Dion (& The Belmonts)

Born in the Bronx area of New York on July 18, 1939, Dion Dimucci was hailed as one of the the finest singers of the 1960s, yet he never quite lived up to his reputation.

He started his singing career with a group called The Timberlanes in the mid 50s. With them he recorded one single - The Chosen Few. It wasn't until the end of the decade, fronting The Belmonts, that he hit the jackpot with a series of classic rock & roll singles including Wonder Why and Teenager In Love - his first British hit in 1959. The Belmonts were slick besuited Italians who rivaled the black harmony groups that dominated the era, enjoying nine hits in two years.

Dion left for a solo career in 1960 and had immediate success in the USA with Lonely Teenager. In 1961 he topped the charts with the million-seller Runaround Sue, hastily followed by other smash successes including The Wanderer, Donna The Prima Donna, and Ruby Baby.

During the mid-60s Dion turned away from music and began to drift towards drugs. At one time he had a very serious heroin addiction problem which he eventually kicked. In 1968 he returned to the US charts with Abraham, Martin and John heralding something of a metamorphosis of his career. He then settled down to sing folk music and became one of America's most respected singer/songwriters, although his acoustic-based records were commercial disasters.

In 1973 The Belmonts re-formed for a reunion concert at Madison Square Garden which was recorded for the live album, Reunion. Two years later, Dion joined forces with Phil Spector who produced his single Born To Be With You and set about transforming his career once more.

Dion became a devout born-again Christian and recorded sporadically, releasing Christian albums including Inside Job and Kingdom Of The Street. He returned to Rock & Roll in 1988 playing with Bruce Springsteen and released the Dave Edmunds-penned Yo Frankie. He also toured the UK where he always found an enthusiastic cult following.

Dion was inducted to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1989 and in January 2006 he released Bronx in Blue, an album of blues and country standards, which was critically acclaimed and nominated for a Grammy. These days, Dion pursues prison ministry to men going through addiction recovery.