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