"Here's My Story, Sad But True" ~ Dion & The Del-Satins

As a boy, I spent countless days and nights in bars and tavern. Typical afternoon, Dad & I would play catch throwing a ball to each other over the passing cars from each side of the street. Then we’d go inside and watch the ball game together with our regular drinks: short beer for Dad ~ coke with a maraschino cherry for me. Often enough, Mom and Rory would join us towards dinner time and we’d go eat up 86^th Street or go to the Silver Moon Italian restaurant on 79^th Street & Second Avenue.  Many times we’d go back to Loftus Tavern or the Old Timers. To keep us happy they’d slip us dimes for the juke box.  If they were in that special place between the third and fourth drink, where adults make decisions they don’t normally make, they’d pass a quarter or half dollar to us. With a quarter you had three songs.  I always played these: “Run Around Sue,” “Donna Prima Donna” & “Lovers Who Wander.”  If an adult felt right and gave me one of their three off their quarter I played “Love Come to Me.”  

All Dion tunes.  At 8 year old I couldn’t get enough of his records, I spent most of my money on singles and had a fine collection of 30 before I was 9 years old.  I didn’t have a record player and wasn’t allowed to use my father’s 1955 RCA Victrola. But... when Mom was pissed at Dad and he wasn’t home, she let me play my singles, and then we polish the record player so it would pass Dad’s military inspection when he came home.

This past Sunday night, I met and shook Dion’s hand. 50 years after those first dimes dropped into the jukebox on York Avenue and turned two taverns into my personal music palace. Steven Van Zandt interviewed Dion at the 92^nd Street Y.  This doubled my pleasure because I love Little Steven and had no idea before Springsteen and Southside Johnny and the Disciples, Steven was in The Dovels, “You Can’t Sit Down,” another go to tune in my early 60s jukebox excursions.

This week, Dion played Joe’s Pub and sung with the Del-Satins led by Stan Zizka.  The Del-Satins sung with Dion on every one of the hits I mentioned above plus many more of Dion’s most popular records.  The Del-Satins have a special connection to me; they are originally from Yorkville my neighborhood. Part of the Del-Satins roots started inside the Yorkville Melodies led by my friend, Dennis Ferado.

Here is a link to the Del-Satins singing "Runaround Sue,"with Dion at Joe’s Pub.

The Del-Satins are playing a concert with the Brooklyn Bridge at St. Stephen’s of Hungary at 408 E. 82^nd Street on April 13th.  More information to follow.