Dion DiMucci
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Dion Frances DiMucci (born on July 18, 1939, Bronx, New York), better known mononymously as Dion, is an American singer, musician and songwriter. His music incorporates elements of doo-wop, pop, rock, R&B, folk and blues. Initially the lead singer of the vocal group Dion and the Belmonts, Dion embarked on a solo career, and was one of the most prominent rock and roll performers of the pre-British Invasion era. He had 39 Top 40 hits in the late 1950s and early 1960s as a solo performer, or with the Belmonts and the Del-Satins. He is best known for his signature hit songs "Runaround Sue," "The Wanderer," "Ruby Baby" and "Lovers Who Wander," among others.
Dion continued making music after his popularity waned in 1964, and for the rest of the decade he diversified his style, fervently exploring country and urban blues while recording electric folk rock. After a religious transformation in 1968, he resuscitated his commercial career with the major hit "Abraham, Martin and John." His picture appears in the cover of The Beatles album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.
During the 1980s, Dion produced several Christian albums, winning a GMA Dove Award in 1984 for the album I Put Away My Idols. He returned to secular music in the late 1980s with Yo Frankie (1989). Between the mid-2000s and 2024, Dion released seven chart-topping blues albums (three at No. 1). Critics who had dismissed his early work, labeling him as a teen idol, praised his later work and noted the influence he has had on other musicians.
A Grammy nominated artist, Dion has released over 40 albums, and scored eleven Top 10 hits (including with the Belmonts) on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989. In 2002, Dion was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame for "Runaround Sue." AllMusic album awards include: Favorite Blues Album for New York Is My Home (2016), Favorite Compilations and Reissues for Kickin Child: Lost Columbia Album 1965 (2017) and Favorite Blues Album for Blues with Friends (2020).
More information on Dion DiMucci at Wikipedia:
Discography
with The Belmonts:
Presenting Dion and the Belmonts (1959)
Wish Upon a Star with Dion and the Belmonts (1960)
Together Again (1967)
Live at Madison Square Garden 1972 (1973)
Everything You Always Wanted to Hear by Dion and the Belmonts But Couldn't
Get (1976) (compilation album)
Hits (1986) (compilation album)
solo albums:
Alone With Dion (1961)
Runaround Sue (1961)
Lovers Who Wander (1962)
Dion Sings His Greatest Hits (1962) (compilation album)
Ruby Baby (1963)
Donna the Prima Donna (1963)
Dion Sings to Sandy (1963)
Love Came to Me (1963)
Dion Sings the 15 Million Sellers (1963) (compilation album)
More of Dion's Greatest Hits (1964) (compilation album)
Dion (1968)
Wonder Where I'm Bound (1969)
Sit Down Old Friend (1970)
You're Not Alone (1971)
Sanctuary (1971)
Suite for Late Summer (1972)
Dion's Greatest Hits (1973) (compilation album)
Born to Be With You (1975)
Streetheart (1976)
Return of the Wanderer (1978)
I Put Away My Idols (1983)
Seasons (1984) (compilation album)
Kingdom in the Streets (1985)
Velvet and Steel (1986)
Yo Frankie (1989)
Fire in the Night (1990)
Bronx Blues: The Columbia Recordings 1962 - 1965 (1991) (compilation album)
Rock n' Roll Christmas (1993)
The Road I'm On: A Retrospective (1997) (2-CD compilation album)
The Best of the Gospel Years (1997) (compilation album)
Déjà Nu (2000)
New Masters (2003)
Dion and Friends - Live in New York City (2005)
The Essential Dion (2005) (Sony Music 2-CD compilation album)
Bronx in Blue (2006)
Son of Skip James (2007)
Heroes: Giants of Early Guitar Rock (2008)
Tank Full of Blues (2011)
Recorded Live at the Bitter End, August 1971 (2015)
New York is My Home (2016)
Kickin' Child: The Lost Columbia Album 1965 (2017)
Blues With Friends (2020) (collaboration album with special guests)
Stomping Ground (2021) (collaboration album with special guests)
Girl Friends (2024) (collaboration album with special guests)
The Rock 'n' Roll Philosopher (2025)
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