Dion/Detroit News
A chat with Dion: ’50s and ’60s pop star records new album
Susan Whitall / The Detroit News
Dion DiMucci is just “Dion” to generations who remember the hip guy who took R&B, country and rock and filtered it through a street-wise, Bronx sensibility. Dion and the Belmonts hit with doo-wop like “I Wonder Why,” “Where or When” and “A Teenager in Love.”
In 1959, the group was on a winter bus tour of the upper Midwest along with Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and the Big Bopper when Dion turned down a ride on a plane chartered by Holly to take them to the next gig — $46 for a plane ride seemed wasteful to the Bronx kid. The plane went down on Feb. 3, “the day the music died,” killing all on board.
Later, he split from the Belmonts and racked up many solo hits, including “Runaround Sue,” “The Wanderer,” “Ruby Baby” and “Donna the Prima Donna.” He veered into folk-rock in 1968 with “Abraham, Martin & John,” and recorded many gospel albums.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer is still married to the Sue he immortalized on “Runaround Sue,” and has two grown daughters.
He also has a much-admired new album, “Heroes: Giants of Early Guitar Rock” (Saguaro Road) with powerful versions of ’50s songs such as “Rave On,” “Dream Baby,” “Runaway,” and a re-do of “The Wanderer.” He’s backed by guitarist Crow Richardson, among others, in an homage to 1950s guitarists like James Burton (who played for Ricky Nelson), Cliff Gallup (Gene Vincent) and Scotty Moore (Elvis Presley) whom he feels have been unjustly forgotten.
Dion spoke to The Detroit News by phone from his south Florida home.
Trackbacks
Leave a Reply