From left, Angelo D’Aleo, Warren Gradus, and Dan Elliott of The Belmonts, are scheduled to perform at Tioga Downs on Saturday, March 5 for two shows at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. The Belmonts, early-era rock and rollers, are best known for their classic hits of the 1950’s and 1960’s. For more information about The Belmonts, find them on Facebook or on their website, www.thebelmonts.net. Ticket information for the March 5 shows can be found at www.ticketmaster.com or by contacting the Tioga Downs gift shop. For information about Tioga Downs, visit www.tiogadowns.com. (Provided photo)
Early-era rock and roll stars, The Belmonts, are scheduled to perform at Tioga Downs on Saturday, March 5 for two shows at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.
Guests will be treated to The Belmonts’ most beloved songs from the 1950’s and 1960’s, which remain fan favorites some five decades later. Taking the Tioga Downs stage will be original member Angelo D’Aleo, Warren Gradus who joined in 1963, and Dan Elliott who jumped on board in 1974.
The Belmonts broke into the music scene in 1957. Along with Dion DiMucci, the group went onto worldwide fame as Dion and The Belmonts, with numerous chart toppers including, “I Wonder Why,” “No One Knows,” and “Don’t Pity Me,” and classic hits like “A Teenager in Love” and “When You Wish Upon a Star.”
The Belmonts, originally Angelo D’Aleo, Fred Milano and Carlo Mastrangelo, were three friends who grew up in the Bronx and attended Roosevelt High School together. The street name where Milano lived, Belmont Avenue, was selected for the trio’s name. Milano passed away in 2012 and Mastrangelo, now in his late 70’s, no longer performs.
During a phone interview, Warren Gradus explained that guests who attend the Tioga Downs shows will be treated to a chronology of songs made famous by The Belmonts, along with additional songs through 1981 and other selected tunes.
Gradus explained, “We like to say The Belmonts are early or first generation rock and roll, and also perform and are part of the greatest doo-wop generation.”
Gradus commented that guests will enjoy a little music history at the show, too. For example, The Belmonts collaborated with another early rocker, Freddy Cannon in 1981, and put the song, ‘Let’s Put the Fun Back in Rock and Roll” on the charts.
Fans who attend The Belmonts’ live shows are from all age groups, and Gradus cited the younger generation’s renewed interest in early rock and roll music.
One of the most talked about chapters of early rock and roll history is the “Winter Dance Party Tour” of 1959. Dion and The Belmonts were on the line-up for the Feb. 2, 1959 concert of that tour, held at the now historic Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa. Also on the bill that night were Buddy Holly and the Crickets, Ritchie Valens, Frankie Sardo and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson.
A piece of that history involves Don McLean’s 1972 song, “American Pie,” which most music fans know repeats the line, “the day the music died,” several times in its lyrics. McLean’s song taps into the sadness music fans and the entire industry experienced following the plane crash that took the lives of early rock and roll icons Holly, Valens and Richardson, after the Surf Ballroom performance. Later, The Belmonts’ music was included in the 1978 biographical film, “The Buddy Holly Story.”
Back in-the-day The Belmonts were also part of early television history, appearing on shows like the “Ed Sullivan Show,” “American Bandstand,” and the “Mike Douglas Show,” among others.
Although Dion went on to a solo career, The Belmonts did reunite in 1972 as a foursome, performing to a sold-out crowd at New York City’s Madison Square Garden.
When asked if there would be any chance of another reunion with Dion, Gradus commented that the door remains open.
For more information about The Belmonts, find them on Facebook or on the web at www.thebelmonts.net. Ticket information for the March 5 shows can be found at www.ticketmaster.com or by contacting the Tioga Downs gift shop. For information about Tioga Downs, visit www.tiogadowns.com.
