Having kicked heroin after years of teen stardom as the leader of the Belmonts, Dion Francis DiMucci, better known as Dion, released ‘Daddy Rollin’ (In Your Arms)’ in 1968.
Released as the the b-side to ‘Abraham, Martin and John,” Dion has described this song as: “…a love song, or it can be about drugs. I recorded it in the back of a bowling alley with a bunch of Jamaicans. We were banging on cardboard boxes. I had my Gibson Birdland guitar and we just let it roll.’
Raw and off-the-cuff, this track presented a totally different side of Dion; one hidden from the sugar-coated mainstream of the 1950s and one that touched upon more personal, honest elements.
I love its feel, I love its rhythm and love the whole vibe of this song really. Listen above.