The Elegants

The Elegants are an American doo-wop group founded in 1958 in South Beach , Staten Island by Vito Picone , Arthur Venosa , Frank Tardogano , Carman Romano and James Mochella .

history

Usually the five felt more like street musicians until their song Little Star became a million seller and hit number one on the American charts . The song was also number one on the R&B charts and received a gold award. Little Star came in 25th in the UK .

After this surprising success, the teenagers traveled across the United States supporting stars such as Buddy Holly , Dion and the Belmonts , Chuck Berry and Jerry Lee Lewis . The follow-up singles didn't hit the pop or R&B charts, and the band fell apart. The Elegants are also considered a one hit wonder .

In the late 1960s , lead singer Vito Picone began to revive the band. He gathered three new singers ( Fred Redmond , Nino Amato and Bruce Copp ) and is still on the road with this group all over the US to this day . They also appear annually at the "San Gennaro Festival" in Little Italy (New York City) and are one of the main acts there.

Discography

The list contains all singles released in the USA. The different group names under which the singles were published are given in bold, followed by the year of publication / month - Title A-Page / Title B-Page - US catalog number - Hit parade placement.

Pat Cordel And The Crescents

1956/11 - Darling Come Back / My Tears - Club 1011

The Elegants

1958/06 - Little Star / Getting Dizzy - Apt 25005 - US # 1, US R&B # 1
1958/10 - Please Believe Me / Goodnight - Apt 25017
1959/02 - True Love Affair / Pay Day - Apt 25029
1960/01 - Little Boy Blue / Get Well Soon - Hull 732
1960/06 - Speak Low / Let The Prayers Be With You - United Artists UA 230
1960/12 - Happiness / Spiral - United Artists UA 295
1961 - Tiny Cloud / I've Seen Everything - ABC 10219
1963 - A Dream Come True / Dressin 'Up - Photo 2662
1965 - Wake Up / Bring Back Wendy - Laurie 3298

Vito Piccone With The Elegants

1963 - Path In The Wilderness / Get On The Right Track - IPG 1016

Vito And The Elegants

1965 - A Letter From Viet Nam / Barbara Beware - Laurie 3283
1965 - Belinda / Lazy Love - Laurie 3324
1981 - Maybe / Woo Woo Train - CrysB 139

literature

Warner, Jay: The Billboard Book Of American Singing Groups. A History 1940-1990 . New York City / New York: Billboard Books, 1992, pp. 174-177.

Individual evidence

↑ On this title see Bronson, Fred: The Billboard Book of Number One Hits . 3rd revised and expanded edition. New York City, New York: Billboard Publications, 1992, p. 42
^ Wayne Jancik: The Billboard Book of One Hit Wonders, pages 58-9, ISBN 978-0-82307 622 2 .
↑ Compare also the list in Gribin, Anthony J. / Schiff, Matthew M .: Doo-Wop. The Forgotten Third Of Rock 'n' Roll . Iola, Wisconsin: Krause Publications, 1992, p. 291
^ According to Warner, Jay: The Billboard Book Of American Singing Groups. A History 1940-1990 . New York City / New York: Billboard Books, 1992, p. 177
^ Whitburn, Joel: Top Pop Singles 1955-1993 . Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Ltd., 1994, p. 192
^ Whitburn, Joel: Top 40 R&B and Hip-Hop Hits. 1942-2004. New York, NY: Billboard Books, 2006, p. 171

[1] On this title see Bronson, Fred: The Billboard Book of Number One Hits . 3rd revised and expanded edition. New York City, New York: Billboard Publications, 1992, p. 42

[2] Wayne Jancik: The Billboard Book of One Hit Wonders, pages 58-9, ISBN 978-0-82307 622 2 .

[3] Compare also the list in Gribin, Anthony J. / Schiff, Matthew M .: Doo-Wop. The Forgotten Third Of Rock 'n' Roll . Iola, Wisconsin: Krause Publications, 1992, p. 291

[4] According to Warner, Jay: The Billboard Book Of American Singing Groups. A History 1940-1990 . New York City / New York: Billboard Books, 1992, p. 177

[5] Whitburn, Joel: Top Pop Singles 1955-1993 . Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Ltd., 1994, p. 192

[6] Whitburn, Joel: Top 40 R&B and Hip-Hop Hits. 1942-2004. New York, NY: Billboard Books, 2006, p. 171