Dion and the Belmonts

Dion and the Belmonts were a leading American vocal group of the late 1950s. All members were from the Bronx, New York City. The group formed when Dion DiMucci, lead singer (born July 18, 1939), joined The Belmonts – Carlo Mastrangelo, bass-baritone (born October 5, 1938), Fred Milano, second tenor (August 22, 1939 – January 1, 2012), and Angelo D'Aleo, first tenor (born February 3, 1940), in late 1957.

History

The name The Belmonts was derived from the fact that two of the four singers lived on Belmont Avenue in the Bronx, and the other two lived near Belmont Avenue.

After unsuccessful singles on Mohawk Records in 1957 and then on Jubilee Records ("The Chosen Few" Dion & the Timberlanes not the Belmonts), Dion was paired with The Belmonts. The group signed with Laurie Records in early 1958. The breakthrough came when their very first Laurie release, "I Wonder Why", reached No. 22 on the Billboard Top 100 charts, and they appeared for the first time on the nationally televised American Bandstand show, hosted by Dick Clark. Dion said of the Belmonts, "I'd give 'em sounds. I'd give 'em parts and stuff. That's what 'I Wonder Why' was about. We kind of invented this percussive rhythmic sound. If you listen to that song, everybody was doing something different. It was totally amazing. When I listen to it today, often times I think, 'Man, those kids are talented'." Dion and the Belmonts were the sound of the city. Their roots were groups like The Flamingos, The Five Satins, The Dells, acts who developed their sound in urban settings on street corners, mimicking instruments with their voices, even complex jazz arrangements.

The Belmonts

The Belmonts are an American doo-wop group from the Bronx, New York, that originated in the mid-1950s. The original group consisted of Fred Milano, Angelo D'Aleo, and Carlo Mastrangelo. They took their name from Belmont Avenue, the street Milano lived on. There were several stages in their history, including the 1958–1960 period with Dion DiMucci, when the group was named Dion and the Belmonts. At this time Mastrangelo sang the bass parts, Milano the second tenor, D'Aleo the falsetto, and DiMucci did lead vocals.

Career

1955 to 1960

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". 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 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."

Runaround Sue

"Runaround Sue" is a pop song, in a doo-wop style, originally a US No. 1 hit for the singer Dion during 1961 after he split with the Belmonts. The song ranked No. 342 on the Rolling Stone list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". The song was written by Dion with Ernie Maresca, and tells the story of a disloyal lover.

Lyrics

The lyrics are sung from the point of view of a man whose former girlfriend, named Sue, was extremely unfaithful. He warns all potential lovers to avoid her at all costs, as Sue "runs around" with every guy she meets and never settles down with any man in particular. He advises "Now people let me put you wise, Sue goes out with other guys" and suggests that potential suitors should 'keep away from Runaround Sue'.

Chart performance

Leif Garrett cover

"Runaround Sue" was covered by Leif Garrett in 1977. In early 1978, his version reached number 13 on Billboard and number 18 on Cash Box. The song also reached number 15 in Canada.

Chart performance

Weekly singles charts

The Megas

The Megas is a 5-issue mini-series from Virgin Comics and film director Jonathan Mostow (Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, U-571). Mostow is already reported to be developing the property into a feature film.

Credits

The Megas was created by Jonathan Mostow, and is written by John Harrison, with art by Peter Rubin and color by S. Periaswamy. The story is by Mostow and Harrison.

Plot

The Megas explores what might have happened had the founding fathers of the United States established another aristocracy rather than a democracy. The eponymous Megas are the elite members of the American Royalty, a somewhat benevolent but dictatorial ruling class. Now, in the 21st Century, the Megas have ruled America for over 200 years. Mostow described the story for Variety:

Publication

The first issue debuted on February 27, 2008.

References

External links

Wonder Why

Wonder Why can refer to: