I hadn't intended that this would be a big post spotlighting the whole career of
Dion but that's how it turned out. I've spent the last three days listening to every album by
Dion and The Belmonts and then
Dion's Solo albums through all phases of his almost seven decade career. I got a bit overly excited as I listened and thought why not share this music because there's bound to be folk out there who have never heard of
Dion DiMucci (I'm being realistic when I say that) and I can't think of a better way to rectify that than by sharing as much of the music as I can. I grew up listening to him and there's rarely been a moment in my life that his music has not been there.
Before getting to the
21st Century a brief musical history of
Dion DiMucci in the
20th Century is
worth mentioning seeing that he has enjoyed a long career in music
dating back to 1957 and he's released albums and singles in pretty much every decade
since (40 albums and numerous singles).
There's lots of
links to the music so click on them to enjoy.
Pretty much every album released has
a link so there's a lot of music to get through. Hope you enjoy it.
Dion DiMucci released his first ever record way back in 1957 ("
The Chosen Few" credited to
Dion and The Timberlanes) and within a short space of time he recruited some friends who became
The Belmonts (named after their neighbourhood, Belmont in the Bronx). Two singles were released on the Mohawk label ("
Santa Margarita" and "
Tag Along") but never troubled the charts. The breakthrough came in 1958 when "
I Wonder Why", released on
Laurie Records, charted at #22, followed by "
No One Knows" (#19) and "
Don't Pity Me" (#40). Other hits would follow like "
Teenager In Love" (1959 #5) and "
Where or When" (1960 #3).
1959 saw the release of their debut album 'Presenting Dion and The Belmonts'. Other Dion and The Belmonts albums were 'Wish Upon A Star' (1960), 'Together Again' (1967) and 'Reunion - Live at Madison Square Garden 1972' (1973)
By 1960
Dion
had gone solo and began consistently to have a chart presence for a few years (though
not all were Top 40). A wee glimpse at some of those will give you a wee
taster: "
Lonely Teenager" (1960 #12), "
Runaround Sue" (1961 #1), "
The Wanderer" (1961 #2), "
The Majestic" (1961 #36), "
Lovers Who Wander" (1962 #3), "
(I Was) Born To Cry" (1962 #42), "
Little Diane" (1962 #8), "
Love Came To Me" (1962 #10), "
Ruby Baby" (1962 #2), "
Donna The Prima Donna" (1963 #6), "
Drip Drop" (1962 #6). After 1964 he wouldn't grace the singles charts again until 1968 when he released "
Abraham, Martin and John" (#4), a song that became a hit for
Smokey Robinson and The Miracles and probably the most well known version by
Marvin Gaye.
Dion's 1960's albums include the Solo Debut '
Runaround Sue' (1961), '
Alone With Dion' (1961), '
Lovers Who Wander' (1962), '
Dion Sings To Sandy' (1963), '
Ruby Baby' (1963), '
Donna The Prima Donna' (1963), '
Love Came To Me' (1963), '
Dion' (1968) and '
Wonder Where I'm Bound' (1969).
In the 1970s
Dion would release albums that were a bit more contemplative:
Sit Down Old Friend (1970),
You're Not Alone (1971),
Sanctuary (1971),
Born To With You (1975),
Streetheart (1976), and
Return Of The Wanderer (1978). Out of these
'Born To Be With You' is one of standouts. It was produced by
Phil Spector and although it was shelved until 1975 and sort of disowned by
Dion, it has been cited as an an influential album by
Bobby Gillesepie of
Primal Scream and others.
From 1980 through to 1986
Dion recorded six
Gospel Orientated albums:
Inside Job (1980),
Only Jesus (1981),
I Put Away My Idols (1983),
Seasons (1984),
Kingdom in the Streets (1985) and
Velvet & Steel (1986).
By 1989 he was back in the
Rock 'n' Roll world celebrating his induction into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and one of his best albums in years,
Yo Frankie (1989). It was produced by
Dave Edmunds and featured the likes of
Edmunds on guitar,
Bryan Adams,
k.d. lang,
Lou Reed,
Paul Simon and
Patty Smyth. Of all
Dion's releases
Yo Frankie is one of my most favourite ones.
Three more albums followed in the nineties, a previously unreleased
Fire In The Night (which was originally due for release in 1979 but shelved until 1990 and issued by
ACE), the exceptional
Dream on Fire (1992) which kicks off with an amazing
Doo Wop version of
Bruce Springsteen's "
If I Should Fall Behind" (a lot of folks have covered
Springsteen over the years and I view this as one the best covers out of all of them!) and
Rock 'n Roll Christmas (1993), which I'm not keen on...but I don't like a lot of Christmas albums anyway.
Now we reach the
21st Century.
Fourteen albums have been released over the course of 24 years, a few
of which are older recordings but I'm including them in this section as
well.
Dion was heading towards his 61st birthday as the year 2000
rolled around and this year he will turn 85 in July. He's making some
of the best music of his life, as I hope you will see and
hear when we get up to date. There are
links for every album so
click on them to enjoy the music.
"Déjà Nu has eleven songs which could be right out of the late fifties or
early sixties, Dion has intentionally kept the production technique to a
bare minimum to capture the original spirit of the songs that made him
famous like Runaround Sue or The Wanderer... yes it's a modern recording, and yes he uses modern equipment but he
has a feel for the "oldies sound" without using the "remember the old
days" lyrics and sentiments you hear so often from his contemporaries.
It oozes class and that's something you always get from a Dion album -
CLASS!" - Gordon Watson for Doo Wop Magazine
Dion and his music represent a special time and place... a moment when a song could mean so much and a singer could sum up what it means to be young, in love and on top of the world. Today, Dion's songs grow more important and valuable to his fans, himself and to a whole new generation of believers. 'New Masters' contains all-new versions of Dion's classic hits, a few tributes to other pioneers of rock's first generation, and some brand new songs including a beautiful ballad Dion composed for his wife ("Behind Susan's Eyes") and a stunning response to the terrorist attacks of September 11th ("Come Heal This Land").
"Among the parade of great talent from the dawn of the rock era, Dion
alone has remained a creative force, a street poet giving voice to all
that makes our hearts light and sets our spirits free." - David Scott
Recorded in 1987 but only released in 2005.
The encore on this one is"Runaround Sue," which includes a host of special guests including Paul Shaffer, Little Steven, Felix Cavaliere, and Darlene Love.
As doo-wop giant Dion points out in the liner notes to Bronx in Blue, there was no rock & roll back when he was growing up in New York, and so it was the Southern sounds of the blues and country coming over the radio that set him off on his brilliant musical career. On Bronx, the former Belmonts frontman delivers deeply felt, stripped-down takes on some of his favorite songs from the likes of Robert Johnson ("Walkin' Blues," "Travelin' Riverside Blues" and "Crossroads"), Jimmy Reed ("Baby, What You Want Me to Do") and Howlin' Wolf ("How Many More Years"). Accompanied only by his acoustic guitar and a little percussion, Dion delivers stunning versions of Hank Williams' "Honky Tonk Blues" and Jimmie Rodgers' "You're the One." - David Wild for
Rolling Stone
Son of Skip James
Verve Forecast
6th November 2007 The album "does not fall short when it comes to ass-kicking" - Tony Sclafani of PopMatters
On the album Heroes: Giants of Early Guitar Rock, Dion shares some of the songs of his own Heroes - Elvis Presley, Eddie Cochran, Gene Vincent, Buddy Holly, Roy Orbison, Ritchie Valens, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Johnny Cash, the Everly Brothers and more. All the artists represented are in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
"Rock ‘n’ roll started as rebellious music. It had an attitude, and in that attitude was a lot of stuff: anger, frustration, joy and that whole sense of really shakin’ things up.
When it first exploded, it happened in a whole lot of different places at once. In Lubbock, Tex., it was Buddy Holly. In the San Fernando Valley, it was Ritchie Valens. And the brand of it that I made comes from where I come from. That’s why they call it the Bronx blues." - Dion
"Tank Full of Blues is a stunning musical statement delivered by an artist who has lived and breathed the blues for decades... Throughout Tank Full of Blues, Dion’s powerful vocals are matched by his fierce, unbridled guitarplay and an uncanny songwriting sense. Those who dismiss Dion as yesterday’s news display their own ignorance, as Tank Full of Blues is one of the most soulful blues albums that you’ll hear this year…or any other." - Blues Review
"There’s a boldness and confidence on these voice-and-guitar performances (well-mastered by Duncan Cowell for crisp sound throughout), as well as an innate gentility and searching quality that makes Dion’s connection with the audience palpable...With seventeen tracks touching on folk, blues, rock and roll, and pop from a national treasure of American music, Dion: Recorded Live at the Bitter End, August 1971 is one of the year’s happiest vault finds." - Joe Marchese for The Second Disc April 9th 2015
"All hail Dion, the real link between Frank Sinatra and rock 'n' roll." - Bruce Springsteen
"Dion comes from a time when so-so singers couldn't cut it - they either never got heard or got exposed quick and got out of the way. To have it, you really had to have it, no smoke and mirrors then - not a minute to spare - rough and ready - glorious and grand - grieving with heartache and feeling too much but still with the always "better not try it" attitude." - Bob Dylan
"Sonically, these remasters are full of life and a youthful, vibrant crispness that make you wonder why it took 50 years for the bulk of them to make an appearance. The version of Dylan’s It’s All Over Now Baby Blue (also recorded in 1965) is stunning and shimmering. And even if the title track is a little too Dylan sounding, Dion has every right to recreate a style he was reportedly at the crossroads of inspiring." - Hal Horowitz for American Songwriter
"Coming off my last album I was productive, and I ended up with a great batch of songs. I ran one by Joe Bonamassa, who said right away he wanted to play on it. And that’s how this album came about. Joe inspired me to invite others. I had songs that were strong and told good stories.
I wanted the best musicians alive like Jeff Beck, Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon, Van Morrison and more to take them in unexpected directions. Wayne Hood, my producer, brought out the best of them. We have amazing songs and great guitars" – Dion
1 Blues Comin' On - With Joe Bonamassa
2 Kickin' Child - With Joe Menza
3 Uptown Number 7 - With Brian Setzer
4 Can't Start Over Again -With Jeff Beck
5 My Baby Loves To Boogie - With John Hammond
6 I Got Nothin' - With Van Morrison & Joe Louis Walker
7 Stumbling Blues - With Jimmy* And Jerry Vivino
8 Bam Bang Boom - With Billy Gibbons
9 I Got The Cure - With Sonny Landreth
10 Song For Sam Cooke (Here In America) - With Paul Simon
11 What If I Told You - With Samantha Fish
12 Told You Once In August - With John Hammond* & Rory Block
13 Way Down (I Won't Cry No More) - With Stevie Van Zandt
14 Hymn To Him - With Patti Scialfa & Bruce Springsteen Stomping Ground
Keeping The Blues Alive Records
5th November 2021"Many collaborative albums fall into the trap of fighting tooth and nail to find marketable gimmickry that might appeal to the masses, or bring an older artist back into the spotlight. On Stomping Ground it feels like the goal is to create some classic, high-quality tunes for the sake of the music itself. It might not be the most original of concepts, but it is one of the best examples of serious musicians coming together to make an album whose varied strengths reveal themselves with each subsequent listening."- Willie Witten for Blues Rock Review
1 Take It Back - With Joe Bonamassa
2 Hey Diddle Diddle - With G.E. Smith
3 Dancing Girl - With Mark Knopfler
4 If You Wanna Rock 'N' Roll - With Eric Clapton
5 There Was A time - With Peter Frampton
6 Cryin' Shame - With Sonny Landreth
7 The Night Is Young - With Joe Menza & Wayne Hood
8 That's What The Doctor Said - With Steve Conn
9 My Stomping Ground - With Billy F Gibbons
10 Angel In The Alleyways - With Patti Scialfa & Bruce Springsteen
11 I've Got To Get To You - With Boz Scaggs, Joe Menza & Mike Menza
12 Red House - With Keb' Mo'
13 I Got My Eyes On You Baby - With Marcia Ball & Jimmy Vivino
14 I've Been Watching - With Rickie Lee Jones & Wayne Hood
Legendary Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Dion delivers a new album that transcends generations: Girl Friends. His latest from KTBA Records sees him collaborating with a stellar lineup of female artists including the soulful Susan Tedeschi, powerhouse Shemekia Copeland, icon Carlene Carter, virtuoso Joanne Shaw Taylor, and the versatile Maggie Rose, among others. Dion's timeless voice, and the distinct styles of these acclaimed artists, create a fusion celebrating the rich tapestry of American music.
1 Soul Force - Featuring Susan Tedeschi
2 I Aim To Please - Featuring Danielle Nicole
3 Stop Drop And Roll - Featuring Valerie Tyson
4 Do Ladies Get The Blues - Featuring Christine Ohlman & Debbie Davies
5 An American Hero - Featuring Carlene Carter
6 Don't You Want A Man Like Me - Featuring Rory Block
7 Sugar Daddy - Featuring Christine Ohlman
8 Endless Highway - Featuring Randy Fishenfeld
9 I Got Wise - Featuring Maggie Rose
10 Hey Suzy - Featuring Sue Foley
11 Mama Said - Featuring Shemekia Copeland
12 Just Like That - Featuring Joanne Shaw Taylor
Between the 'Tank Full of Blues ' album and 'Girl Friends' Dion had a new Co-writer by his side, Mike Aquilina. The next post here on Soundtrack4Life I'll be interviewing Mike Aquilina about his role as a Co-writer with Dion. Be prepared to be a little surprised by Mike because songwriting is not his sole profession.
Posts
