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You might for good reason consider Ernie Maresca to have been the "Runaround" songwriter of the past 50 years. In the rock era, there were only three national hit songs with the word "runaround" in the title and Ernie wrote two of them. And he also wrote several other memorable hits, including a very notable one for himself.
Born in the Bronx in 1939, Ernie started out as the baritone vocalist in a neighborhood group called the Regents and got his first break in 1958 when Dion and the Belmonts, another Bronx group he knew, recorded his song "No One Knows" (co-written with Ken Hechet) after Dion had heard Ernie's demo of the tune on a local pool room jukebox: it became a national top 20 hit on the Laurie label. Ernie quit the Regents (who hit the bigtime in 1961 with their hit "Barbara Ann") but he left them something to remember him by: a song he wrote by himself called "Runaround," which they recorded and was their successful follow-up to their breakthrough hit that year. Ernie achieved his biggest success as a songwriter when Dion (A/K/A Dion Dimucci) embarked on a solo career and asked Ernie to write songs for him. The same year that he had written the Regents hit, 1961, he co-wrote his second "runaround" song with Dion, whose recording of that song called "Runaround Sue" went straight to #1 on the national chart. Dion's follow-up hit, "The Wanderer," was strictly an Ernie Maresca composition, and it went to #2. Completing a 1-2-3 punch, he co-wrote with Dion its follow-up called "Lovers Who Wander," and that reached #3. Ernie's one big claim to fame as a hit singer occurred in that same year. He landed a recording contract with Seville Records, a small New York label, and was told by A&R man Marvin Holtzman "please write and sing a hit song for us"! Ernie and his friend Tom Bogdany sat in a Manhattan bar called George's Nut House and wrote "Shout! Shout! (Knock Yourself Out)," a very happy dance tune. Marvin loved it and Ernie recorded it, with the orchestra under the direction of the great Billy Mure. Much to his surprise, it reached #6 in the country. It became his only vocal hit but it is one of the most fondly-remembered dance tunes of the rock era. Ernie was not quite finished working with Dion. In 1963 he co-wrote one more top ten hit, with and for Dion, called "Donna The Prima Donna," which peaked at #6. Yes, that's the tune that mentioned Zsa Zsa Gabor in its lyric. In 1964 Ernie wrote two more national hits that have truly stood the test of time over the years. By himself he wrote "Whenever A Teenage Cries," recorded by Reparata and the Delrons. And with Lou Zerato he wrote "Party Girl," recorded by Jersey Girls Sing's own Bernadette Caroll; Ernie also produced that session. [Please see Bernadette's message below.] Ernie's last major songwriting success came in 1967. He wrote by himself what would become "Honeycomb" singer Jimmie Rodgers' final national top-40 hit: a song steeped in social consciousness called "Child Of Clay." Sadly Ernie Maresca died on July 8, 2015 at his home in South Florida, after a brief illness at the age of 76. Bernadette Carroll sent us the following message For someone too special to ever forget: Ernie Maresca It is with a heavy heart that I express my sadness to Paula Maresca and the entire Maresca family on the passing of Ernie. My music career was in part due to the fact that Laurie Records and the the genius writer-producer Ernie Maresca took me under his wing and gave me the opportunity of a lifetime. I have memories of all our work on those vinyl records as keepsakes. And now they are a source of comfort for me. How blessed was I! Expressing my sympathy is difficult to put into words. I will miss you Ernie and, to his family, just know that I am forever grateful . Because you touched my life so deeply, I will think of you often. Rest in peace, Ernie! You left your mark on so many of us in the music world. You live on! Love you! Bernadette |
