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DION’S BACK

DION’S BACK

The 25th anniversary
of the Seaside Summer Concert Series kicks off on July 10 with
Jay Black, of Jay and the Americans, hosting the legendary Dion
and Little Anthony & The Imperials.



"I’ll still be up there," Borough President Marty Markowitz
told GO Brooklyn. Markowitz traditionally hosts these events,
"but [Jay will] make jokes between the acts – something
I usually do. But I’ll give that to him."



In 1957, Dion DiMucci (pictured) teamed up with three neighborhood
pals to form Dion and the Belmonts (named after Belmont Avenue
in the Bronx). After hits such as "I Wonder Why" and
"A Teenager in Love," Dion left the group in 1961 and
scored his own hits with "Runaround Sue" and "The
Wanderer."



This Seaside Summer Concert series performance is the first time
the rock ’n’ roll legend will be in Brooklyn since the Fox and
Paramount theaters in Downtown Brooklyn closed, said Markowitz.



After high school, Anthony Gourdine, of Fort Greene, originally
with The Duponts, left to join The Chesters, a group later renamed
The Imperials.



Gourdine was sitting on a Brooklyn park bench when he heard radio
deejay Alan Freed announcing his record: "And here’s a new
record that’s making a lot of noise … Little Anthony &
the Imperials singing ’Tears on My Pillow.’" The name stuck.
"Tears on My Pillow" instantly launched them.



Re-live those memories at the Seaside Summer Concert Series,
which continues every Thursday night at 7:30 pm through Aug.
21 at Asser Levy Park, West Fifth Street at Surf Avenue in Brighton
Beach. The concerts are free. The public can bring their own
chairs, or they can be rented. Performers are subject to change
without notice. Call the concert hotline for updates at (718)
469-1912 or log onto www.brooklynconcerts.com.