| Anyone growing up in the 60's would remember the | | | | was prepared. I got the job and played the rest of the |
| songs of Dion DiMucci. Dion had hits starting when he | | | | week with his band. I took them home to go over |
| was in his teens with the Belmonts singing I Wonder | | | | some of the backup singing (they were a little younger |
| Why, Teenager In Love, and many other great Doo | | | | and some had never heard the originals). Dion loved |
| Wop era songs. I was not yet 10 years old when I | | | | the changes. We went to breakfast every night and |
| took an interest in his music. He has a soaring melodic | | | | connected with music, being American-Italian, and |
| voice that put you "in the song". | | | | learning from each other. |
| In 1960, Dion parted with the Belmonts. The hits rolled | | | | When the week was over, we went to New York to |
| on with The Wanderer, Runaround Sue, Lovers Who | | | | play a concert with Jay and the Americans. I |
| Wander, Ruby Baby, Donna the Prima Donna, and | | | | remember being at rehearsal. I couldn't hear my mike |
| others. When the British Invasion hit America, Dion | | | | and had to repeatedly ask the sound man to turn up |
| along with many other late 50's - early 60's singers | | | | my sound monitor. Dion's manager at the time, a fellow |
| faded away. After Abraham, Martin, and John in 1969, | | | | named Zack noticed and told the sound man to "give |
| Dion would go through a phase of singing Folk and | | | | the kid from Buffalo anything he wanted". I thought I |
| Christian music along with a short reunion with the | | | | died and went to heaven. After a great show, they |
| Belmonts. It was about 1962 that I began to sing along | | | | asked me to continue on with them, and having a |
| while listening to his songs. I repeated the vocal | | | | family, medical coverage concerns, etc. I had to refuse |
| inflections over and over. In 1966, a Junior in high school, | | | | and go home to start my new job. I met Dion again a |
| I was asked to sing for a band. I also learned to play | | | | few years later and he greeted me with his bright |
| tenor sax in school. Forty two years later, I am still | | | | cheerful personality by calling me Charley On-sax. |
| rockin' and rollin' as is Dion, who recently released two | | | | Dion is still making great recordings. His latest are |
| blues CDs. | | | | Bronx in Blue and The Son of Skip James. Some of |
| In the mid-70's I had a family and a few weeks off | | | | my favorite recordings of Dion were with a great band |
| before starting a new job. I went to hear Dion live for | | | | from Baltimore in an album called "The Return of the |
| the first time at a club near the Buffalo, NY airport. I | | | | Wanderer" and an old album simply titled Dion, where |
| was in heaven standing at the bar, finally getting to see | | | | he sings some old Sinatra songs with a full orchestra. If |
| and hear my favorite singer. After the show the guitar | | | | anyone's music ever was associated with being "cool" |
| player noticed my enthusiasm and came to talk to me. | | | | it was Dion's. |
| I told him I was a huge fan, and one of my son's had | | | | I'm still singing and playing "The Wanderer" almost |
| the middle name Dion. He called Dion over to meet me. | | | | every weekend. When the band starts "Ruby Baby" I |
| We hit it off from the start. I told him I sang and played | | | | get a distant look in my eye, remembering a few |
| sax. As the band was without a sax player, he asked | | | | weeks in the 70's when my dream came true. |
| me to come to rehearsal the next day. As you can | | | | Dion was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame |
| imagine, I was jumping out of my skin. I had all the dirty | | | | in 1969 by Bruce Springsteen. |
| gritty sax parts to his songs down years before so I | | | | |