If you don’t recognize the name “Dion,” maybe this post is not for you. However, I find it difficult to believe that, even those who don’t instantly recognize the name (not the “Dion” preceded by the name “Celine”) have somehow managed to get through life without ever having heard “Runaround Sue,” The Wanderer,” “Where or When” or “Ruby Baby.” Well, Dion did those tunes and a zillion more.

I recently received Dion’s latest CD, called “Dion, New Masters.” As the CD Notes explain, not long ago Dion walked into a Miami recording studio along with the members of his road band, and “some of the best doo-wop harmony singers in the business” and proceeded to record new versions of some of his classic hits, along with some cover tunes and two new originals.

I have already listened to it at least a half dozen times.

Dion (real name, “Dion DiMucci”) began singing at age five and has been at it ever since. Some of the classics on the CD include:

Ruby Baby
Lovers Who Wander
A Teenager in Love
I Wonder Why (Perhaps Dion at his best)
Where or When
Drip Drop
Donna the Prima Donna
Runaround Sue
The Wanderer

They guy is amazing. By my arithmetic, he is on the wrong side of sixty, but his voice is as clear and true as that of a twenty-year old. He hits all the notes with laser-like accuracy, and his phrasing is hard to beat.

The new versions are true to the originals, but often with just a bit of added flair, born of maturity and a lifetime of singing.

I would be surprised if anyone could listen to these tunes and not end up tapping their feet. For me, the songs produced more than foot tapping. They brought back and jazzed up old memories, and they gave me goose bumps.

Goose bumps are the ultimate barometer of musical excellence for me.