focus upon mature, contemporary
material on his late '60s and early '70s albums.
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.
Today, DiMucci
continues to perform on the oldies circuit from time to time.
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