Dion and the Belmonts - one of the main musical groups of the late 1950s of the XX century. For all the time of its existence, the team included four musicians: Dion DiMucci, Angelo D'Aleo, Carlo Mastrangelo and Fred Milano. The group was created from the trio The Belmonts, after DiMucci got into it and brought his ideology.
Dion and the Belmonts biography
Belmont - the name of Belmont Avenue in the Bronx (New York) - the street where almost all the members of the quartet lived. That's how the name came about. At first, neither The Belmonts nor DiMucci were able to achieve any success individually. In particular, the second actively recorded songs and released them in collaboration with the Mohawk Records label (in 1957).
Not getting a return on creativity, he moved to Jubilee Records, where he created a series of new, but still unsuccessful singles. Fortunately, at this time he met D'Aleo, Mastrangelo and Milano, who were also trying to "break through" to the big stage. The guys decided to join forces and after several recorded tracks got on Laurie Records. In 1958, they signed with a label and began releasing material.
I Wonder Why was the first and "breakthrough" single to chart in the US and Europe. In particular, he got into the Billboard Top 100, and the guys began to be actively invited to various TV shows. Dion later attributed the success of the debut to the fact that during the recording, each of the members brought something of their own. It was original and unusual for that time. The group created their own unique style.
Following the first successful single, two new ones were released at once - No One Knows and Don't Pity Me. These songs (similar to the previous one) charted and were played "live" on a TV show. The band's popularity increased with each new single and performance. Without releasing an album, the group, thanks to several successful tracks, was able to organize a full-fledged tour at the end of their debut year. The tour went great, with a fan base growing rapidly across several continents.
Accident
In early 1959, a tragic incident occurred. At that moment, the group traveled around the cities with the Winter Dance Party tour, which included such musicians as Buddy Holly, Big Bopper, etc. Holly's rented plane to fly to the next city crashed on February 2.
As a result, three musicians and the pilot crashed. Before the flight, Dion refused to fly on an airplane because of the high cost - he had to pay $ 36, which, in his opinion, was a significant amount (as he said later, his parents paid $ 36 monthly for rent). This desire to save money saved the life of the singer. The tour was not interrupted, and new headliners were hired to replace the dead musicians - Jimmy Clanton, Frankie Avalon and Fabiano Forte.
By the end of the 1950s, the group began to strengthen its position. A Teenager in Love hit the top 10 of the main US chart, later taking 5th position there. The song also peaked at number 28 on the UK National Chart. It was not bad for a team from another continent.
This track is today considered one of the most notable compositions in the rock and roll genre. She raised a powerful wave of popularity for the group. This allowed the release of the first full-length LP release in the same year.
The most popular song from the debut album was Where or When. By November, she not only settled on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, but also hit the top three, which made Dionand the Belmonts a real star. Angelo D'Aleo has been absent from prominent TV shows and promotional photos throughout this period due to being in the United States Navy at the time. Nevertheless, he took an active part in the recording of all the songs from the album.
First cracks in Dionand the Belmonts
By the beginning of the 1960s, the affairs of the team began to deteriorate sharply. It all started with the fact that the new songs were less popular. Although they continued to hit the charts consistently. Nevertheless, the guys expected an increase, not a decrease in sales. Adding fuel to the fire was the fact that Dion suddenly had problems with drugs.
But they reached their peak precisely during the heyday of the band's popularity. There were also conflicts between the members of the group. This was connected both with the problem of the distribution of fees, and with the ideological part of creativity. Each musician in his own way saw the direction of further development.
At the end of 1960, Dion decided to leave the group. He motivated this by the fact that the label is trying to force him to write "standard" music, understandable to most listeners, while the singer himself wanted to experiment. Dionand the Belmonts performed separately throughout the year. The first managed to achieve relative success and release a number of singles.
Dion and the Belmonts reunions
In late 1966, the musicians decided to reunite and recorded Together Again on ABC Records. The album was not successful in the US, but was popular with a sufficient number of listeners in the United Kingdom.
This was the impetus for the recording of Movin Man, a new disc that also went unnoticed on the American continent, but was liked by music lovers in Europe. The singles were number one on Radio London in mid-1967. Unfortunately, this level of popularity did not make it possible to organize large tours. Therefore, the team organized small performances in British clubs. At the end of 1967, the guys again went their separate ways.
Another reunion took place in June 1972, when the band was invited to perform at a prestigious concert in Madison Square Garden. This performance is now considered a cult. It was also recorded on video and released as a separate disc for "fans". The recording was also included in the Warner Brothers album, a collection of the band's live performances.
A year later, a second performance took place in New York. At the same time, the group gathered a full hall and was warmly received by the public. Fans were waiting for the release of the new album. However, this was never to be. DiMucci returned to performing solo, and even released several hit singles, unlike The Belmonts.
