DION RELEASES REIMAGINED VERSION OF 'ABRAHAM, MARTIN AND JOHN' TODAY

NEW ALBUM THE ROCK ‘N’ PHILOSOPHER OUT OCTOBER 24th

NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, October 10, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Today marks the release of the video for a recently recorded version of Dion’s classic song “Abraham, Martin and John,” a new take on the song which has become a touchstone of American popular music for six decades. Dion commented, “Over the last fifty-seven years I’ve recorded dozens of versions of that song with everybody from Phil Spector and Cher to Aaron Neville and Bob Dylan, and I decided to record an intimate version for this album. This one is now my favorite.” He took stock of the song’s enduring legacy, characterizing it as “a song of hope,” adding, “It was never a political song; it’s a song about love and humanity.” He recalls, “The song arose out of the great pain of the year 1968, when we in the United States suffered the assassinations of two great men. Well, they could kill the dreamer, but they couldn’t kill the dream. [Songwriter] Dick Holler offered me an early version of ‘Abraham, Martin and John’ and it took hold of me. I made an entirely new arrangement about love that begins in the minds of great heroes, but it can spread to the whole world. I believe it can. Abraham, Martin and John: great men never gone. Stream “Abraham, Martin and John”. Watch “Abraham, Martin and John” video.
Order The Rock ‘n’ Roll Philosopher CD HERE.

As with the original, the new version of “Abraham, Martin and John” makes musical reference to “Will the Circle Be Unbroken?,” the hymn made popular by The Carter Family as “Can the Circle Be Unbroken (By and By).” He notes, “It came up kind of naturally to break up the three verses, providing a place for people to think and get engaged.” He adds, “It relates to those who want to be people with good hearts, to think and get engaged.” The video is a straightforward performance of the song, that Dion unabashedly calls “the best video I ever made.” David Niles masterful videographer. The video is a straightforward performance of the song, which Dion unabashedly calls “the best video I ever made,” citing the efforts of “masterful genius videographer David Niles.” He adds, “He really brought the best out of me.”

The new album of which “Abraham, Martin and John” is part is The Rock ‘n’ Roll Philosopher, a companion to his book of the same title that was co-authored with Adam Jablin. This new full-length is set for October 24 through KTBA Records both digitally and on CD. KTBA is the label founded by Joe Bonamassa and Roy Weisman that has released the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer’s string of much lauded collaborative albums Blues With Friends (2020), Stomping Ground (2021), and last year’s Girl Friends.

The new album is a meticulously curated combination of newly written and recorded songs, reimagined versions of several Dion classics, as well as a representation of newer material recorded over the last decade. Like the book, The Rock ‘n’ Roll Philosopher album is a reflection of Dion’s life journey. In the album notes he explains, “I pulled together some of the songs I discussed in the book and some of them I changed.” He describes the book as “a wide-ranging memoir in which I talk about music, addiction, recovery, friendships, God, creativity, relationships and all the important things in life from which I’ve learned important lessons."

Among the album’s tracks are collaborations with Sonny Landreth, Joe Bonamassa, Mark Knopfler and Eric Clapton, the latter of whom also contributed a 600-word foreword to the album in which he calls Dion “one of a kind, unparalleled in his achievement and stature. He is a genius singer, writer, musician and healer.” He also wrote, “He is the perfect example of how you can do what you love to do and still be available to the lives of others.” Clapton, long an admirer of Dion, also contributed the prologue to the book version of The Rock ‘n’ Roll Philosopher and is heard on “If You Wanna Rock and Roll,” a song written by Dion that’s part of the new album. Order the Rock N' Roll Philosopher Books at www.DionDimucci.com.

Among the album’s highlights are “New York Minute,” a co-write with Mike Aquilina that debuted earlier this year, as well as a new version of “New York Is My Home,” produced by Jimmy Vivino. It’s one of two selections on the album in which the late Scott Kempner, co-founder of punk rock’s Dictators and Del-Lords, had a hand. Kempner also co-wrote “In A Heartbeat of Time.” There’s an updated live recording on The Rock ‘n’ Roll Philosopher that documents the time in the mid- ‘90s when Dion fronted Little Kings, the hard rocking band that had been put together by Kempner. The version of “King of the New York Streets” was likewise originally recorded with Little Kings at a Mercury Lounge gig in April of 1996 and the subject of recent audio enhancement.

There’s also “Serenade/Come To the Cross,” an adaptation of the Tom Waits song “San Diego Serenade,” now melded with one of Dion’s songs of faith. Classics sourced from the 2003 New Masters collection, include “Ruby Baby,” “Runaround Sue” and “The Wanderer,” each an early career milestone for Dion, as was the later “Abraham, Martin and John.”

Dion recently told music historian, journalist and longtime Dion intimate Gene Sculatti that he thinks of the tracks that comprise The Rock ’N’ Roll Philosopher as “an ideal set list . . . the songs that I’d most like to play, all together in the perfect concert."


The Rock ‘N’ Roll Philosopher tracklist
1. I’m Your Gangster of Love*
2. New York Minute*
3. Ruby Baby
4. Take It Back
5. New York Is My Home*
6. Cryin’ Shame (featuring Sonny Landreth)
7. Dancing Girl (featuring Mark Knopfler)
8. In a Heartbeat of Time*
9. Serenade/Come To The Cross*
10. If You Wanna Rock and Roll (featuring Eric Clapton)
11. Ride With You
12. Abraham, Martin and John*
13. King of the New York Streets*
14. Runaround Sue
15. The Wanderer
16. Mother and Son*

*New recording

Carol
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