Reviewed by Tony Cummings

This was published at the same time as a musical charting the extraordinary life of singer/songwriter Dion DiMucci, who moved through the decades from doowop singer (with Dion's Italian American harmony group the Belmonts), to rock'n'roller with such classics as "The Wanderer", to protest singer (his "Abraham, Martin & John" was a big US hit), to Grammy nominated blues singer. Alongside the musical, this lavishly produced hardback brings the reader brief flashes of his story. It tells how a streetwise Bronx kid became a hit record singing star; how he and his singing buddy Frankie Lymon became hooked on heroin; how he, with the help of his long-suffering wife, joined a recovery programme; how he found true Christian faith; and how he has shared his heart and insights with such music luminaries as Paul Simon, Bob Dylan and Lou Reed amongst others. He tells how his faith in Christ has given him direction and purpose which gold disc success couldn't. The problem with Dion: Rock'n'Roll Philosopher is its very fragmentary structure, some chapters being nothing more than lists (favourite books, favourite doowop records, etc) and one or two of the chapters are poor (the one on Sam Cooke) or irrelevant, the one written by Dion himself about Adam Jablin (who is described as "a renowned life and performance coach"). Also, despite the blurb describing the book features "over 200 vibrant photos" that's about 100 too many. But if you've £40 to spare Dion's many spiritually insightful observations may be worth the investment. particularly if you're a staunch Dion fan.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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