Dion Dimucci: Legendary Rock-N-Roller
CBN.com - Dion Dimucci made Rock-and-Roll history in the 1960’s with a string of hits. But “The Wanderer” was more than a hit – it captured Dion’s personal struggle to find significance in this world.
Dion: You know “The Wanderer” eludes to that. It kind of turns in on itself. But a lot of people don’t recognize it. It says, 'I roam from town to town, I go through life without a care, I’m as happy as a clown, with my two fists of iron but I’m going no where.'
Dion Dimucci’s singing talent was honed on the street corners of the Bronx, New York. In 1957, young Dion became big stuff - Dion and the Belmonts. Forty plus years later he’s still performing - his latest production “Son of Skip James."
Dion: You know I come from this macho, italian neighborhood. When I was thirteen, during those real vulnerable, impressionable years, and a boy starts becoming a man, to make that transition, and you start making decisions and you start developing virtue and principles - I never made the transition. I started drinking. I started ignoring growing up and you become a thin veneer of what a man is.
Dion’s success was explosive and it created an even bigger tough guy persona. Soon, he was traveling with rock-and-roll stars Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper and Richie Valens. In February of 1959, Dion’s decision to take a long bus ride rather than hop a plane with Holly, The Big Bopper and Valens, saved his life. Just outside of Fargo, North Dakota, the plane carrying the rock-and-roll stars crashed, killing all on board. The impact of the event drove him deeper into drugs and alcohol.
Dion: I walked into the lobby of the hotel. People were watching the tv set, and they said three rock-and-rollers died - Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, The Big Bopper, including the pilot. I walked out of the hotel. I got on the bus alone, their clothes were hanging on the racks, their guitars on the seats. I was the only one there, it was like surreal. I was 19-years-old. I was baffled.
In 1960, Dion and the Belmonts broke up. But Dion’s solo career took off and he catapulted to the top ranks of recording artists. Still, Dion depended daily on drugs and alcohol.
Scott: The only constant you seemed to have in your life was Sue.
Dion: You know, I got a little advice for everybody, marry the girl who’s going to get you to heaven.
Dion and Sue stayed together through Dion’s drug and alcohol addictions. But, Dion needed more than Sue.
Scott: On that journey you actually got to the point, point of absolute desperation, where you were literally suicidal.
Dion: Well I came to an end of my life on my terms. I was ready to check out. I was like, 'Man I reached the heights.' I had a couple of million dollars. I had twelve gold records on the wall. I was at the top of my profession at the time. I said, ‘What’s left?’ And instead of checking out I got on my knees and I said, ‘God, if you’re real, I need to know you whoever you are, I need some help.’ Scripture, what I wasn’t aware of, says, ‘ask and you will receive, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened.’ I think a lot of people are going to arrive some day and say, how come? Well you never asked. I asked, here I am.
