Dion to Play State Theatre, 7/12

From the street corners of the Bronx with Dion & the Belmonts to his hit-making solo career, DION and his music will always represent a special time and place ...a moment when a song could mean so much and a singer could sum up what it means to be young, in love and on top of the world. The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer brings all of that and more to the State Theatre on Sunday, July 12th.

Show time 7:00 PM. Tickets are $40 & $35 and can be purchased by visiting the State Theatre Box Office, 453 Northampton Street, Easton, by calling 1-800-999-STATE, 610.252.3132 or online at www.statetheatre.org. Sponsored by The Martin Guitar Company, Lehigh Valley IronPigs and Adams Outdoor Advertising.

Dion is more than simply a cherished memory of a more innocent time. A singer, songwriter and performer of extraordinary versatility, range and resonance, Dion is fashioning music as relevant and revealing today as in the heydays of the 50's when, along with a handful of other innovators, he defined rock 'n' roll for a generation.

That mastery began at a very early age on the mean streets of the Bronx, New York. It was in the bars and on the street comers of his Bronx neighborhood that Dion's musical skill and style really began. R & B, blues, doo-wop and rock 'n' roll all influenced his approach to music, but it was country's great singer-songwriter Hank Williams who first sparked Dion's singing ambitions. In 1957 he brought the best of the neighborhood rockers together to form Dion & The Belmonts, named after Belmont Avenue, in the heart of the Bronx.

"I Wonder Why" was Dion's first hit with The Belmonts and over the next two years the group earned a reputation not only for topping the charts but for creating some of the most vital and exciting doo-wop music on the American scene. With songs such as "A Teenager in Love" and "Where Or When", Dion & The Belmonts earned their place in the history books.

The vitality of the music lived on when Dion, venturing out as a solo artist in 1960, racked up a string of #l hits that many still consider to be the best of that, or any other, era. Over an incredible four year run Dion cut one quintessential rock classic after another, from the rollicking "Runaround Sue" to the driving "Lovers Who Wander" to the anthemic "The Wanderer"- it was an unparalleled musical feat that elevated him to the top ranks of recording artists. As the first rock and roll artist ever signed to Columbia Records, he continued his streak with such smashes as "Ruby Baby'', "Donna The Prima Donna" and "Drip Drop".

Today, Dion's songs grow more important and valuable to his fans, himself and to a new generation of believers. His songs, his music are continually impacting people worldwide.

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