Dion

Born on July 18th, 1939 in New York City, Dion DiMucci was one of the biggest doo-wop stars of the early 1960s. He first came to prominence with singing group The Belmonts, enjoying success with the singles “Teenager In Love”, “I Wonder Why” and “Where Or When” and taking part in the Winter Dance Party Tour, during which Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and The Big Bopper tragically died in a plane crash. Dion left the band in 1960 suffering from heroin addiction, but recovered and released his solo debut, Alone With Dion, in 1960. “Lonely Teenager” and “Havin' Fun” enjoyed success in America, but his true breakthrough came in 1961 with “Runaround Sue,” which reached Number 1 in the US. Its follow-up “The Wanderer” became Dion's signature tune, reaching number 2 in the US and later being covered by The Beach Boys, Bruce Springsteen, Status Quo and a whole host of artists. “Ruby Baby”, “Little Diane”, “Donna The Prima Donna”, “Drip Drop” and “Abraham, Martin and John” all became top ten hits in the US, but by the late 1960s Dion's status as a teen idol had dwindled and he developed a more mature style, working with Phil Spector on the cult album Born To Be With You (1975) and releasing the Grammy Award-nominated gospel record I Put My Idols Away (1984). Lou Reed, Paul Simon and Bryan Adams all featured on his rock album Yo Frankie (1984) and he won acclaim for his blues records Bronx in Blue (2006), Son Of Skip James (2007) and Don't Start Me Talkin' (2009). 2020 saw him return alongside an all-star cast of musical contemporaries including Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen and Van Morrison for the collaborative album Blues with Friends. Four years later, he collaborated with an all-female cast for 2024's Girl Friends, which featured duets with artists like Susan Tedeschi and Carlene Carter.

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