Origins and work with DiMucci (1955–1960) 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. 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. They followed the hit with the
ballads "
No One Knows" (No. 19) and "Don't Pity Me" (No. 40), 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. 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), which made the top 50. Their biggest hit and largest-selling record, "
Where or When" (Laurie 3044), climbed to number 3 on the
Billboard charts in early 1960. The "B" side, "
That's My Desire", highlighted D'Aleo's soaring falsetto. It also received considerable airplay, especially in the New York City area. This time their appearance on
American Bandstand once again featured all four members. Other singles released for the group that year continued to chart on
Billboard, but were less successful. In early 1960, Dion checked into a hospital for
heroin addiction, a problem he had since his mid-teens. At the height of the group's success his drug dependency worsened. When "Where or When" had peaked on the charts, he was in a hospital detoxing.
DiMucci's departure and singles success (1960–1971) Due to financial and musical differences between DiMucci, the Belmonts, and Laurie Records, Dion decided to leave the group in October 1960. "They wanted to get into their harmony thing, and I wanted to rock and roll," said Dion. "The label wanted me doing standards. I got bored with it quickly. I said, 'I can't do this. I gotta play my guitar'. So we split up and I did 'Runaround Sue', 'The Wanderer' and 'Ruby Baby'". In 2000, the group was inducted into the
Vocal Group Hall of Fame. Dion (without The Belmonts) was inducted into the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989. Now a trio, they continued as "The Belmonts", with Mastrangelo singing lead. They continued to release
records on their own label, Sabina Records, but with less success. In January 1961, before leaving the
Laurie label, they released their own rendition of "
We Belong Together" (Laurie 3080) covering the
Robert and Johnny classic. The song bubbled under the
Billboard Hot 100, charting at number 108. Although not a hit, it is still valued today by record collectors. Several of their post-Dion singles all received significant radio play in the New York City area. After leaving Laurie Records, The Belmonts continued to record throughout the 1960s on the Sabina, United Artists and Dot labels. The trio had six songs on the US Top 100 between 1961 and 1963. Their greatest, "Tell Me Why", released in May 1961 on the Sabrina (aka Sabina) label, reached #18 in the US and #14 in
Canada. Subsequent
Billboard-charted songs included "Don't Get Around Much Anymore" (number 57), "I Need Someone" (number 75), "Come On Little Angel" (number 28 / number 33
CAN), "Diddle-Dee-Dum" (number 53) and "Ann-Marie" (number 86). While not charting nationally, other singles receiving airplay included, "Such A Long Way" (4 surveys), "I Confess" (4), "More Important Things To Do" (3), "Hombre" (2), "Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive" (2), "Walk On Boy" (1), "Let's Call It A Day" (1), "I Don't Know Why, I Just Do" (1), and the medley: "Have You Heard/The Worst That Could Happen" (1). The song "C'mon Everybody (Do You Wanna Dance)" received enough airplay on NYC radio station WINS that it was re-recorded and used as the sound-bite introduction for deejay
Murray the K's "Triple Play" segments. Overall, including
Billboard Hot 100 singles, The Belmonts charted 518 radio station surveys across the US during the 1960s. He was replaced by Frank Lyndon on lead and Warren Gradus doing Carlo's vocal parts and playing guitar. . Mastrangelo attempted a solo career on Laurie Records, releasing four singles under the name "Carlo". He was backed vocally by the uncredited Tremonts (aka The Demilles). His first single, "Baby Doll", received considerable airplay in Florida, Pennsylvania and Connecticut, but didn't make the national charts. It was followed by an up-tempo rock 'n' roll version of the classic "Mairzy Doats", which was very different from the original. His final Laurie recording, "Stranger in My Arms", was written especially for him by hit maker
Ernie Maresca ("The Wanderer", "Runaround Sue"). However, the flip, "Ring-A-Ling", was a favorite of New York disc jockey Murray Kaufman, aka "Murray the K". He featured it on his weekly "Record Review Board Contest" and it clearly won as the best new release. It received airplay on New York radio stations WINS and WENE, but also failed to chart nationally. After leaving Laurie Records Mastrangelo became DiMucci's occasional songwriting partner, backup vocalist and drummer in the group "Dion and the Wanderers", which also featured John Falbo on guitar and Pete Baron on bass. Between 1964 and 1966 they released three uncharted 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 recorded the album
Dion & The Belmonts: Together Again, for
ABC Records. Produced by "DiMont Music", Mastrangelo played drums and DiMucci contributed guitar to reduce the need for additional session musicians. Two singles were released from the LP, "My Girl The Month of May" / "Berimbau" and "Movin' Man" / "For Bobbie". Neither charted in the United States but fared better in England. "My Girl The Month Of May" broke the "Radio London Fab 40" top ten at number 9 the week of December 25, 1966. One reviewer stated, "Some British radio DJ's gave it a lot of airplay at the time." The follow-up, "Movin Man", reached number 17 on the Radio London charts on March 26, 1967. "My Girl The Month Of May", was later covered by English artists Alan Bown in 1967 and The Bunch (featuring
Sandy Denny of
Fairport Convention) in April 1972. During their brief mid-'60s reunion, Dion and the Belmonts appeared on
The Clay Cole Show performing "Berimbau" and "My Girl The Month of May" and occasionally performed at local New York City
nightclubs, such as "The Mardi Gras," on
Staten Island (April 29, 1967), before disbanding. After DiMucci left the Belmonts, Frank Lyndon returned. Lyndon continued as lead singer for the next five years. When Lyndon left, the lineup became a trio of Milano, D'Aleo, and Gradus. 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 on United Artists Records.
Reunions (1972–1989) Mastrangelo, D'Aleo, Milano, DiMucci, and Gradus reunited on June 2, 1972, at the Felt Forum (inside
Madison Square Garden) in New York City, for one of Richard Nader's "Rock and Roll Revival" concert. Nader said, "From our very first rock ‘n’ roll revival I must have received 100, 200, 300 letters at every single show asking, ‘Can’t you get Dion and the Belmonts back together?’ It took three years, but in 1972 we got both Dion and the Belmonts to say 'yes'." With only one brief rehearsal behind them, the eagerness with which the audience awaited their arrival on stage could be gauged from both Nader’s ecstatic introduction and the booming audience reaction that greeted it. Singer
Billy Vera recalled the moment: "It was like an earthquake; you could literally feel the stage shake." album,
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 1960s, contributed backing vocals. Mastrangelo also sang lead vocals on the songs, "Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever" and "We Belong Together". Concurrently, Mastrangelo released a progressive jazz-rock album 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. In 1974, the group added Dan Elliott (née Rubado, ex-
The Monterays,
Glenn Miller Orchestra). In 1975, the Belmonts (Milano, D'Aleo, Gradus and Elliott) released one single on Laurie, followed by the album
Cheek to Cheek for Strawberry Records. Gradus and Elliott also moonlighted on Laurie Records in the late 1970s under the alias
Foreign Intrigue, releasing three singles. In 1981 the Belmonts (Milano, D'Aleo, Gradus and Elliott) recorded a single with
Freddy Cannon titled, "Let's Put the Fun Back in Rock and Roll", for MiaSound Records. The song charted for four weeks, peaking at number 81 on
Billboard. With their newly charted record, The Belmonts and Cannon appeared on
Solid Gold and
The Mike Douglas Show to promote the single. Later that year, The Belmonts and Cannon joined forces in New York with
Bo Diddley on guitar. Together they recorded the track "Shake It Sally", released in 1982 on the ''Rock 'n Roll Traveling Show'' album (Downtown D-20001). They also had a musical role in
H. B. Halicki's 1982 movie
The Junkman. In the mid-'80s, DiMucci also recorded with a group, consisting of Mastrangelo, Louis Colletti, and Tommy Moran. Colletti and Moran were backing vocalists on DiMucci's 1992 album
Dream On Fire. Meanwhile, D'Aleo temporarily left the group, leaving the trio of Milano, Gradus, and Elliott. D'Aleo said, "There was a time when I got mentally fatigued and tired. I actually left the group for four years. Maybe you want to call it 'burnt out.' Then Fred, my buddy, called me, and said, 'Ang-what are you doing? Come on.' I've been back ever since". The other original members of the Belmonts (Mastrangelo, Milano and D'Aleo) were not inducted, and , have yet to be.
Lawsuit and Anthology (1994–2011) In 1994, a
lawsuit was filed by Fred Milano and Warren Gradus claiming
trademark infringement against DiMucci, Mastrangelo, and D'Aleo. In May 1991, Milano and DiMucci entered into an agreement in which DiMucci agreed to appear with Milano and others, performing concerts under the name
Dion and the Belmonts, but only if certain conditions were met. Milano claimed he negotiated arrangements for as many as five concerts, but DiMucci refused to honor the agreement. 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 and Gradus won the lawsuit. In 2000, Dion and the Belmonts were inducted in the Vocal Group Hall of Fame. In 2003, The Belmonts created an internet radio station called "The Belmonts Internet Radio" playing all 50's and 60's and featuring Don K. Reed's original Doo Wopp Shop on Sunday evenings. 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. That year former member Art Loria, died from an accident at his home in
Naples, Florida.
Death of Milano and final live performances (2011–2023) The Belmonts, featuring Milano, D'Aleo, Gradus and Elliott, performed 50 to 100 shows each year until 2011. Milano, who had participated in every one of the Belmonts' recording sessions dating back 54 years, died on January 1, 2012, at the age of 72. DiMucci said of his passing: "I was shocked, obviously, because it was so sudden. It hit hard because a relationship like we had, it’s ingrained in you. We knew each other from our teenage boyhoods; even though we weren’t close and didn’t talk in later years, what we went through together made us like family. He and the Belmonts—they were the very best. Freddie was almost like a genius with vocal harmony. I was humbled to sing with Freddie, Carlo and Angelo." In October 2012, the Belmonts (D'Aleo and Gradus) joined former New York City disc jockey Don K. Reed as featured guests on Vito Picone's (The Elegants) long-running, Staten Island-based cable TV show
Let The Good Times Roll. Former member Carlo Mastrangelo died on April 4, 2016. In 2016, The Belmonts released a single called "Welcome Me Back Home", written by Warren Gradus. It was Blitz Magazine's #1 single of that year. D'Aleo retired in 2018. Dan Elliott died of pancreatic cancer on June 23, 2019. Former member Bob Coleman died in 2020. Warren Gradus continued to perform as the Belmonts with other individuals until shortly before his death on October 29, 2023, at the age of 78. Former member Dion DiMucci remains active as a solo musician. ==Rock Hall omission==