A long-lost album by Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Dion DiMucci will finally come to light when Kickin' Child: The Lost Album 1965 is released by Norton Records on May 12.. It was April 1968. Unlike many teen idols of the day, he changed with the times, rebounding in 1968 with “Abraham, Martin and John” and shifting from doo-wop and R&B to pop-rock, grittier rock and folk rock, steadily releasing albums since his launch with 1958's Presenting Dion and the Belmonts. Dion: Well, they rescheduled for April 8 of next year, and I’ll tell ya something -- it’s phenomenal. It drove me to do something great. Blues With Friends, the new studio album from Dion, is packed with a great batch of songs written during a productive time coming off his latest release. Who plays like Sonny Landreth? Born Dion DiMucci in the Little Italy section of the Bronx, the singer overcame drug addiction and found lifelines in religion, his 57-year marriage and, especially, music. In February 1968, Frankie Lymon, a good friend of mine, died of an overdose. Music lovers of a certain age will remember a young singer, Dion, rising to the pop stratosphere with 1959's “A Teenager in Love,” followed by “Runaround Sue” and “The Wanderer” in 1961. Bronx, New York-born singer Dion DiMucci soared to national stardom with vocal group Dion and The Belmonts, scoring groundbreaking hits like “I … In the years that followed, the song — which was the title track for Dion’s album — garnered significant airplay and social-media notice. Shop for Vinyl, CDs and more from Dion DiMucci at the Discogs Marketplace. I looked at her and thought, If I can get close to her, my life would be perfect, my life would make sense. Some of these songs came out of heaven and downloaded into my head. That was my quest. Dion: I've always loved creating. Dion: I couldn’t have planned it if I tried. We used to hang out and use together. I was walking by his dressing room one time at the Brooklyn Fox. I hear him on that. Andrew Lipovsky/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images. An interesting time to release a new album, no? He did, and he put together a deal with the CEOs of the tour to lessen the cost. She had red hair. I had early hits that were blues songs. Dion Francis DiMucci (born July 18, 1939), better known as Dion, is an American singer-songwriter who blended elements of doo-wop, pop, and R&B styles. There were only four seats: for Buddy, the pilot and two more. I can’t wait ‘til people can see it. It has substance. Javascript must be enabled to use this site. And I was right. With this pandemic, I see kids on bicycles and skates and scooters. It's like a young Sopranos with a Rocky Balboa ending. Maybe I wasn’t hanging out, going to dinner with Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, but I would hear them up close, right in front of me, even when the Paul Butterfield Blues Band started and played the Village. I could resolve conflict within four verses. By entering your email, you are signing up for more information from Dion Dimucci as well as Joe Bonamassa, Keeping the Blues Alive & J&R Adventures. Registration on or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your California Privacy Rights (each updated 1/1/21). Learn more at a free webinar Feb. 11. Dion: I knew a side of Little Richard that probably a lot of people don’t know. Did that spark the idea of bringing in more guests? Dion: We go back a long way, but...Bruce says (Scialfa) took the song and she's the one who arranged it. I had been writing for about four years, since the last album (“New York is My Home”) and working on my play, “The Wanderer.” I had these 14 songs, 12 of them were new, and I thought, “Man, these are about the best batch of songs I ever had,” so I thought I should go in and cut them. Did you get to rub elbows with some of the old blues guys back in the day? I thought, "'Bam Bang Boom,' that's a Billy Gibbons tune. Members save 10% off the best available rate, TV show reviews, news and celebrity interviews, Members save 15% on pick-up orders placed by phone. He does exactly that on his new album, “Blues With Friends,” which teams him … Released by Bonamassa's new label Keeping the Blues Alive Records, "Blues with Friends" is another career high point for Dion, and proof that he has every reason to be happy having the blues. And it just went on like that. Please enable Javascript in your browser and try The 15-song set also finds the Bronx native in as fine a form as he's ever been, strong in voice and exuberant in performance. I could write a song, y'know? Was having Bruce join the party inevitable? Son? In the next 24 hours, you will receive an email to confirm your subscription to receive emails Everything’s in it; You’ve got, like, rock ‘n' roll street history and you got action. It was thrilling, very exciting every time I put a song on there or went into the studio. receive communications related to AARP volunteering. Dion DiMucci scored his first hit record in 1958 with "I Wonder Why" with his vocal group … We've been married 57 years. And of course, it feels good when you commit to love. My parents argued about money every day. Glen Campbell's widow writes their life story, British singer-songwriter Nick Lowe reflects on his legacy song, Lucinda Williams’ latest album reflects her rebellious and optimistic nature. I found out when I was young, sitting on the stoops of the Bronx, that I could solve the world's problems in three minutes. When I got off my knees, I was changed. ... Stay up to date with Dion here. Please return to AARP.org to learn more about other benefits. It has action, romance, betrayal, a lot of laughs, the history of early street rock ‘n’ roll and the old neighborhood, of course. Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Dion is happy to have the blues and even more happy to share them. It's uplifting, but it's not yada-yada entertaining. again. The blues songs therein are not “covers” nor Dion’s versions of blues standards. I guess what I'm saying is I realize how limited I am; I could make a great record, but I can't come up with what these people infused on this. But I thought of the monsignor. In the meantime, please feel free She was sitting by the door and saw me and was like, “Young fella? She layered her voice like nine times and captured the sound of the heavens. I walk a mile loop outside my home in Boca Raton, [Florida]. Dion DiMucci pauses between songs Oct. 21 at the Orchard offices in Manhattan. That's why I'm blown away. I love to read, but my eyes are getting dry so I listen to audiobooks now. Dion: (laughs) Nah, I didn't tell any of these people what to do. I changed in a blink of an eye. What is truth and who has the authority to define it? I came into a spiritual-based 12-step program 52 years ago, and about 10 years into working the steps I started questioning it. I’m not a Broadway guy but, wow, it’s a trip. Then I had this big ballad ("Can't Start Over Again") and I thought, "Wow, Jeff Beck is the only guitar player that can make me cry," so I shot an email to him and he said "yes" immediately." I must have sworn an oath when I was 7 that no one was ever going to treat me like a joke. It was in December, almost Christmastime, so it was a beautiful gift to me. Dion has announced that his new album Blues With Friends will be released on June 5 through Joe Bonamassa’s Keeping The Blues Alive Records.. Once he took me to a soul food café deal and some people got ruffled that I was there. What 22-year-old charters a plane? It was used as a musical … Dion DiMucci, shown during an interview on ‘The World Over’ has had a long career and an even longer faith journey. It was the ‘60s. New Studio Album! I've always loved taking people on a trip, and it's always fun for me to make up sounds and to put a three- or four-minute song together and take people on a trip. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Grammy Award winner Amy Grant has teamed up with doo-wop legend Dion DiMucci to release their brand new song "Hello Christmas. She was exotic. It's a choice. I played it for Patti; She’s like the Jersey soul girl, and I thought, “Man, if I could get her to do some harmony parts on this and answer me here and there,” but I didn’t really have a concrete idea. Dion’s Blues with Friends to be released June 5 th is a jaw dropping example of this worldwide phenomenon. I'll tell you -- nobody! You were a contemporary of his, so I'm betting you have a good story. The kid who wrote the story (Charles Messina), he knows how to write something of substance, in a very entertaining way. These people are really artists. On "Blues with Friends," Dion DiMucci's switchblade-tenor voice evinces minimal wear and tear, and 12 of the 14 compositions are new. Now 80, he's releasing Blues With Friends, 14 originals he cowrote. by Edna Gundersen, AARP, June 17, 2020 She's usually the brightest person in the room. It's not just a story of racism. I always loved it. I used to go down to the Village in the ’60s. CLEVELAND, Ohio -- It’s been a long time since Dion DiMucci was “A Teenager in Love.” But at 80, the veteran Rock and Roll Hall of Famer’s still got it. You had to kick in $36. I sent “Bam Bang Boom” to Billy Gibbons, and he finished it in three days. But my favorite Little Richard story is not about him. Their arguing saved my life. New holiday single. She has such a soulful voice. Dion's latest album, the guest-packed "Blues with Friends," debuted at No. Register here. "Hymn to Her," with Patti and Bruce, is an interesting choice because you'd done it before (on the 1987 gospel album "Velvet & Steel") and because you did it with those two. We called it rock ‘n’ roll. Now 80, he’s still going strong. He had compassion. She worked two jobs. Unlike many teen idols of the day, he changed with the times, rebounding in 1968 with “Abraham, Martin and John” and shifting from doo-wop and R&B to pop-rock, grittier rock and folk rock, steadily releasing albums since his launch with 1958's Presenting Dion and the Belmonts. Shop Vinyl and CDs and complete your Dion collection. With contributions by Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa, Jeff Beck, Paul Simon, ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons, Joe Bonamassa, Brian Setzer, Van Morrison, Steve Van Zant and others, it's Dion's first No. It was a personal song and I put it in a drawer until I saw Green Book. The provider’s terms, conditions and policies apply. dion records with paul simon, van morrison, bruce springsteen and 14 other super stars on new studio album blues with friends to release june 5 the 14 original songs also include musical contributions from jeff beck, rory block, joe bonamassa, samantha fish, billy gibbons, john hammond jr., … © 2021 Advance Local Media LLC. I was using all kinds of stuff. Blues is where he started. I go to the gym three times a week. What's happening with your Broadway musical, "The Wanderer?". Email. If it weren't for them, I wouldn't be doing what I'm doing. It's not just about you.” There were plenty of times I thought, I have a guitar and a credit card, I'm out of here. I haven't had a drug or a drink since. That was my foundation. It will open April 8, 2021. This is the gold standard right here.‘”. Many years ago I was sitting on the steps of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in my Italian neighborhood when a young guy ran up to Monsignor Pernicone and said, “I'm getting divorced. So, I wanted it to kind of live somewhere else. Dion: I always loved that song, but I was never happy with where it was, with where it was living, so to speak. AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that empowers people to choose how they live as they age. What made Dion DiMucci not just an early-'60s crooner but a rock 'n' roll pioneer worthy of an April 2021 Broadway musical was the snarl in his voice. I brushed the song off and recorded it. They're distinctive. That’s a memory, for sure. Although Dion Dimucci has spent the last decade making slick born-again Christian albums, you wouldn't know it from the first track on Yo Frankie, his long overdue shot at a secular pop comeba… He was a very warm, kind of thoughtful, generous guy off stage. Joining Dion on … I never talked about this until recently. "The track is available now as a digital download and via streaming services, and you also can check out a lyric video for the tune at Dion's official YouTube channel.The clip features joyful scenes of various people enjoying the holidays - sitting down for a … It takes a rare artist to help define the early days of rock ’n’ roll and to still have the creative vitality to release a star-studded new album in 2020, but Dion DiMucci has done just that. I wanted to communicate like Hank Williams and groove like Jimmy Reed. Subscribe. I met Susan 65 years ago. You know what I’m saying? It's an act of your will. I fall in love with the beauty first, before the rules or the facts, whether it's my music, the church or Susan. Dion Dimucci's career spans over 50 years, but still his voice retains that hard, nasally quality probably attributable to his Bronx upbringing. We lost Little Richard this year. You're born there. Who plays like Brian Setzer? Then she said, “Do you mind if Bruce [Springsteen, her husband] plays a solo on it?” He put down his gravitas to complement what she did. Dion Francis DiMucci (born July 18, 1939), better known mononymously as Dion, is an American singer and songwriter whose work has incorporated elements of doo-wop, rock and R&B styles—and, most recently, straight blues.Initially as lead singer of Dion and the Belmonts and then in his solo career, he was one of the most popular American rock and roll performers of the pre-British Invasion era. I said, “Yes, m’am” and she said, “You got soul.” (laughs) I used to tell Richard that, “If you told me that I would’ve forgot it. 1 on the Billboard Blues Albums charts. AARP members receive exclusive member benefits & affect social change. It brought me to the desire to seek out and understand God's power. When the legendary Joe Bonamassa was eager to be involved, it inspired Dion to invite others to join the project. Jeff Beck is the only guitar player who can make me cry, so I sent him “Can't Start Over Again,” a ballad. | And she had an idea for the (guitar) solo, and he walked in the room with the guitar and just laid something down. Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission. My mind couldn't open to spending $36 for a short flight when my mother couldn't pay the $36 rent back home. I was a confused kid. Comments: 0. It’s like hearing from heaven.”. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. His new album, ‘Blues With Friends,’ was released June 5 by KTBA Records. Subscribe to cleveland.com. Buddy Holly was an old soul, very decisive. 1 album ever and his first chart-topper of any kind since "Runaround Sue" ascended the Billboard Hot 100 back in 1961. Could you come over here for a second?” So, I walked over and bent down to where she was sitting and I’m face to face with her. Did you give the guests much direction about what you wanted? Save 25% when you join AARP and enroll in Automatic Renewal for first year. Get instant access to discounts, programs, services, and the information you need to benefit every area of your life. They're my heroes. “(I Was) Born to Cry” was a blues song. The quintessetial New York City doo wopper, he later tried his hand at blues, folk-rock, Phil Spector-produced pop, and hard-edged rock. And I'm so grateful I still can, and that people want to hear them. Darlin'? I thought, Oh, they made a movie of my song. I read myself into a pretty solid place, and that's how I came back into the Catholic Church. For the gospel tune, “Hymn to Him,” I wanted Patti Scialfa. Explore releases from Dion DiMucci at Discogs. He just said, “Dion's with me.” He was tall, very refined, a real gentleman, a beautiful guy. They’re strong with lust. But your mother told me that. It's been 60 years since your first solo album, "Lonely Teenager." Dion DiMucci rose to fame in the late 1950s and early 1960s as leader singer of Dion and the Belmonts with hits like “The Wanderer,” “Runaround Sue” and "A Teenager in Love." Instead of sitting here twirling my thumbs or having to watch “Judge Judy” or something, I’ve got this going on. All rights reserved (About Us). The Wall Street Journal noted of the album, “It takes a rare artist to help define the early days of rock’n’roll and to still have the creative vitality to release a star-studded new album in 2020, but Dion DiMucci has done just that.” I love hanging with Susan. I just gave them the song and they infused their vision of what they were hearing in it. By the end of 1960, Dion had recorded and released his first solo album, Alone with Dion, and the single "Lonely Teenager", which rose to #12 in the US charts. I don't love her anymore.” Pernicone said, “Then love her.” They went back and forth and finally the monsignor said, “Love isn't a feeling. So, I gave her the song and she says, “Well, let me do something. What kind of long-view perspective do you have about your career now? You must be logged in to leave a comment. We didn't call it blues. Do you know how to talk to your loved ones about fraud? Find Dion discography, albums and singles on AllMusic. Dion: I gotta tell ya, it’s been great for me because life is good with a project, right? You'll start receiving the latest news, benefits, events, and programs related to AARP's mission to empower people to choose how they live as they age. Nobody moves to the Bronx. Keep journalists asking the hard questions. When I traveled with Sam Cooke in the early ‘60s, he used to protect me. “The Wanderer” is blues. I had a dream. I talk more than I work out, but I get there. I got into a little studio down the street and knocked ‘em out in three days, and Joe Bonamassa came over to the house -- his manager lives about five houses from me down here in Florida -- and heard “Blues Coming On” and said, “I want to play on that.” So, I said, “Hey, great...’”and took him to the studio and he just blew my head off. I remember one time, I forget what venue it was, but the Butterfield Band was there and it was snowing and it was just me and my wife and another couple, and they entertained just the four of us. Discover releases, reviews, credits, songs, and more about Dion - Dion at Discogs. She came from Vermont. Dion: It kind of ignited the vision for it, because I started thinking, "I'm gonna ask my friends, my very talented, artistic, masterful guitar-playing friends to play on these songs. It's a story of brotherhood. Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Dion is back with new album, ‘Blues with Friends’ Updated Jun 22, 2020; Posted Jun 22, 2020 Dion DiMucci rose to fame in … 1 on the Billboard Blues Albums charts. With her I could get a ranch house and kids. Albums Dion and the Belmonts. I got to do something for my fat rigatoni ass. As one of the very few first-generation rock ‘n’ rollers still seriously pursing new avenues of expression, Dion’s Bronx soul is very much in evidence on this new album, a full-tilt blues offering. This is the discography for American musician Dion DiMucci. I thought, “Man, this is really raising the bar. The way he situated the music in it is incredible. You can also manage your communication preferences by updating your account at anytime. My father was creative but he never had a real job, and all my uncles would put my father down in front of me. You are leaving AARP.org and going to the website of our trusted provider. I was always driven. Once you confirm that subscription, you will regularly I thought, Wouldn't it be great to cast people on each song? Special guests appear on each song, including Joe Bonamassa on “Blues Comin’ On,” Van Morrison on “I Got Nothin',” Brian Setzer on “Uptown Number 7” and Paul Simon on “Song for Sam Cooke (Here in America).” It's not Dion's first dive into the genre. I've always liked to walk. I didn't know God from a hole in the wall, but I asked God for help. I’m hearing some stuff on there.”. It's a story about transformation. It’s about his mother, Leva Mae. You’ve got romance, betrayal, humor -- and the music. I started casting, like for a movie. You can get a harp player, but you're not gonna get John Hammond, y'know? – BOB DYLAN “You have to be careful with the Blues. I don't want to minimize the horror, but good stuff is happening, too. If anything that 'harshness of tone' has intensified with age and gives a new take to the re-recordings of 'The New Masters' album issued in 2003. He recorded “New York Is My Home” in 2016 with Paul Simon as a tribute to the hometown they share. Dion: I met Lightning Hopkins and I met Mississippi John Hurt and I met Skip James at the Newport Jazz Festival in ’64. to search for ways to make a difference in your community at She's easy to take. She's the one who stacked the vocals and heard this kind of like holy spirit on it. You will be asked to register or log in. I've always read books by Thomas Aquinas, Saint Augustine, Thomas Merton. You've been in the blues lane for a few albums now. www.aarp.org/volunteer. It brought me to my knees. They're calling their parents, not just looking at their phones. The album was exciting for me to hear what my friends, these great artists, came up with. In fact, he’s got a new album,” the guest-packed "Blues with Friends," which debuted at No. He took me to see James Brown before Brown was popular. related to AARP volunteering. (Photo: David Godlis). “We’re all in this together” has become the clarion call of the coronavirus. Keeping the Blues Alive Records Rock 'n' roll and doo-wop legend Dion DiMucci has recruited a star-packed lineup of artists to collaborate with him on a new album titled Blues with Friends, which will be released on June 5..