The Belmonts
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The Belmonts are an American doo-wop group that originated in the mid 1950s. The group consisted of Fred Milano, Angelo D'Aleo, Carlo Mastrangelo, and Nick Caruso. The group took their first name from Belmont Avenue in the Bronx. 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 handled the bass parts, Milano the tenor, DiMucci the lead vocal and D'Aleo the falsetto.
Career
1955 to 1960
The Belmonts first recorded in 1957 with Teenage Clementine and Santa Margherita for Mohawk Records. Also recording on Mohawk was Dion DiMucci, who joined the group as lead vocalist shortly thereafter. Now known as Dion and the Belmonts, they recorded "We Went Away" and "Tag Along" for Mohawk before leaving for the newly formed record label, Laurie Records.
Their first release on Laurie, "I Wonder Why", brought them their first real success, charting in 1958. They followed it with the ballad "No One Knows", which was also a hit in their local area. They continued recording and, in 1959, were part of the Winter Dance Party tour that lost three members to a plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa — Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J. P. Richardson (aka The Big Bopper)[citation needed]. DiMucci was actually offered a seat on the plane, but thought the fee of $36 was too much for such a short plane ride.[1] Photographs taken at the concert the night before the accident show Buddy Holly filling in on drums for the Belmonts, whose drummer was unwell with frostbite.
Almost immediately after this tragedy, the quartet hit again with "A Teenager in Love". They recorded a few more songs, including "Where or When", which reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in early 1960.
At various times the group performed without D'Aleo who had been drafted into the US Navy. On one occasion, a national TV appearance on Dick Clark's Saturday night program ("Live from the little theater on 44th St. in Manhattan") was filmed with D'Aleo in navy uniform after he arrived just in time for the filming session.
- See also Dion and the Belmonts
1960 to 1971
Due to musical and financial differences between DiMucci and other members of the Belmonts, he decided to leave the group. DiMucci was also struggling with a heroin problem at the time.[2] They carried on as "The Belmonts," with Mastrangelo singing the lead vocal parts. Their success dwindled at this point, but they continued to record through the 1960s.
Their biggest separate hit was "Tell Me Why" in 1961 on the Sabrina (aka Sabina) label[citation needed]. It reached #18. Other songs included "I Confess" and "Come On Little Angel". They had a total of six minor hits on the US top 100 between 1961 and 1963. In 1960, before leaving the Laurie Records label, they released a rendition of "We Belong Together" (the Robert and Johnny hit), which was not a hit but is valued today[citation needed]. Their highly collectable and rare album from this period was The Belmonts' Carnival of Hits, which consisted of their Sabina recordings. These songs have been reissued often in combination with the "Dion and the Belmonts" songs.
Mastrangelo himself would attempt a solo career in 1962, his most notable recording, though unsuccessful, being "Stranger in My Arms", written by Ernie Maresca. He was replaced by Frank Lyndon. Between 1964 and 1966 Mastrangelo also acted as Dion's occasional songwriting partner and drummer, playing on TV appearances and on the "Dion and the Wanderers" sessions in 1965. In 1966, Mastrangelo, Milano, and D'Aleo reunited with DiMucci and released the album Together Again on ABC Records. Mastrangelo once again played drums as well as vocals and DiMucci contributed guitar, to reduce the need for additional session musicians. Shortly thereafter, DiMucci again left the Belmonts, with Lyndon returning. Lyndon was later replaced by Warren Gradus. Later still, they were 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 provided lyrics for a vocal version of the instrumental theme tune to the Mission:Impossible TV series, this was recorded by the Kane Triplets.
1972 to 1990
The group reunited in 1972, with Mastrangelo, D'Aleo, Milano, and DiMucci, for a live performance at a Rock and Roll Revival Show in New York, which was later released as a live album. However this was a one-off reunion for the concert and no new studio recordings were made with Dion as he was signed to an ongoing solo album deal. In 1972 the Belmonts (Milano, Gradus, D'Aleo) recorded an acappella album called "Cigars, Acappella, Candy", notable for the inclusion of a medley of 14 doo-wop tracks called "Street corner symphony". The Belmonts (Milano, D'Aleo, Gradus, and Elliott) released one single on Laurie Records in 1975 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 band (again 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 also left the Belmonts following the live 1972 reunion and around this time released an album, not commercially successful, as leader of a progressive rock band called "Pulse".
DiMucci also recorded with a group of Belmonts in the mid 1980s - the group was 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. Art passed 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 onwards
In 1994, a lawsuit was filed by Fred Milano and Warren Gradus claiming trademark infringement against DiMucci, Mastrangelo, and D'Aleo. It was alleged that, while DiMucci had agreed to reunite with Milano, he had simultaneously agreed to take part in a reunion with Mastrangelo and D'Aleo. Milano won the suit.
The Belmonts, featuring Dan Elliot, Fred Milano, Warren Gradus, and Frank DeLigio, still perform 50 to 100 shows each year. As of 2008, the line-up consisted of Dan Elliot, Fred Milano, Warren Gradus and Angelo D'Aleo. Thus two of the four current Belmonts are original members.
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.
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, Acapella, Candy 1972: Reunion (live, with Dion DiMucci) 1975: Cheek to Cheek 1982: Rock 'n' Roll Travelling Show 1988: The Season of Harmony (Acapella Christmas) 2009: Anthology, vol I
References
- ^ DiMucci, Dion: The Wanderer, page 89. Beech Tree Books, 1988
- ^ The History Of Rock And Roll
