Dion and The Belmonts
by Erika Cox
Dion and the Belmonts were considered to be the most successful white Doo Wop group in the 1950’s. Hailing from New York City, they mixed the clean-cut image with a cool and smooth persona. In the beginning, the Belmonts were an Italian singing group consisting of Fred Milano, Angelo D’Aleo, and Carlo Mastrangelo in the mid-1950’s. The group started recording for Mohawk Records in 1957 and produced a couple of songs, “The Chosen Few” and “Out in Colorado”. At the same time, Dion DiMucci was also recording as a solo artist for Mohawk. Dion DiMucci was born July 18, 1939 in the Bronx, New York. His father was a famous puppeteer who traveled across the country performing in many shows. Dion began singing at the young age of five and later on showed an interest in playing the guitar. His father introduced him to Paul Whitman, a talent scout for young talent, and Dion soon began appearing on television and radio shows along the East Coast. At this time, Dion was a teenager and not only would he sing on the street corners but he was also involved in a local street gang called the Fordham Daggers. Dion decided to pursue his love for singing instead of the gangs. He loved Rock and Roll music and decided to record some songs for his mother on Valentines Day. In 1957, he booked some studio time recorded some songs, and to his amazement the demo got into the hands of the producers of the Teen Show in Philadelphia. His reputation spread quickly and soon he got the attention of Mohawk Records, with studio musicians and backups he recorded a couple of songs that sold a few copies locally but nothing spectacular. Mohawk wanted Dion to record another song but Dion would only do it if he could choose his own back up group. When Dion found out that his friends, Mastrangelo and Milano, were recording at Mohawk he chose them as his back up and they named themselves Dion and the Belmonts after Belmont Street in the Bronx. Dion’s style had changed to Doo Wop, perhaps by the suggestion of producers who were searching for that sound, and the group recorded their first two songs “We Went Away” and “Tag Along” in 1958. With very little success, the group eventually left Mohawk and signed with Laurie Records, a fairly new record label. That same year, the group recorded their first single with Laurie, “I Wonder Why”, which brought them their first taste of success. The song really wasn’t the style the group wanted but people took notice and within a short period of time the group appeared on Dick Clark’s Saturday night show. Soon, the members were able to leave the street corner singing and gangs behind and started touring all over the country. The Doo Wop style was becoming popular again in the late 1950’s, and in the early 1960’s the teen idol craze took off, so it turns out that the group was in the right place at the right time. Dion and the Belmonts released their second song “No One Knows”, which also became a hit but their big break came in 1959 with two songs that hit the Top Ten, the first “A Teenager in Love” and the second song released the following year, “Where or When”. The group toured everywhere and often with other big starts but in February 1959, they passed up a huge tour with Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper. Luckily for them they did pass on the opportunity, all of these artists were killed in a plane crash during the tour. In late 1960, due to Dion’s heroin addiction, he left the Belmonts and Mastrangelo became the lead singer, however, the group never had the same success. Dion’s addiction was covered up for awhile with reports that Dion was overworked and needed to take a leave of absence. However, in the midst of all his problems Dion went on to record with various singers and back up groups hoping to create a different sound than that of the Belmonts. He had a few disasters but did have some success with back up group, the Del-Satins, recording a string of Top Ten hits including “Runaround Sue”, “The Wanderer”, “Lovers who Wander”, and “Little Diana” all in 1962. Dion signed with Columbia taking the Del-Satins with him and they continued to have a string of Top Ten hits. In 1963, he dropped the Del-Satins and didn’t have much success thereafter and in 1967 he reunited with the Belmonts and recorded a couple of songs and an album. In 1968, he finally kicked his habit with the help of his wife’s father. In the 1970’s, Dion along with various members of the Belmonts reappeared on the music scene performing in a few shows and in the 1980’s he went back to his roots in Rock and Roll and performed as a solo act around the country. Dion was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989. Today both Dion and the Belmonts continue to perform as separate acts. |
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