Vito and the Salutations

Vito & the Salutations is an Italian/Irish/Jewish-American New York City doo wop group from the 1960s, whose first popular recording, "Gloria," was a regional hit.

Vito & the Salutations scored a success in Summer of 1963 with an up-tempo version of the song "Unchained Melody," which reached number 66 on the Cash Box hit parade and made the top ten in many cities. Originally on Herald (H-583).This group consisted of Frankie Fox (bass baritone), Sheldon Buchansky (2nd tenor), Raymond JP Russell (1st tenor) and Vito Balsomo (lead, baritone, and falsetto). The B side was Hey, Hey, Baby a tune composed by Murray Kanner, Frankie Fox and Dave Rick. A cappella version recorded by the Islanders in the late 1960s

The group existed from 1961–1967, with a reunion concert performed at Hunter College in 1971, only Frankie and Sheldon Buchansky were the original members of this group in this performance. Featured lead singer was Vito Balsamo also performed with the DelVons and The Kelloggs and still performs in The Golden Group Memories. Other leads were bass baritone Frankie Fox and falsettos Ray Russell and Randy Siver, who joined the group after Ray Russell moved on to become a producer, writer and director with James Duffy of Britton records- and later Frank Hidalgo and Eddie Parducci shared the lead with Vito in the group or on leave from the group.Over the years there have been many substitutes and replacements: Jack Mercury, Alan Messinger, Madie Seigal, Vinny Cognato, Johnny Monforte and Randy Silverman along with Frank and Vito recorded a single in 1967 entitled Bring Back Yesterday/bw/I Want you to be My Baby on Boom records. In the early 70's Sheldon Buchansky returned to form a new Salutations with Vito Eddie Parducci, Jimmy Spinelli, Frankie Graziano and others

The group's doo wop version of "Unchained Melody" has been included in several movies, most notably the 1990 film Goodfellas. It also can be heard in the Sci-Fi Dine-In restaurant at Disney's Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World.