Dion DiMucci’s career spans five decades, an assortment of music genres and a wealth of record sales, yet many music followers aren’t familiar with the depth and scope of his music roots and the life experiences that helped shape his iconic career. A music icon himself, Steven Van Zandt took up that educational challenge, as he sat down with Dion for what proved to be an intimate and inspirational learning experience.

 One of the great highlights of the evening’s conversation was about the Winter Dance Party Tour with Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens back in 1959. The tour culminated in the now infamous plane crash that caused their tragic demise, with Dion’s decision to not spend $36 ending up saving his life. Dion later told the audience that he “really feels that God gave us the form of the blues. Three chords and you could express anything—your joys, your fears, your love, your desires, and your dreams. It’s a form of music that helps us walk through the world”.

 Attendees at this extraordinary event witnessed Dion’s guitar talent, as he deftly interspersed parts of “Ruby Baby” and Hank Williams’ “Honky Tonk Blues” with his enlightening and fascinating stories. He and Van Zandt closed out the evening with a rousing rendition of “Holly Brown,” a track from his newly re-released Tank Full of Blues.

– Howard B. Leibowitz