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The history of the Belmonts is usually linked to that of their lead singer, Dion (born Dion DiMucci, July 18, 1939), with whom they had their biggest hits. In point of fact, however, the link up between Dion and the Belmonts actually lasted only two years, and the group existed (albeit briefly) prior to and a long after his time with them. Angelo D'Aleo (born February 3, 1940), first tenor; Fred Milano (born August 22, 1939), second tenor; and Carlo Mastrangelo (b. October 5, 1938), baritone; and Dion DiMucci were all friends from the area around Belmont Avenue in the Bronx, in N.Y.C. They attended Roosevelt High School and hung out together, and all of them sang; D'Aleo, Milano, and Mastrangelo began singing together and named themselves the Belmonts. As a trio, they recorded for the Mohawk label in 1957, making their debut with the song "Teenage Clementine," which came and went without notice. It was when Mastrangelo wrote a song of his own, "We Went Away," that was heard by Dion, that the quartet came together. It was recorded for Mohawk under the direction of conductor/arranger Hugo Montenegro (who had previously arranged an abortive debut single by Dion with a separate backing group), and the B-side got onto several local radio play lists.
The group moved to Laurie Records, newly founded by Bob Schwartz (who'd been a part-owner of Mohawk) and his brother Gene, and, with Dion as lead singer, cut their label debut with "I Wonder Why." The latter made it to number 22 on the pop charts, making them a hot act in New York and the Northeast. It was followed by a pair of hits, "No One Knows" and "Don't Pity Me," which peaked at 19 and 40, respectively. "A Teenager in Love" made number five, and further hits with "Where or When" and "When You Wish Upon a Star" elevated Dion & the Belmonts as a major national act. Dion DiMucci was clearly the star of the group, in presentation and billing, but the vocal talents of the group were displayed equally well, if not as prominently, on most of those hits and the tracks cut for their LPs. Their own musical tastes diverged somewhat from those of their lead singer, into jazz, pop ballads, and other areas, while Dion preferred harder rock & roll sounds and later gravitated toward blues.
In 1960, Dion decided to pursue a solo career and parted company with the Belmonts. The usual perception is that the group disappeared after this, but the truth is that the Belmonts continued to enjoy success for the first year after his departure. The trio remained with Laurie Records for one single, "We Belong Together," featuring Carlo Mastrangelo as lead singer, and then formed their own label -- originally named Surprise, and then Sabrina, it was finally christened Sabina Records when those two earlier choices proved to belong to other companies. The label became active (as Surprise) in March of 1961 with the recording of "Tell Me Why," which rose to number 18 nationally. The follow-up record late that summer, "Don't Get Around Much Anymore," rose to a modest number 57, and the next release, "I Need Someone," only got to 75.
The Belmonts' fortunes picked up again with their Sabina single "Come On Little Angel," written by Ernie Maresca. Produced by Gerry Granahan, an established songwriter and recording star (as Dickie Do & the Don'ts), who also oversaw the operations of the company, the single got to number 28 during the summer of 1962. The group also made a bad miscalculation around this time when Maresca offered them the first crack at a song entitled "The Wanderer," and the Belmonts turned it down, only to see it become a massive hit -- indeed, a signature tune -- for Dion. A major lineup change then occurred, when a split developed within the group over their business affairs and the financial condition of Sabina Records; Mastrangelo exited the Belmonts in favor of trying to record solo for Laurie Records. The group carried on, replacing him with Frank Lyndon, and released their first LP, Carnival of Hits, late in 1962 to try and capitalize on "Come on Little Angel."
Sabina Records began diversifying its catalog slightly, releasing "Time to Dream," which was credited to Buddy Christie and Buddy Sheppard, with the Belmonts singing back up as "the Holidays." They also recorded material by a friend of theirs from the Bronx, Pete Barin, but the label couldn't seem to click with any records except those by the Belmonts themselves, and that was changing. By 1963, the Belmonts were not only struggling for a hit, and battling the woefully under-financed condition of their record label, but also changes in public taste. Dion had managed to keep his music current as a solo performer and racked up some huge hits in the process, through 1963, but the Belmonts, by the nature of their name and their harmony sound, seemed more dated. A brief revival in doo wop music in 1961 had been a godsend to the trio, in terms of bookings as well as record sales, and there'd been lots of work in New York and the surrounding area, at a time when they were just coming off of several big hits with Dion. By this time, there were other harmony-based groups out there recording and adding their own respective wrinkles to the music, including the Beach Boys and, closer to home, the East Coast-based Jay & the Americans and the Four Seasons, both of whom had a more commercial sound than the Belmonts. The sales of their own records began declining around this time, "Diddle-Dee-Dum" getting to number 53 and "Ann-Marie" to number 86 in 1963.
Sabina Records struggled on through a handful of additional releases by the Belmonts that never charted, and finally, in 1964, folded. The group moved to United Artists Records that year, and cut their final recordings from this part of their history there in 1966. The trio disbanded that year, although they were back together in 1967 on ABC Records with Together Again, an album that reunited them with Dion. The group remained active after this, cutting an album entitled Summer Love on the Dot Records label in 1969.
The group next became visible in the early '70s, amid the oldies boom. They cut an album for Buddah Records entitled Cigars Acappela Candy, on which they performed several classic oldies tracks and also applied their sound to contemporary hits like "My Sweet Lord" and "Na Na Hey Hey (Kiss Him Goodbye)." In 1972, however, they reunited with Dion for what proved to be the biggest single gig in their history, a performance at New York's Madison Square Garden, which was not only a sell-out event but also recorded for posterity and released as Live at Madison Square Garden 1972. Milano, Mastrangelo, and D'Aleo were the participants in that performance, which was reportedly released two different ways -- the original Warner Bros. LP was heavily sweetened in the studio, where the subsequent reissues (including the Rhino CD) were made from untouched tapes from the original show. The Madison Square Garden show and its aftermath, which included performances together in 1973 as well, basically allowed all concerned to grab their moment of glory. Dion resumed his solo career, while the Belmonts continued working and got another LP of their own out in 1978, entitled Cheek to Cheek, and generated a nostalgia-laced hit in 1981 entitled "Let's Put the Fun Back in Rock N Roll," on which they were teamed with Freddy Cannon, another veteran of early '60s rock & roll. The group's vintage post-Dion work resurfaced on Relic Records and the Ace label from England, which has made it part of it's reasons for existence to reissue seemingly every available note of music by both Dion and the Belmonts, and as of 1996, Fred Milano remained active representing the Belmonts.
Wikipedia:
The Belmonts are an American doo-wop group from the Bronx, New York, that originated in the mid 1950's. The group consisted of Fred Milano, Angelo D'Aleo and Carlo Mastrangelo. They took their name from Belmont Avenue in the Bronx, the street Milano lived on. There were several stages in their history, including the 1958–1960 period with Dion DiMucci, when the group was named Dion and the Belmonts. At this time Mastrangelo sang the bass parts, Milano the second tenor, D'Aleo the falsetto, and DiMucci did lead vocals.
Career
1955 to 1960
The Belmonts very first single, "Teenage Clementine" / "Santa Margherita", was recorded in 1957 for Mohawk Records. Also recording on the Mohawk label was Dion DiMucci, who joined the group as lead vocalist shortly thereafter. Now known as Dion and the Belmonts, they recorded, "We Went Away" / "Tag Along", on Mohawk before leaving for the newly formed Laurie Records.
Their first release on Laurie, "I Wonder Why", brought them immediate success, charting Billboard at No. 22 in 1958. This led to their first appearance on the nationally televised American Bandstand show, hosted by Dick Clark. They followed up with the ballads, "No One Knows" (No. 19) and "Don’t Pity Me" (No. 40), which they also performed on Bandstand. In 1959, Dion and The Belmonts were part of the historic Winter Dance Party tour that lost three performers in a plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa; Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J. P. Richardson The Big Bopper. DiMucci was offered a seat on the plane by Holly, but thought the fee of $36 was too much for such a short plane ride and declined. Photographs taken at the concert the night before the accident show Buddy Holly filling in on drums for the Belmonts, whose drummer had frostbite.
Shortly after the tragedy, the quartet hit again with, "A Teenager in Love". It became the groups first release to break the Top Ten, reaching No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. Their appearance on American Bandstand was without D'Aleo, however, who was on duty with the Navy. At various times the group performed without him. During one national TV appearance on Clark's Saturday night program ("Live from the little theater on 44th St. in Manhattan"), he was filmed in navy uniform, arriving just in time for the filming session. There were several picture sleeves from this era that did not picture D'Aleo, although he performed on all recordings.
Dion and The Belmonts recorded and charted a few more songs, including their biggest hit, "Where or When", which climbed to No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1960. The flip side, "That's My Desire", highlighting D'Aleo's soaring falsetto, also received considerable airplay. This time their appearance on American Bandstand once again featured all four members.
See also Dion and the Belmonts1960 to 1971
Due to musical and financial differences between DiMucci and other members of the Belmonts, Dion decided to leave the group. DiMucci was also struggling with a heroin problem at the time. They carried on as "The Belmonts", with Mastrangelo now singing the lead vocals. Before leaving the Laurie label, they released a rendition of "We Belong Together" (the Robert and Johnny version), which wasn't a hit but is valued today. The Belmonts continued to record throughout the 1960's on the Sabina, United Artists, and Dot record labels. The trio had six songs on the US Top 100 between 1961 and 1963. Their greatest, "Tell Me Why", released in 1961 on the Sabrina (aka Sabina) label, reached #18. Other charted songs included, "Don't Get Around Much Anymore", "I Need Someone", "Come On Little Angel", "Diddle-Dee-Dum", and "Ann-Marie". The single, "C'mon Everybody (Do You Wanna Dance)", received good airplay on NYC radio station WINS and was later re-recorded and used as the sound bite introduction to deejay Murray the K's "Triple Play" segments. The group's rare and highly collectible album from this period, "The Belmonts: Carnival of Hits", was released on October 1, 1962, and consisted of their Sabina recordings. These songs have often been reissued in combination with other "Dion and the Belmonts" recordings.
After the hit, "Come On Little Angel", Mastrangelo left the group and was replaced by Frank Lyndon. Mastrangelo attempted a solo career on Laurie Records, releasing four singles under the name of "Carlo". He was backed on all recordings by the uncredited Tremonts and Demilles. His most notable recording, though unsuccessful, being "Stranger in My Arms", written by Ernie Maresca. The flip side, "Ring-A-Ling", was a favorite of New York disc jockey Murray Kaufman. He featured it on his weekly "Record Review Board Contest", and it clearly won as the best new release. In 1963 Carlo recorded an up-tempo rock 'n' roll version of "Mairzy Doats" which was very different from the original. Another release, "Baby Doll", received considerable airplay in Florida, but didn't make the national charts. Between 1964 and 1966 Mastrangelo was also DiMucci's occasional songwriting partner, backup vocalist, and drummer in the group, "Dion and the Wanderers". They released three singles for Columbia Records, making national appearances on Dick Clark's, "Where The Action Is", and "The Lloyd Thaxton Show". In late 1966, the three original Belmonts, Mastrangelo, Milano, and D'Aleo, reunited with DiMucci and released the album, "Dion & The Belmonts Together Again", for ABC Records. Mastrangelo also played drums, while DiMucci contributed guitar to reduce the need for additional session musicians. Shortly after, DiMucci left the Belmonts again, with Frank Lyndon returning. Lyndon continued as lead singer of the Belmonts for the next five years and was replaced by Warren Gradus in the early 1970's. Later, they became a quartet with Milano, D'Aleo, Gradus, and Daniel Elliott (née Rubado, ex-The Monterays, Glenn Miller Orchestra) who joined in 1974.
In 1968, D'Aleo and Milano composed the lyrics for a vocal version of the instrumental theme to the Mission:Impossible TV series, which was recorded by the Kane Triplets and released by United Artists Records.
1972 to 1990
Mastrangelo, D'Aleo, Milano, and DiMucci reunited on June 2, 1972, at the Felt Forum in New York, for a Richard Nader "Rock and Roll Revival" concert. Their live performance was released as an album by Warner Brothers titled, "Dion and The Belmonts – Reunion: Live at Madison Square Garden 1972". However, there were no new studio recordings made with The Belmonts and Dion, as DiMucci was still contracted to Warner as a solo artist. A year later, in 1973, all four original members reunited once again, doing a sold out concert at the Nassau Coliseum on Long Island, New York. No recording of the 1973 reunion was ever released. In 1972 the Belmonts (Milano, Gradus, D'Aleo, and friends) recorded an acappella album titled, "Cigars, Acappella, Candy", for Buddah Records. It was distinguished for its medley of 13 doo-wop tracks called "Street Corner Symphony". Mastrangelo and Lyndon, their two former lead singers from the 1960's, also did backing vocals on the acapella album. In 1975, The Belmonts (Milano, D'Aleo, Gradus, and Elliott) released one single on Laurie Records, and an album called "Cheek to Cheek" for Strawberry Records a year later. In 1981, The Belmonts recorded a single with Freddy Cannon, entitled "Let's Put the Fun Back in Rock and Roll", for MiaSound Records. The record charted for four weeks, peaking at #81 on Billboard.
The Belmonts with Freddy Cannon appeared on Solid Gold and other shows to promote the single and had a musical role in H. B. Halicki's 1982 movie The Junkman. Also in 1981, The Belmonts and Freddy Cannon joined forces in New York with Bo Diddley on guitar and together recorded the track "Shake It Sally", released in 1982 on the "Rock 'n Roll Traveling Show" album (Downtown D-20001).
Mastrangelo released a progressive rock album in 1972 on Thimble Records titled, "Pulse-featuring Carlo Mastrangelo". It received a small amount of airplay on New York rock stations WPLJ, and WLIR, but overall was unsuccessful. DiMucci also recorded with a group of Belmonts in the mid 1980s - consisting of Mastrangelo, Louis Colletti, and Tommy Moran (Colletti and Moran were backing vocalists on DiMucci's 1992 album entitled Dream On Fire). Meanwhile, D'Aleo left the original group, leaving the trio of Milano, Gradus, and Elliott. Art Loria also came in for singing duties in the mid- to late 1980s. Loria was later active in The Jive Five, Larry Chance and the Earls and Doo Wop All Stars; he died on October 23, 2010, In 1988 the Belmonts released a Christmas album called "The Belmonts Acappella Christmas" with songs written by George David Weiss.
Dan Elliot and Warren Gradus also moonlighted on Laurie Records in the late 1970s under the alias, Foreign Intrigue, releasing three singles.
1994 On.....
In 1994, a lawsuit was filed by Fred Milano and Warren Gradus claiming trademark infringement against DiMucci, Mastrangelo, and D'Aleo. The suit alleged that while DiMucci had agreed to reunite with Milano, he had also simultaneously agreed to take part in a reunion with Mastrangelo and D'Aleo. Milano won the lawsuit.
In December 2009, The Belmonts released the Christmas single "The Bell That Couldn't Jingle". In 2009 The Belmonts also released the CD, The Belmonts Anthology Vol.1 Featuring A Hundred Pounds of Clay. "A Hundred Pounds of Clay" was released as a CD single in 2010.
The Belmonts, featuring Elliot, Milano, Gradus and D'Aleo, performed 50 to 100 shows each year until 2011. Milano passed away on January 1st, 2012, at the age of 72.
Albums, by year of release
1958: Presenting Dion and the Belmonts (with Dion DiMucci) 1960: Wish Upon a Star (with Dion DiMucci) 1962: Carnival of Hits 1966: Together Again (with Dion DiMucci) 1969: Summer Love 1971: Cigars, A Cappella, Candy 1972: Reunion (live, with Dion DiMucci) 1975: Cheek to Cheek 1982: Rock 'n' Roll Traveling Show 1988: The Season of Harmony (A Cappella Christmas) 2009: Anthology, Vol. 1
