1) Dion DiMucci, 1960s Italian-… Read Full Bio ↴There are at least 2 artists named Dion:
1) Dion DiMucci, 1960s Italian-American singer
2) Dion, Australian rapper and member of 1Team
1. Dion Francis DiMucci (b July 18, 1939), better known as Dion, is an Italian-American singer-songwriter now widely recognized as one of the top vocalists of his era, blending the best elements of doo-wop, traditional pop, and rnb styles, as well as a forerunner in the development of rock and roll.
Early years
Dion was born to an Italian-American family in the Bronx borough of New York City. 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 acapella 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.
With the Belmonts, 1957-1960
Schwartz also signed up Dion's friends, The Belmonts, named after nearby Belmont Avenue. Their breakthrough together came in early 1958, when "I Wonder Why" made # 22 on the national US charts, followed up with "No One Knows" and "Don’t Pity Me" which were also chart hits.
This success won Dion and the Belmonts a place on the "Winter Dance Party" tour with Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper. On 2 February 1959, after playing at Clear Lake, Iowa, Dion decided that he could not afford the $36 cost of a flight to the next venue [1]. The plane crashed, and Holly and the other stars were killed.
In March 1959, Dion and the Belmonts’ next single, "A Teenager In Love", was released, making # 5 in the US pop charts and # 28 in the UK. Their biggest hit, "Where or When", was released in November 1959, and reached #3 on the US charts. However, in early 1960, Dion checked in to hospital for heroin addiction, a problem he had had since his mid-teens. Further single releases for the group that year were less successful, there were musical and financial differences between Dion and members of the Belmonts, and in October 1960 Dion decided to quit for a solo career.
Solo stardom, 1960-1964
1961 album coverBy the end of 1960, Dion had recorded and released his first solo album, Alone With Dion, and the single "Lonely Teenager", which rose to # 12 in the US charts. Follow-ups "Havin’ Fun" and "Kissin’ Game" had less success, and the signs were that Dion would drift onto the cabaret circuit. However, he then recorded, with new vocal group the Del-Satins, an up-tempo number co-written with Ernie Maresca. The record, "Runaround Sue", stormed up the charts, reaching # 1 in the US charts in September 1961, and # 11 in the UK, where he also toured.
For the next single, the record company promoted the A-side, "The Majestic", but it was the B-side, Maresca’s song "The Wanderer", which received the radio plays and again rose swiftly up the charts, reaching # 2 in the US charts in December 1961 and # 10 in the UK. As a classic oldie, it made the UK top twenty again in 1976.
By the end of 1961, Dion was a major star, with a worldwide touring schedule, and he followed up with a string of hit singles – "Lovers Who Wander" (# 3), "Little Diane" (# 8), "Love Came To Me" (# 10) and "Ruby Baby" (# 2) all making the top ten in 1962. Several of these were written or co-written by Dion. He also had successful albums with Runaround Sue and Lovers Who Wander.
At the end of 1962, Dion moved from Laurie to Columbia Records, the first rock and roll artist ever signed to that label. Although the first single, Leiber and Stoller’s "Ruby Baby", was a big hit, reaching # 2, several follow-ups were less so, although "Donna the Prima Donna" and "Drip Drop" both reached # 6 in the charts in late 1963. Nevertheless, problems with his addiction and changing public tastes did cause him to enter a period of commercial decline.
Changing fortunes, 1964-1968
Following a European tour, Dion returned to the USA and was introduced to classic blues music by Columbia’s John Hammond. To the consternation of his management, he began recording more blues-oriented material, including Willie Dixon’s "Hoochie Coochie Man" and "Spoonful", but these releases – some produced by Tom Wilson, with Al Kooper on keyboards - were not commercially successful.
In 1966, Dion briefly reunited with the Belmonts for the album Together Again on ABC Records. Again, this bombed, despite one classic self-penned song, "My Girl The Month Of May". Although by this stage Dion’s career appeared to be nearing an end, he retained enough credibility to be, along with Bob Dylan, the only pop artist featured on the album cover of The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band in 1967.
In April 1968, Dion had a powerful religious experience. After getting clean from drug use, he approached Laurie Records for a new contract, and they agreed on condition that he record the song "Abraham, Martin and John", written by Dick Holler (also the writer of The Royal Guardsmen’s "Snoopy Vs. The Red Baron") in response to the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert F Kennedy during the summer of 1968. The success of this song – later recorded by many others including Marvin Gaye – which reached # 4 in the US charts, resuscitated Dion’s career.
The mature period, 1968-1986
Born To Be With You, 1975For the next few years, Dion’s music became radically different, moving to more contemplative and mature material. He released several albums essentially as a singer-songwriter, to critical acclaim but moderate sales, moving to the Warner Brothers label in 1969.
There followed a one-off live reunion show with the Belmonts at Madison Square Garden in 1972, released on album. This was followed in 1975 by the album Born To Be With You, eccentrically produced by Phil Spector. The album was a commercial failure, but has been subsequently praised by such artists as Jason Pierce of Spiritualized and Pete Townshend of The Who.
In 1978 Dion released an album drawing on many of his teenage influences, Return of the Wanderer, another critical success and commercial failure. In December 1979 he experienced a life-changing religious experience, documented in this article [1]. Thereafter, his recordings for several years were in a contemporary Christian music vein, in which he released a number of albums on the Dayspring label reflecting his religious convictions.
Recent work
In 1987 Dion agreed to do a concert of his old hits at Radio City Music Hall in New York. This helped free him to celebrate both his past and his future, and led to a series of special appearances, including a fundraiser for homeless medical relief. There he shared the stage with fans such as Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon and Lou Reed, all of whom cited Dion as one of their prime influences.
In 1988 Dion's autobiography (co-authored by Davin Seay) titled The Wanderer: Dion's Story was published. In the following year, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the induction speech being given by Lou Reed.
In 1989 he returned to secular rock music with the album Yo Frankie, and since then has released several albums with contemporary rock artists. His Déjà Nu album in 2000 found him covering Bruce Springsteen, a major follower over the years.
He joined Scott Kempner of the Del-Lords and Mike Mesaros of The Smithereens in a short-lived band called Little Kings. A live album was later released, but not widely circulated or promoted.
In January 2006 he released Bronx in Blue, an album of blues and country standards, which was critically acclaimed and nominated for a Grammy. As a practicing Catholic, Dion pursues prison ministry and reaches out to men going through addiction recovery.
www.diondimucci.com/
2. Dion is a musician from Sydney, Australia. Currently, he is part of the 1Team music collective alongside Joeyy, Bic Flame, Facy, B9 and Shotti. Dion has been active since 2016, though he has essentially quit music twice, with large time gaps between any new releases.
(as best we know) Dion has a producer alter-ego: Avail, previously known as Deadman.
Dion frequently collaborates with Sudi (another Sydney based artist), Scrap Club (a collective from Stockholm, Sweden) and Redpriest.
Hoodoo Man Blues
Dion Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Child, you know the time
Seemed like an hour
Everything had changed
But I hold up my head
Girl, I'm just trying to make you understand
Well now, everybody tell me
Well now, I buzzed your bell this morning
You had your elevator run slow
I buzzed your bell in, woman
Take me on the third floor
Well, I hold up my head
Girl, I'm just trying to make you understand
Well now, everybody tell me
Somebody hoodoo'd the hoodoo man
Well, I buzzed your bell this morning
You had your elevator run slow
I buzzed your bell in, woman
Take me on the third floor
I hold up my head
Girl, I'm just trying to make you understand
Well now, everybody tell me
Somebody hoodoo'd the hoodoo man
Well, I wonder what's exactly the matter
Child, you know the time
Seemed like an hour
Everything had changed
I hold up my head
Girl, I'm just trying to make you understand
Well now, everybody tell me
Somebody hoodoo'd the hoodoo man
The lyrics of Dion's "Hoodoo Man Blues" describe the confusion and frustration of the singer as he tries to make sense of his situation. The song opens with the singer wondering what is wrong, as time seems to have slowed down and everything has changed. He tries to stay positive, holding up his head and seeking understanding from the woman he is addressing. However, he finds that even she cannot provide an explanation. As the song progresses, the singer describes his attempts to connect with the woman, using a buzzing doorbell as a metaphor for his attempts to gain entrance into her life. Throughout the song, he is plagued by a feeling that he has been hoodoo'd - that someone has used dark magic to bewitch him or to cause his misfortunes. In the final verse, the singer returns to his initial confusion, wondering once again what is wrong and seeking answers from those around him.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, I wonder what's exactly the matter
I am curious about what the problem is
Child, you know the time
You are aware of what is happening
Seemed like an hour
It felt like a very long time
Everything had changed
The situation was different than before
But I hold up my head
I remain confident and strong
Girl, I'm just trying to make you understand
I am attempting to clarify and communicate with you
Well now, everybody tell me
People are saying to me
Somebody hoodoo'd the hoodoo man
Someone put a spell on me
Well, I buzzed your bell this morning
I rang your doorbell earlier today
You had your elevator run slow
Your elevator was moving slowly
I buzzed your bell in, woman
I rang your doorbell to get your attention
Take me on the third floor
Take me up to the third floor
I hold up my head
I remain confident and strong
Girl, I'm just trying to make you understand
I am attempting to clarify and communicate with you
Well now, everybody tell me
People are saying to me
Somebody hoodoo'd the hoodoo man
Someone put a spell on me
Well, I buzzed your bell this morning
I rang your doorbell earlier today
You had your elevator run slow
Your elevator was moving slowly
I buzzed your bell in, woman
I rang your doorbell to get your attention
Take me on the third floor
Take me up to the third floor
I hold up my head
I remain confident and strong
Girl, I'm just trying to make you understand
I am attempting to clarify and communicate with you
Well now, everybody tell me
People are saying to me
Somebody hoodoo'd the hoodoo man
Someone put a spell on me
Well, I wonder what's exactly the matter
I am curious about what the problem is
Child, you know the time
You are aware of what is happening
Seemed like an hour
It felt like a very long time
Everything had changed
The situation was different than before
I hold up my head
I remain confident and strong
Girl, I'm just trying to make you understand
I am attempting to clarify and communicate with you
Well now, everybody tell me
People are saying to me
Somebody hoodoo'd the hoodoo man
Someone put a spell on me
Contributed by Xavier O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@petergibbon3400
Dude’s releasing a new blues CD next month! At 80 years old!!! And his voice is as strong and clear as ever. Amazing.
@sandracox9552
Hi Dion your beloved fan , just love all your music old and new
@johnlane35
What's not to like about Dion, Christian, Do-wap, Rock, Blues, Funk. He does it all and does it well.
@kjboogie
Just keeps getting better !!
@deadly-dyadclips2176
hey dion is still alive that's cool
@catdaddy3302
T Guy clean and sober does that.
@mariebrigittesevaistre2310
excellent ! !
@krakatoa1200
Love it.
@matthewtodd3879
Love his blues but cut out thr preaching crap
@billgreen6263
Not preaching. Sharing.