Interview: Dion DiMucci

Reprinted from http://jazzwax.com

Before girl groups, the Four Seasons, Motown and the Beatles, there was Dion. Born and raised in the Bronx, Dion DiMucci wound up with 33 Billboard Hot 100 hits, including I Wonder Why (1958), A Teenager in Love (1959), Runaround Sue (1961), the Wanderer (1961), Ruby Baby(1962), Donna the Prima Donna (1963) and Abraham, Martin and John (1968). What made Dion special was his boyish sensitivity and the subject-matter of the songs he sang. He was one of the first artists to sing about issues urban male teens faced, while his boyish looks hooked female record-buyers. He also had a powerful dreamer's voice that was groomed on the streets of his Italian neighborhood in the Belmont section of the Bronx. In a sense, he was the asphalt Everly Brother and one of the first artists to raise doo-wop to mass appeal. Remember, there are only two American rockers on the cover of the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper—Bob Dylan and Dion.

Today, I interview Dion for my "House Call" column in the Wall Street Journal about growing up in the Bronx in the 1950s (go here). During our chat, I asked Dion about one of rock history's most tragic days. [Photo of Dion DiMucci in his Boca Raton, Fla., home by Alexia Fodere for The Wall Street Journal]

Most people forget that Dion was the fourth headliner on the Winter Dance Party tour of 1959, which included Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. Richardson ("the Big Bopper"). Dion shared with me what happened that night in Clear Lake, Iowa, and how he wound up not boarding the fateful flight that crashed soon after taking off, killing all on board.

JazzWax tracks: My favorite Dion compilation is Dion: The Complete Laurie Sessions (Real Gone Music) here.

JazzWax clips: Here are a few Dion clips:

Here's Somebody Nobody Wants...

Here's Dion and the Belmonts with I Wonder Why...

Here's The Wanderer...

And here's Abraham, Martin and John...

Used with permission by Marc Myers