Dion, who has earned 12 gold records so far in his career, including such hits as “A Teenager in Love,” “Runaround Sue,” “Ruby Baby” and “Abraham, Martin and John,” now lives in South Florida. He sang four of his hit songs for Kiwanis Club members recently when he came as a friend of one of the members to perform and share his testimony as a Christ follower. He talked about growing up in the Bronx, New York City, learning to play the guitar as a teenager and then joining some friends on nearby Belmont street to form a band which they called Dion and the Belmonts.

They were good enough that a New York record company signed them and they cut their first record: “I Wonder (Wonder) Why,” which hit the Top Ten nationally. Shortly thereafter, Dick Clark put them on American Bandstand and they were off performing all around the USA on tours with Chuck Berry, the Everly Brothers, Roy Orbison and other up-and-coming musicians.

However, two things were missing in his life: his girlfriend, Susan, and God. He took care of Susan, eventually, by marrying her in 1963, and they’ve just celebrated their 46th wedding anniversary. However, God got his attention in a different way. Although he was a once-a-year attendee at the New York neighborhood Catholic church, and enjoyed bantering on the sidewalk with the priest on occasion, like many others he just ignored his spiritual yearnings most of the time. But then came Feb. 3, 1959. Buddy Holly invited Dion to get on the small plane with him, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper to fly from Duluth, MN in the middle of a snow storm to their next gig in Fargo, ND. Dion thought about it, then declined, telling Buddy the $36 per person cost was too much.

Dion continues: “The next day, I stood in the lobby of the hotel in Moorhead, MN. There was a television on the wall announcing that the plane carrying Buddy, Ritchie and the Big Bopper had gone down in the storm. There were no survivors. From that moment on, I knew God had a plan for me.”

Dion shared his testimony and spiritual journey as a Christian as he encouraged others to do the same and get in a right relationship with God. Dion closed by playing and singing “The Wanderer.”