Philosophy
Doo-wop singer with Dion and the Belmonts
Fred Milano, 72, a singer who made rock 'n' roll history on doo-wop hits with Dion and the Belmonts in the 1950s, died Sunday, three weeks after his lung cancer was diagnosed, said Warren Gradus, who joined the vocal group in 1963.
Milano lived in Massapequa, on New York's Long Island, and died in a hospital, Gradus said.
Milano and his friends Angelo D'Aleo and Carlo Mastrangelo from the Bronx formed the Belmonts in the mid-1950s, borrowing their name from the borough's Belmont Avenue. They became Dion and the Belmonts after lead singer Dion DiMucci joined in 1958.
They had a quick succession of hits, including "I Wonder Why," "No One Knows" and "Teenager in Love."
In February 1959, after a show in Clear Lake, Iowa, the band members boarded a bus for the next show instead of taking a charter plane that crashed that night, killing Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper.
"We didn't know what happened until 2 o'clock the next afternoon when we got to Minnesota," Milano told the Boston Herald in 2000. "It was a shock. A heartbreaker. Then when we called home, everyone thought we were dead because that's what had been reported on the radio."
After DiMucci left for a solo career in 1960, the Belmonts continued to perform and record with different lineups.
In 1967 and 1973, the Belmonts briefly reunited with DiMucci, who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist in 1989.
Milano, who was born in the Bronx on Aug. 26, 1939, went back to school in middle age. He became a legal coordinator at New York's Rikers Island jail complex, helping inmates research their cases.
Maybe you can go back home...Dion DiMucci
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Philosophy
Deceased--Fred Milano
Fred Milano
August 26th, 1939 to January 1st, 2012
Fred Milano, right, and his friends Angelo D’Aleo, front, and Carlo Mastrangelo, second from right, from the Bronx formed the Belmonts in the mid-1950s, borrowing their name from the borough's Belmont Avenue. They became Dion and the Belmonts after lead singer Dion DiMucci, left, joined in 1958.
August 26th, 1939 to January 1st, 2012
Fred Milano, right, and his friends Angelo D’Aleo, front, and Carlo Mastrangelo, second from right, from the Bronx formed the Belmonts in the mid-1950s, borrowing their name from the borough's Belmont Avenue. They became Dion and the Belmonts after lead singer Dion DiMucci, left, joined in 1958.
"Fred Milano"
January 4, 2012
Los Angeles Times
January 4, 2012
Los Angeles Times
Doo-wop singer with Dion and the Belmonts
Fred Milano, 72, a singer who made rock 'n' roll history on doo-wop hits with Dion and the Belmonts in the 1950s, died Sunday, three weeks after his lung cancer was diagnosed, said Warren Gradus, who joined the vocal group in 1963.
Milano lived in Massapequa, on New York's Long Island, and died in a hospital, Gradus said.
Milano and his friends Angelo D'Aleo and Carlo Mastrangelo from the Bronx formed the Belmonts in the mid-1950s, borrowing their name from the borough's Belmont Avenue. They became Dion and the Belmonts after lead singer Dion DiMucci joined in 1958.
They had a quick succession of hits, including "I Wonder Why," "No One Knows" and "Teenager in Love."
In February 1959, after a show in Clear Lake, Iowa, the band members boarded a bus for the next show instead of taking a charter plane that crashed that night, killing Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper.
"We didn't know what happened until 2 o'clock the next afternoon when we got to Minnesota," Milano told the Boston Herald in 2000. "It was a shock. A heartbreaker. Then when we called home, everyone thought we were dead because that's what had been reported on the radio."
After DiMucci left for a solo career in 1960, the Belmonts continued to perform and record with different lineups.
In 1967 and 1973, the Belmonts briefly reunited with DiMucci, who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist in 1989.
Milano, who was born in the Bronx on Aug. 26, 1939, went back to school in middle age. He became a legal coordinator at New York's Rikers Island jail complex, helping inmates research their cases.
Maybe you can go back home...Dion DiMucci
- Deceased--phil Everly
Phil Everly January 19th, 1939 to January 3rd, 2014 "Phil Everly dies at 74; half of vocal duo the Everly Brothers" The Everlys charted nearly three dozen hits in the late '50s and early '60s, among them 'Bye Bye Love' and 'When...
- Deceased--scott Mckenzie
Scott McKenzie January 10th, 1939 to August 18th, 2012"San Francisco singer Scott McKenzie dies at 73"Performer of San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair) died in Los AngelesAugust 20th, 2012 guardian.co.ukScott McKenzie, the singer who performed...
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- Deceased--bob Burnett
Bob Burnett, Steve Trott, Steve Butts and Dave Fisher, from left, of the Highwaymen in 1990. The other member, Chan Daniels, died in 1975. Bob Burnett February 7th, 1940 to December 7th, 2011 Yep, we are passing away now. 500 Miles The Highwaymen...
- Ivy Schulman Cuts The Rug In The 1956 Film "rock, Rock, Rock"
Ivy Schulman sings Rock Pretty Baby backed by Cirino Colacrai and the Bowties. Things were simpler back then. This is the original 45rpm release... And here is a clip from Rock, Rock, Rock [1956] featuring six year old rocker Ivy Schulman... Cirino...