Dion DiMucci - Early Years

Early Years

Dion was born to an Italian-American family in the Bronx, New York. As a child, he used to accompany his father, a vaudeville entertainer, on tour, and developed a love of country music – particularly Hank Williams – as well as a fondness for the blues and doo-wop stars he heard in local bars and on the radio. His singing was honed on the street corners and local clubs of the Bronx, where he and other neighborhood singers created a cappella licks.

In early 1957, he auditioned for Bob and Gene Schwartz, who had just formed Mohawk Records. They recorded Dion singing lead for a song that had been arranged by Hugo Montenegro and completely pre-recorded with only the lead part missing. The vocal group was called The Timberlanes, who Dion never met. The single "The Chosen Few" was released under the name of Dion and the Timberlanes and became a minor regional hit. Dion stated in his book The Wanderer that he never even knew then, or later, who The Timberlanes were.