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.
This Little Girl
Dion Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I know what love's all about
Ah, this little girl won't make a fool out of me
'Cause I'm gonna straighten her out
(Ba-ba-ba-oh-oh-oh-oh-sha-la-la-la)
(Oh-oh-oh-oh-sha-la-la-la) oh, yeah
(Oh-oh-oh-oh-sha-la-la-la-wo-wo-wo-wo-wo)
Ah, this little girl is just about as mean as they come, she is now
She don't even act nice once in a while like some, oh yeah
Whoa, trouble is her middle name
But I'm glad that's the way she came
I can be the one to tame this little girl, oh yeah
Ah, this little girl won't like me much at first, she won't now
And after a while she's gonna think that I'm the worst, oh yeah
Well, I won't treat her with kid gloves
And I won't shower her with lots of love
But I'll make an angel of this little girl
Oh, this little girl tries to make every guy slave, oh yeah (make every guy her slave)
But this little man is gonna take her by the hand
And I'm gonna show her the way to behave
Ah, this little girl is kinda used to gettin' her way, but no more now
There'll be some changes made, startin' today
Whoa, I said now everyone will be surprised
When I cut her down to size
And no one's gonna recognize my little girl
Tell you again now, this little girl
I'm a man now, this little girl
I'll tell you again now, my little girl
The lyrics to Dion & The Belmonts's song "This Little Girl" describe the singer's confidence in his ability to handle a difficult girl he is interested in. He assures his friends that he knows what he is doing and he will not be made a fool of. The girl is described as mean and someone who tries to make every guy her slave, but the singer is willing to take her on and straighten her out. He is not planning on treating her with kid gloves or showering her with love, but instead, he will be the one to tame her and make an angel out of her.
The song showcases an interesting gender dynamic, as the singer is taking control of a situation that traditionally would fall on the woman to change her behavior to fit societal norms. It also highlights the idea of the "bad boy" who can reform a "bad girl" and the belief that love can change someone's behavior. This is a common theme in many love songs, but it is interesting to see it from the perspective of the man trying to change the woman.
Line by Line Meaning
People, don't you worry, I know what I'm doin'
Don't worry, I'm experienced in matters of love.
I know what love's all about
I understand what love is and how it works.
Ah, this little girl won't make a fool out of me
This girl won't take advantage of me.
'Cause I'm gonna straighten her out
I'll correct her behavior.
Ah, this little girl is just about as mean as they come, she is now
This girl is very unpleasant.
She don't even act nice once in a while like some, oh yeah
She rarely behaves in a nice way.
Whoa, trouble is her middle name
She is constantly causing problems.
But I'm glad that's the way she came
I can handle her difficult personality.
I can be the one to tame this little girl, oh yeah
I can change her behavior for the better.
Ah, this little girl won't like me much at first, she won't now
She will not be fond of me at the beginning.
And after a while she's gonna think that I'm the worst, oh yeah
Eventually, she will have negative feelings towards me.
Well, I won't treat her with kid gloves
I won't handle her with extreme care.
And I won't shower her with lots of love
I won't show her excessive affection.
But I'll make an angel of this little girl
I'll make her a better person.
Oh, this little girl tries to make every guy slave, oh yeah (make every guy her slave)
She tries to control every man she meets.
But this little man is gonna take her by the hand
I'm going to guide her.
And I'm gonna show her the way to behave
I'll teach her proper behavior.
Ah, this little girl is kinda used to gettin' her way, but no more now
She is accustomed to doing as she pleases, but that will end.
There'll be some changes made, startin' today
Things will be different from now on.
Whoa, I said now everyone will be surprised
People will be surprised at the changes she undergoes.
When I cut her down to size
When I get her to behave properly.
And no one's gonna recognize my little girl
She will have changed so much that no one will recognize her.
Tell you again now, this little girl
This is about that girl.
I'm a man now, this little girl
I'm ready to face this challenge as a man.
I'll tell you again now, my little girl
I'm emphasizing that this is about that girl.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CAROLE KING, GERRY GOFFIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Momma Donna
on Only You Know
Check out Joe Leone Music on YouTube for a great cover of this song.
https://youtu.be/iYrkDhA4wGM
Momma Donna
on Only You Know
Joe Leone did a beautiful cover of this song.
https://youtu.be/iYrkDhA4wGM