Dion

A giant of white doo-wop and R&B in the early 1960s, Dion was the savvy, cocksure voice behind such enduring hits as "The Wanderer," "Runaround Sue" and "Ruby Baby," which inspired a generation of East Coast rock and pop artists to bring the sounds of the streets to their own music. He began with the vocal group the Belmonts, which scored major hits with "A Teenager in Love" and "I Wonder Why" in the late 1950s. Dion established himself as a solo performer in the early '60s with a string of Top 10 hits including the aforementioned tunes, which established him as a worthy contemporary in both the rock and soul markets. After a turn as a Christian artist in the 1980s, he returned to his roots with a series of roots-rock and blues albums that saw him joined by the likes of Bruce Springsteen and Lou Reed, both of whom owed a musical debt to Dion's music. One of rock-n-roll's most enduring survivors, Dion's best work retained the grit, the heart and the passion of the streets that launched his singing career.