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Albums
By year of release.
 
Presenting Dion and The Belmonts  (1958)
Wish Upon A Star  (1960)
Carnival of Hits  (1962)
Dion and The Belmonts Together Again  (1965)
Cigars Acappella Candy  (1971)
Dion and The Belmonts Reunion   (1972)
The Belmonts Rock'N Roll Traveling Show  (1982)
The Season of Harmony (Acappella Christmas )  (1988)
 
 
 
Freddie
 
 
Article in the New York Times

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

About The Belmonts
 

Angelo D'Aleo, Fred Milano, and Carlo Mastrangelo were all friends from the area around Arthur Avenue in the Bronx. They attended Roosevelt High School and hung out together. They began singing together and named themselves The Belmonts after the street  on which Freddy Milano lived.  As a trio, they recorded for the Mohawk label in 1957, making their debut with the song, "Teenage Clementine.” Dion, who lived in the neighborhood, joined the group for the recording, “We Went Away.”  It was cut for Mohawk Records under the direction of conductor/arranger Hugo Montenegro.

The group moved to Laurie Records, newly founded by Bob Schwartz (who had been a part-owner of Mohawk) and his brother Gene and cut their label debut,  "I Wonder Why"  that made it to the top of the charts. It was followed by a pair of hits, "No One Knows" and "Don't Pity Me" that also made it to the top of the charts. "A Teenager in Love" made number five and further hits with "Where or When" and "When You Wish Upon a Star" elevated The Belmonts with Dion to a major worldwide act. Their vocal talent as a singing group was displayed prominently on all the recordings with their collective musical tastes ranging  from rock ’n roll to jazz, to country, to pop and blues. Of note is one particular performance at the Surf Ball Room in Clearlake, Iowa, the night on which Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and the Big Bopper lost their lives in a plane crash.

In 1960, Dion and The Belmonts went their separate ways.  The Belmonts continued to enjoy success on the stage as well as on the charts. The group remained with Laurie Records for one single, "We Belong Together,” and then formed their own label -- originally named Surprise, then Sabrina, and finally christened Sabina Records. The label became active (as Surprise) in March of 1961 with the recording of "Tell Me Why" which rose to the top of the charts nationally. The follow-up record late that summer, "Don't Get Around Much Anymore," and the next release, "I Need Someone," also became chart hits.

The Belmonts'  next hit record was their Sabina single, "Come On Little Angel," written by Ernie Maresca.  A major lineup change then occurred when Carlo exited The Belmonts in favor of trying to record solo for Laurie Records. The group replaced him with Frank Lyndon and released their next chart recording, “Diddley Dum,” while continuing to enjoy their busy stage career. 

In 1963 Warren Gradus, a studio musician/song writer, joined The Belmonts. and 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, The Belmonts reunited with Dion  for a performance at New York's Madison Square Garden, which was not only a sell-out event but was also recorded for posterity in the album entitled Dion and The Belmonts Reunion Live at Madison Square GardenMilano, Mastrangelo, D'Aleo, Lyndon, Bank and Gradus were the participants in that performance, which was released on Warner Bros. Records.

In 1974, Dan Elliott joined the group replacing Frank Lyndon as lead singer. Elliott had  previously performed throughout the United States and toured the Orient with The Glen Miller Orchestra. The group continued recording with the release of the Cheek to Cheek album, and In 1981 produced the hit single, on Mia Sound Records entitled "Let's Put the Fun Back in Rock N Roll" on which they were teamed with Freddy Cannon of “Palisades Park” fame.

The Belmonts recent hit Christmas recording, “The Bell That Couldn’t Jingle,” written by Burt Bacharach, and the new CD entitled The Belmonts Anthology  Vol. I , which includes the single “A Hundred  Pounds of Clay,” have been  released on the Downtown Music Group label. The label is headed by Frank Hart  who also headed Mia Sound Records.  Currently, The Belmonts are working on a CD entitled Christmas with The Belmonts and are performing on stages throughout the world.

 

Contact the members
 

Dan Elliott - Lead vocals.
dan@thebelmonts.net

Warren Gradus - Vocals & Guitar
warren@thebelmonts.net

Fred Milano - Vocals
fred@thebelmonts.net

Angelo D'Aleo - Vocals
angelo@thebelmonts.net

 

 
Complete Belmonts Biography
Click on the image to download a complimentary 4 page biography of
The Belmonts in PDF format.