The Belmonts (Bronx doo-wop group)

The Belmonts were an American doo-wop group from the Bronx, New York, that originated in the mid-1950s. The original group consisted of Angelo D'Aleo (born February 3, 1940), Carlo Mastrangelo (October 5, 1937 – April 4, 2016), and Fred Milano (August 26, 1939 – January 1, 2012). They took their name from Belmont Avenue, the Bronx street in which Mastrangelo lived, known as the Little Italy of the Bronx. From 1957 to 1960, Dion DiMucci (born July 18, 1939) served as lead vocalist, during which the group was billed as Dion and the Belmonts. At this time Mastrangelo sang the bass parts, Milano the second tenor, D'Aleo the falsetto (first tenor), and DiMucci did lead vocals. The group briefly had limited success after DiMucci's departure, charting several moderate and minor hits during the early 1960s with Mastrangelo on lead vocals. Mastrangelo was replaced in 1962 by Frank Lyndon and Warren Gradus, but the original group reunited in 1966, and thereafter performed together in numerous reunions over the years. They occasionally recorded new singles into the 1980s and performed live into the 21st century. Gradus continued performing live under the moniker until his death in October 2023. The name the Belmonts was derived from Belmont Avenue in the Bronx; two of the four singers having lived on Belmont Avenue, while the other two lived nearby. Mastrangelo, D'Aleo, and Milano were part of a gang called the Imperial Hoods. Later addition DiMucci was part of another gang called the Fordham Baldies. The Belmonts' first single, "Teenage Clementine"/"Santa Margherita", was recorded in 1957 for arranger Irving Spice's New York based Mohawk Records. Unlike subsequent recordings, Milano did the lead vocal on the "A" side, "Teenage Clementine", and D'Aleo sang lead on "Santa Margherita". Also recording on the label was Dion DiMucci, whose first release was backed by a group he never met, the Timberlanes. DiMucci added the lead vocal to existing pre-recorded tracks, and the final composition was released as "The Chosen Few"/"Out In Colorado", by "Dion and the Timberlanes" (Mohawk 105). After receiving some airplay on the East Coast, the single was later leased to the larger Jubilee Records label for better distribution, although it failed to chart nationally. DiMucci states that he never knew then, or now, who the Timberlanes were: "The vocal group was so white bread, I went back to my neighborhood and I recruited a bunch of guys, three guys, and we called ourselves Dion and the Belmonts." Initially billed as "Dion with the Belmonts", the new group recorded "We Went Away"/"Tag Along" on the Mohawk label before leaving for newly formed Laurie Records in early 1958. Known thereafter as "Dion and the Belmonts", their first Laurie release, "I Wonder Why" (Laurie Records first release, Laurie 3013), was recorded at New York's Bell Sound Studios and brought them immediate success. Released the first week of May 1958, it appeared on the national charts two weeks later, rising to number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100. It led to their first appearance on the nationally televised American Bandstand, hosted by Dick Clark. The group followed with the ballads "No One Knows" (Laurie 3015, number 19) and "Don't Pity Me" (Laurie 3021, number 40), which were also performed on Bandstand. Dion said of the Belmonts: "I'd give 'em sounds. I'd give 'em parts and stuff. That's what 'I Wonder Why' was about. We kind of invented this percussive rhythmic sound. If you listen to that song, everybody was doing something different. It was totally amazing. When I listen to it today, often times I think, 'Man, those kids are talented'." Dion and the Belmonts were the sound of the city. Their roots were doo-wop groups like the Flamingos, the Five Satins and the Dells, acts who developed their sound in urban settings on street corners, mimicking instruments with their voices and even complex jazz arrangements. They followed the hit with the ballads "No One Knows" (No. 19) and "Don't Pity Me" (No. 40), which they also performed on Bandstand. This early success brought them their first major tour in late 1958, with the Coasters, Buddy Holly and Bobby Darin, followed by the historic and tragic Winter Dance Party tour featuring Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper. During at least one concert during the tour, photographs showed Holly filling in on drums for The Belmonts, whose drummer had frostbite. Being a skilled drummer already, Carlo Mastrangelo filled in on drums for several of the other acts, evidenced by photographs also. On February 2, 1959, after playing the Surf Ballroom, Holly arranged to charter a plane that could only take Holly and two of the other headliners. Holly decided it would be chosen by a coin toss. It was "the Big Bopper" J. P. Richardson who won the first coin toss and it was Dion who won the second coin toss. Dion beileved the $36 cost to fly to the next venue was too much for such a short plane ride and declined. DiMucci's seat was given to Valens, who was sick with the flu and present in the dressing room where they all met with Holly to toss the coins. According to Dion, $36 was the price his parents paid for monthly rent. Shortly after midnight, on February 3, 1959, the plane crashed near Clear Lake, Iowa. Holly, Valens, The Big Bopper, and the pilot Roger Peterson were all killed. Bobby Vee, then an unknown artist, performed in Holly's place at the next concert. Later, Jimmy Clanton, Frankie Avalon, and Fabian were hired to finish the tour in place of the three deceased headliners. As of January 11, 2017, with the death of Holly's tour guitarist Tommy Allsup, DiMucci is the lone surviving member of the original Winter Dance Party lineup. (DiMucci's lone surviving Belmont bandmate, Angelo D'Aleo, was not on the tour, as he was in the US Navy at the time.) In March 1959, Dion and the Belmonts' next single, "A Teenager in Love", became their first release to reach the top ten, peaking at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 28 on the UK Singles Chart. Written by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman, it's considered one of the greatest songs in rock and roll history. D'Aleo went to great efforts to contribute his famous falsetto to the song. "I was in the Navy", the singer recalls. "I got a call from Fred. 'We've gotta finish up the album. You've gotta get over here'. So I got a flight and went in. One of the last songs we did was "A Teenager in Love". I listened and said, 'What? I hope this song doesn't go out as a single. It's a terrible song'. I hated the song. Later on, I'm heading to South America with the fleet and my friend in the radio shack said, 'Hey, get down here and listen to this!' It was "A Teenager in Love". In seven days, it became a hit!". Their appearance on "American Bandstand" was without D'Aleo, however, who returned to 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 Street in Manhattan"), he was filmed in his 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. "A Teenager in Love" was followed by their first album, Presenting Dion and the Belmonts. Their biggest hit, "Where or When", was released in November 1959, and reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 with the group making another national appearance on American Bandstand. Although publicity photos show the group as a trio without Angelo D'Aleo, he performed on all of their recorded material; these photos were presented for promotional reasons owing to his departure to serve in the U.S. Navy. After their top-ten success with "A Teenager in Love", Dion and the Belmonts recorded four more singles. By the time of their breakup, all eight Laurie releases charted Billboard. Every "A" side made the top 40, except "Every Little Thing I Do" (Laurie 3035),