Dion
Rock Hall of Famer Dion releases his second Christmas single “You Know It’s Christmas” featuring Joe Bonamassa via KTBA Records. The song was written by Dion along with Mike Aquilina, who co-wrote many of the songs on Dion’s latest album, Blues With Friends.
Dion about the song: “Blues is my home and I wanted to write a Christmas song with that feeling. Mike suggested a ‘brag blues’ [in the tradition of “The Wanderer”] so we thought what would a bluesman brag about at Christmas? How he bought just the right gift for his girl and how she’s going to love it! Christmas is all about giving and I think the song catches that vibe perfectly. Joe Bonamassa gave me a great Christmas present by playing lead on it.”
Bonamassa remarked, “It is always an honor to play alongside Dion, he is a National Treasure!”
Listen to “You Know It’s Christmas”
Blues With Friends offered thirteen original songs with Dion joined by a wide range of friends and admirers including Jeff Beck, Billy Gibbons, Brian Setzer, Sonny Landreth, Samantha Fish, John Hammond Jr., Joe Louis Walker, Rory Block , Jimmy and Jerry Vivino, vintage guitar guru Joe Menza as well as icons Stevie Van Zandt, Patti Scialfa, Bruce Springsteen, Van Morrison, Paul Simon and, as mentioned, Joe Bonamassa.
Released June 5th on KTBA Records (Joe Bonamassa’s new record label), Blues With Friends is Dion’s first album of new recordings since 2016’s New York is My Home. Musically and literally, Blues With Friends is as honest as they come, and when your friends include Stevie Van Zandt, Billy Gibbons, Joe Louis Walker, Bruce Springsteen, Samantha Fish, Sonny Landreth and Bonamassa himself, any self-respecting Blues fan can’t help but get excited.
As one of the first generation rock n’ rollers still seriously pursuing new avenues of expression, Dion’s Bronx soul is very much evidenced on Blues With Friends, a full-tilt blues offering. These are blues originals, destined to become classics in their own right. He came up with music and words for 12 of them and finished those with co-writer Mike Aquilina. The other two are “Hymn To Him, “ which Dion wrote with Bill Tuohy and “Kickin’ Child” written with Buddy Lucas.
Keeping The Blues Alive Records is a new label started by Joe Bonamassa and his manager Roy Weisman and is an offshoot of Keeping The Blues Alive Foundation, Bonamassa’s non-profit that aims to conserve the art of music and the rich culture and history of the blues.
Dion Online
Great new tune! So happy to see & hear Dion and Joe-not to mention the “backup singers”! That’s for making my Christmas brighter❣️
Wow ! That is a great new Christmas song :) …. it’s soooo nice to hear a new one that really fits !
who are the back up singers for Dion on “You Know It’s Christmas