Dion Dimucci's streetwise doo-wop was Italian Americans' answer to the original black doo-wop groups. He scored his two first hits, "A Teenager in Love" (1958) and "I Wonder Why" (1959), with vocal backing by a group of his Bronx friends, the Belmonts. On his own, his hits continued: "Runaround Sue," "The Wanderer" (both 1962) and "Ruby Baby" (1963). His career took a turn downward as his addiction to heroin worsened; he kicked his habit in 1968 and recorded "Abraham, Martin and John", his last hit. He recorded well-received comeback albums.
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