The Elegants

Before their nursery rhyme inspired song "Little Star" became a number one hit, the band usually performed informally under the boardwalk by their homes. "Little Star" was the only million seller for the group, and was written by Venosa and Picone. It spent 19 weeks in the Billboard Hot 100, earning gold disc status. As of 2012, the Elegants were still performing at concerts and events throughout the United States, under the name "Vito Picone & The Elegants". Band members include Joe Lucenti on lead guitar (who played with future Kiss drummer Peter Criss in the band Sounds of Soul in the 1960s), Alex "Al Bal" Leonard and Mark Garni on keyboards, Mike Catalano and Pete Gamby on electric bass, with Vinny Cognato and Sal Albanese on drums. Carman Romano (born August 17, 1938) died on August 2, 2016, at the age of 77. Artie Venosa died on April 20, 2018. James Moschello died in Staten Island, New York on February 2, 2026, at the age of 88. == Notable singles ==

• "Little Star" (June 1958) • "Please Believe Me" (October 1958) • "Pay Day" (February 1959) • "My Tears" (1960) • "Little Boy Blue (Is Blue No More)" (January 1960) • "Speak Low" (July 1960) • "Happiness" (January 1961) • "Tiny Cloud" (May 1961) • "Dressin' Up" (November 1962) • "A Letter From Viet Nam (Dear Donna)" (January 1965) • "Bring Back Wendy" (April 1965) == References in culture ==

• The title poem of American poet Mark Halliday's collection Little Star (W. Morrow, 1987) is an homage to The Elegants and Vito Picone. The poem is also available in Allen Grossman (with Mark Halliday), The Sighted Singer: Two Works on Poetry for Readers and Writers (Johns Hopkins UP, 1992), pages 25–27. ==See also==