Rick's Music Trivia

If music be the food of life…Play on!

DION DIMUCCCI STILL AT IT

August 17, 2021 — Leave a comment

What started as a group of guys hanging around on a street corner under a lamp post, harmonizing together with the latest Do-Wop hits turned into a group called the Belmonts Led by Dion DiMucci. They came from the Belmont area of the Bronx, thus their name. Their first big hit , ‘I Wonder Why’ featured an unusual opening that was different than anything on the air at the time. They quickly appeared on the Dick Clark show and became successful almost overnight.

But by the end of the fifties, their popularity began to wane and Dion began to make more solo appearances. in 1961 his “Runaround Sue’ had hit it big and then a year later he followed up with ‘The Wanderer’ and established himself as a solo performer. Almost concurrent with success came heroin addiction that sidelined his career despite signing a contract with Columbia Records. Next came ‘Abraham, Martin and John’ but his addiction continued as he spiraled downward.

By the 70’s Dion had discovered the Blues and began to study the famous blues artists intently. He also discovered religion and managed to put the heroin habit behind him. As he worked through the 80’s and 90’s he devoted himself to the blues and his religion, discovering artists like Little Willie John and Robert Johnson.

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