There are prominent figures who effectively define a genre of music or even an entire era. Throughout the late 50’s and into the 60’s, Dion Francis Dimucci dominated the doo-wop and rock and roll scenes and was even the lead of the notable vocal group, Dion and the Belmonts. Throughout his heyday he had thirty-nine Top 40 hits and was eventually inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989.
Once he parted ways with the Belmonts, Dion went on to write and record some of the biggest hits of his time including, “Lovers Who Wander,” “Ruby Baby,” “The Wanderer,” and “Runaround Sue,” the last two being named on Rolling Stone’s list of “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.” As a solo artist, he began to explore within the genre that is his “true bedrock,” the blues. Now, over sixty years later, Dion continues to do what he loves, recording and performing music while being an inspiration to current and future musicians, including Joe Bonamassa.
Joe has played with some of the most prominent blues musicians around from multiple generations but getting to collaborate with an expert song craftsman is a truly enriching experience. Joe was introduced to Dion through Roy Weisman, Joe’s business partner and manager and the two immediately hit it off. Dion is a fan of Joe’s work and admires the fact that he’s “carrying on the blues in such a genius, awesome, and epic way.” After the meeting, Dion sent Joe a music idea which would become the powerful chorus to the title track of “Redemption.”
