Yahoo LAUNCHCAST Song Of The Day-Dion

Artist:Dion

Song:King Of The New York Streets

Album:King Of The New York Streets









Dion Dimucci has been around since the 50s and has reinvented himself several times. This 2000 3CD box set from The Right Stuff/Capitol covers his entire career. The song King Of The New York Streets was part of one of his more satisfying comebacks. And he's still recording today. He was born July 18, 1939 in The Bronx and of course his beginnings were with The Belmonts and then as a solo artist in the 60s. He moved to Columbia Records in 1963 and had hits like Ruby Baby but his heroin habit got the best of him and he disappeared. He returned to Laurie Records and reinvented himself as a sensitive folkie with the 1968 hit Abraham, Martin & John. Dion signed with Warner Bros. and that just didn't work out with the 1975 Phil Spector produced Born To Be With You particularly disastrous. So now Dion signs with Word Records and becomes a Contemporary Christian artist. He did very well in that market though the music never reached the mainstream. It was announced that Dion was to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame in 1989. British rocker Dave Edmunds got wind of it and decided to record Dion and Arista Records agreed to release the 1989 album Yo Frankie. Edmunds plays guitar and Bryan Adams, Lou Reed, Patty Smyth, Paul Simon & k.d. lang all guest star. Dion wrote King Of The New York Streets with his Word Records songwriting partner Bill Tuohy. The box set might be a bit much for some but Yo Frankie is available on CD from Collectibles. Dion's most recent CD Son Of Skip James was released in Nov. 2007 on Verve Forecast. It's done very well in the blues market. Here's Dion with guitarist Steve Cropper performing King Of The New York Streets in 1990.