Dion in NYC, 2006, by Jason Gross

From MemoryArchive

Who: Jason Gross
What: Dion Concert at The Housingworks
When: January 10, 2006
Where: New York City

"People would ask me if it was hard to play this stuff," doo-wop legend Dion told a crowd, referring to the folk-blues music that he's come back to now. "Playing "Teenager In Love," now THAT was hard!"

Maybe it was a surprise to some that D's career would take him there but the fact is that this is the music he started with before he became a rock icon. After his run of hits in the late 50's and early 60's, he became a folkie, topping the charts with "Abraham, Martin and John." Next was a stint with gospel music and eventually, he reconciled his rock past. Now, after years of urging from other musicians, he's come back to his roots with impressive results.

For a packed house at a benefit show, he ran through most of his just-released BRONX IN BLUE CD, after getting introduced by a notable old fan (Steve Van Zandt). Seated with an acoustic guitar, he sang songs from Lightnin' Hopkins ("You Better Watch Yourself"), Robert Johnson ("Walkin' Blues," "Crossroads"), Blind Willie McTell ("Statesboro Blues"), Jimmy Reed ("Baby What You Want Me To Do"), Howlin' Wolf ("Built For Comfort") and other heroes of his, regaling the crowd with stories of growing up to this music and even meeting some of its makers. The real surprise wasn't just how well he took to the old blues songs but what a nimble guitar player he is (even though he had to spend extended time tuning up between songs). The crowd there was obviously behind him, you just knew at heart that they were there because of his old hits and in the end, he relented, doing a sweet, slow version of "The Wanderer," which became an instant sing-a-long.