Dion DiMucci was born in the Bronx, New York, July 18, 1939. He
called his group Dion and the Belmonts, after Belmont Street in the
Bronx. The group included tenor Fred Milano, tenor Angelo D'Aleo and
bass singer Carlo Mastrangelo. Their success won Dion and the Belmonts a
place on the "Winter Dance Party" tour with Buddy Holly,
Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper. On February 2, 1959, after playing at
Clear Lake, Iowa, Dion decided that he could not afford the $36 cost of
a flight to the next venue. The plane crashed, Holly and the other stars
were killed. In March 1959, Dion and the Belmonts’ next single, "A
Teenager In Love", was released, making # 5 in the US pop charts
and # 28 in the UK. Their biggest hit, "Where or When", was
released in November 1959, and reached #3 on the US charts. However, in
early 1960, Dion checked in to the hospital for heroin addiction, and in
October 1960 Dion decided to quit for a solo career. In 1968 he kicked
heroin and re-emerged as a gentle folk-rocker, and scored a #4 hit
single, "Abraham, Martin and John." Dion also sings the
Downshifters of Booklyn's theme song, "King of the New York Streets".Today,
DiMucci continues to perform on the oldies circuit from time to time.
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