Former Teen Pop Star Dion Still Writing Songs

On his song about late soul legend Sam Cooke

When I traveled with Sam Cooke in the early ‘60s, he used to protect me. He took me to see James Brown before Brown was popular. Once he took me to a soul food café deal and some people got ruffled that I was there. He just said, “Dion's with me.” He was tall, very refined, a real gentleman, a beautiful guy. He had compassion. It was a personal song and I put it in a drawer until I saw Green Book. I thought, Oh, they made a movie of my song. I brushed the song off and recorded it. It's not just a story of racism. It's a story of brotherhood.

On meeting the love of his life

I met Susan 65 years ago. She came from Vermont. Nobody moves to the Bronx. You're born there. She had red hair. She was exotic. I was a confused kid. I looked at her and thought, If I can get close to her, my life would be perfect, my life would make sense. I had a dream. With her I could get a ranch house and kids. And I was right. We've been married 57 years.

On how his marriage weathered the rigors of a rock ‘n’ roll career

She's easy to take. She's usually the brightest person in the room. Many years ago I was sitting on the steps of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in my Italian neighborhood when a young guy ran up to Monsignor Pernicone and said, “I'm getting divorced. I don't love her anymore.” Pernicone said, “Then love her.” They went back and forth and finally the monsignor said, “Love isn't a feeling. It's an act of your will. It's a choice. It's not just about you.” There were plenty of times I thought, I have a guitar and a credit card, I'm out of here. But I thought of the monsignor. And of course, it feels good when you commit to love.

On surviving a heroin overdose at 16 and kicking addiction at 29

I was using all kinds of stuff. It was the ‘60s. In February 1968, Frankie Lymon, a good friend of mine, died of an overdose. We used to hang out and use together. It brought me to my knees. I didn't know God from a hole in the wall, but I asked God for help. When I got off my knees, I was changed. It was April 1968. I haven't had a drug or a drink since. I changed in a blink of an eye. It brought me to the desire to seek out and understand God's power.

On his spiritual journey

I came into a spiritual-based 12-step program 52 years ago, and about 10 years into working the steps I started questioning it. What is truth and who has the authority to define it? That was my quest. I've always read books by Thomas Aquinas, Saint Augustine, Thomas Merton. They're my heroes. I read myself into a pretty solid place, and that's how I came back into the Catholic Church. I fall in love with the beauty first, before the rules or the facts, whether it's my music, the church or Susan.

On skipping the flight that killed Buddy Holly during the 1959 Winter Dance Party Tour

Buddy Holly was an old soul, very decisive. What 22-year-old charters a plane? He did, and he put together a deal with the CEOs of the tour to lessen the cost. There were only four seats: for Buddy, the pilot and two more. You had to kick in $36. My mind couldn't open to spending $36 for a short flight when my mother couldn't pay the $36 rent back home. She worked two jobs. My parents argued about money every day. Their arguing saved my life. I never talked about this until recently.

On The Wanderer, a jukebox musical that tells Dion's life story through his music

It will open April 8, 2021. It has action, romance, betrayal, a lot of laughs, the history of early street rock ‘n’ roll and the old neighborhood, of course. It's a story about transformation. It's like a young Sopranos with a Rocky Balboa ending. It's uplifting, but it's not yada-yada entertaining. It has substance. That's why I'm blown away.

Andrew Lipovsky/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images

On his unwavering commitment to music

I was always driven. My father was creative but he never had a real job, and all my uncles would put my father down in front of me. I must have sworn an oath when I was 7 that no one was ever going to treat me like a joke. It drove me to do something great.

On relaxing between recording and touring

I go to the gym three times a week. I talk more than I work out, but I get there. I got to do something for my fat rigatoni ass. I love to read, but my eyes are getting dry so I listen to audiobooks now. I love hanging with Susan. I've always liked to walk. I walk a mile loop outside my home in Boca Raton, [Florida]. With this pandemic, I see kids on bicycles and skates and scooters. They're calling their parents, not just looking at their phones. I don't want to minimize the horror, but good stuff is happening, too.