The Belmonts are an American doo-wop group that got its start in the middle of the 1950s in the Bronx, New York. Angelo D’Aleo (born February 3, 1940), Carlo Mastrangelo (born October 5, 1937–April 4, 2016), and Fred Milano (August 26, 1939 – January 1, 2012) made comprised the original lineup.
They derived their name from Belmont, the Bronx neighborhood where they resided, also referred to as Little Italy.
Throughout their career, they went through various phases, including the 1958–1960 era with Dion DiMucci (born July 18, 1939), during which the group went by the name Dion and the Belmonts.
Mastrangelo performed the bass parts at this time, followed by Milano on the second tenor, D’Aleo on falsetto (first tenor), and DiMucci on lead vocals.
Why did Dion leave the Belmonts?
Due to disagreements about music between the Belmonts and DiMucci, Dion decided to leave the band. According to Dion, “They wanted to go into their harmony stuff, and I wanted to rock and roll.”
“I was required to meet standards by the label. It quickly became boring to me. I mused, “I can’t do this. I have to work on my guitar skills. I performed “Ruby Baby,” “The Wanderer,” and “Runaround Sue” after we split up.
D’Aleo recalls, “The break? I adored that individual. But he departed for a good reason. We favored keeping to light rock ‘n’ roll and standards while he wanted to venture into the blues.
