Retro Dee is a regular contributor to The Grooveyard’s website, writing about music, fashion and other trends of the 1950s. Check out her blog, Retro Dee’s Guide to the Best Era Ever here, and her column here every week.
In honor of Dion’s July 18th Birthday, we’ll be looking at 3 of his big hits with The Belmonts in the late 1950’s.
Dion DiMucci made his career debut in 1957 with The Belmonts: Angelo D’Aleo, Carlo Mastrangelo, and Fred Milano. All four singers hailed from The Bronx.
Let’s start with The Belmonts first big hit “I Wonder Why” which made it to 22 on the charts in April, 1958.
This next his was undeniably the most well-known hit for Dion and The Belmonts, reaching Number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 in March in 1959. “A Teenager In Love” was the first “oldie” I remember hearing, and to me could not be more quintessential 1950’s.
This next hit is a slow ballad called “Where or When”. Oddly enough, Dion and The Belmonts version of this classic beat “Teenager In Love” on the charts, by making it all the way to Number 3 in November of 1959.
Dion is probably most synonymous with his solo 1961 hit “Runaround Sue,” but to a 1950’s enthusiast (such as me) he will always be a 50’s star first.
Thanks for listening!
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