The Elegants

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The Elegants is a doo-wop band that was started in 1958 by Vito Picone, Arthur Venosa, Frank Tardogano, Carmen Romano and James Mochella in South Beach, Staten Island. Before their nursery-rhyme-inspired song, "Little Star", became a number one hit, the band usually performed informally under the boardwalk by their homes.

After "Little Star" dominated the radio, the band, still in their teens, toured with artists such as Buddy Holly, Dion and the Belmonts, Chuck Berry and Jerry Lee Lewis. However, none of their subsequent singles reached the success of "Little Star" and eventually the band fizzled out, as perennial one-hit wonders.

In early 1970s, lead singer Picone returned to the group replacing Tardogano as the lead singer. The group Vito Picone, Freddie Redmond, Nino Amato and Bruce Copp have been together ever since and to this date, have not stopped touring around country. They can be seen annually performing at the San Gennaro Festival, in Little Italy, Manhattan, New York.

According to the Elegants web site, Freddie Redmond died of emphysema in 2006, and was replaced by original member Jimmy Mochella.