The Dutch ousted the Algonquins in order to lose themselves in the tsunami of Catholics and Jews. Take a look at the map: The Bronx is the testicles of Manhattan, a piece of land bounded by the East and Hudson Rivers. The houses built for the new arrivals were dilapidated from the first day. The residents did not know the names of Washington Irving and Jonas Bronk, but they prayed regularly and, like slaves of ancient civilizations, quickly transferred cargo from decks to land. The lazy Pasquale Dimucci chose a different fate, becoming the manager of the chapiteau and visiting singers. He brought his young son into the family business early. Neighborhood and church holidays brightened up the gloom of everyday life, but this was not enough for the boys from the outskirts. Gathering in gangs, they found out the degree of piety in nearby neighborhoods, during breaks they applied cold fish to their fingernails and sang. Dion DiMucci became addicted to the music of Hank Williams early on, and the evil streets gave him other attachments.
Rhythm and blues was already booming from passing cars, and boys who had entered puberty began to imitate Black vocal groups. The Schwartz brothers decided to ride the musical wave. As time has shown, without stirrups and bridles, Jews will be devoured by more efficient Jews. But in 1957, the label was still afloat, releasing the small-town hit “The Chosen Few” by the hastily assembled band Dion And The Timberlanes. Later, Dion admits that he was not familiar with any of those accompanists at all. Nevertheless, the performance in Boston gave him a taste for the applause of the audience. The boys from the Bronx who chose the honest path became movers or bakers, while their former friends began to engage in extortion and drug trafficking, quickly finding themselves under the wing of the Italian mafia. Only a few have found a third way – show business.
Dion told the Schwartzs bluntly, “If I need vocal support, let it be the guys from my neighborhood.” Carlo Mastrangelo, Fred Milano and Angelo D’Aleo formed a band called The Belmonts, after the name of the area. The single I Wonder Why became a huge breakthrough for the New York bosota, reaching 22nd place in the national charts. Further recordings consolidated the status of Dion And The Belmonts, and the frenzied touring became a guarantee.
The memory of the Bronx poverty saved Dion’s life: he refused to fly with Buddy, Richie and Big Bopper, sparing 36 local rubles for a charter. The song released in the same ill-fated 1959, Where Or When, achieved the greatest popularity, and already at the beginning of the following year our boy thundered into the clinic, almost driving away from a heroin overdose. He wasn’t even twenty-one yet. A nimble fellow! Fortunately, Dion decided to reconsider his outlook on life, unfortunately, he decided to break up with The Belmonts. Having assembled a new line-up, The Del-Satins, he recorded his main masterpiece, Runaround Sue. On the next record, the A-side was The Majestic, but the B-side “shot”: The Wanderer – number 2 by Billboard standards.
The success could have lasted a long time, but the British colleagues had ruined the careers of most American performers by 1965. Dion’s experiments with the blues at that time did not yield significant results. After going through Dylan’s infatuation and getting back into intravenous injections, singing again and breaking up with The Belmonts again, in 1968 Dion joined the folk gospel band Abraham, Martin & John, dedicating the recording to the memory of the Kennedy brothers and Martin Luther King. The song is undoubtedly good, but it marks Dion’s final break with rock’n’roll fervor, soul harmonies and boyishness in general. He is still here, more than sixty years later, he records excellent albums, he is a living legend. But the hands, as if denying the mind the primacy, drag themselves into the Tag Along/Lonely World player of 1963.
Lonely World is an inescapable and all-encompassing teenage longing that everyone has experienced, seasoned with a lively rhythm and voices that color the body of the song with all shades of sadness.
Sandy is a rock and roll serenade with dashing backing vocalists. If a girl can resist these feelings, she’s not a girl.
Dream Lover is a monologue of a cat languishing from excess of passions, but knowing its own worth. He’s looking for the one who can purr just as well.
Take Good Care Of My Baby is equipped with a violin orchestra, but Dion does not lose his sensuality for a moment, remaining imposing and slightly cocky.
The Wanderer is a locomotive that crushes hearts and skirts on its way. Doing it lazily, as if reluctantly. He had to, sorry, ladies.
Runaway Girl is a butterfly-winged shuffle with delicate piano chords. Dion, however, also leaves room for irony here.
Little Diane is a desperate Italian blues about love torments, whose drama completely kills the kazoo solo, stating: if you don’t want to, okay, I’ll ask the neighbor. Thus, the time to reflect on the object of desire is two and a half minutes.
Somebody Nobody Wants – Dion Dimucci declares himself, and no one, of course, believes him, and a couple of vocalists, judging by the sound, are completely ready to jump. It’s a very cheeky number.
A Teenager In Love is a dialogue between a rookie and a star. The soloist has not yet reached that certain degree of romantic cynicism, and his accomplices have only abandoned their daily routine. Classic Dion And The Belmonts.
Runaround Sue is a block of non-epic-cyclopean scales. One of the main songs of its time. Innovative in structure, poignant in its reckless melancholy.
When you are asked at customs or at the passport office who is the king of doo-wop, feel free to say the name: Dion Dimucci. If they disagree, then you’re going the other way.
