5. Musical Group Dion and the Belmonts Originated on Arthur Avenue
The 1950s boyband Dion and the Belmonts originated on Arthur Avenue but was named after Belmont Avenue, a close distance from Arthur Avenue. The group gained fame for becoming the first Italian-American group to become popular performing “doo-wop” style music. Their first single in 1958, “I Wonder Why,” skyrocketed the group to stardom, followed by other hits such as “A Teenager in Love” and “Where or When.”
Dion DiMucci, the group’s lead singer, later left the band and pursued a successful solo career which spanned several decades. His songs “Runaround Sue” and “The Wanderer” helped establish DiMucci’s stardom by earning him an impressive 39 Top 40 hits. Later in 1989, DiMucci was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.