Dion Francis DiMucci (born July 18, 1939), better known as Dion, is an American singer-songwriter who blended elements of doo-wop, pop, rock and R&B; styles.
Dion was born to an Italian-American family in the Bronx.As a child, he used to accompany his father, a vaudeville entertainer, on tour, and developed a love of country music – particularly Hank Williams – and the blues and doo-wop stars he heard in local bars and on the radio. His singing a...
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Dion Francis DiMucci (born July 18, 1939), better known as Dion, is an American singer-songwriter who blended elements of doo-wop, pop, rock and R&B; styles.
Dion was born to an Italian-American family in the Bronx.As a child, he used to accompany his father, a vaudeville entertainer, on tour, and developed a love of country music – particularly Hank Williams – and the blues and doo-wop stars he heard in local bars and on the radio. His singing abilities were honed on the street corners of Crotona Avenue, where he rounded up other local singers inventing a cappella licks, and in local clubs.
In early 1957 he auditioned for Bob and Gene Schwartz, who had just formed Mohawk Records. They recorded him with a vocal group, The Timberlanes, and released a single "The Chosen Few", arranged by Hugo Montenegro, which became a minor regional hit.
See main article Dion and the Belmonts
Schwartz also signed up Dion's friends, The Belmonts, named after nearby Belmont Avenue. Their breakthrough...
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