Ernest Peter Maresca (August 21, 1938 – July 8, 2015) was an American singer, songwriter and record company executive, best known for writing or co-writing some of Dion's biggest hits, including "Runaround Sue" and "The Wanderer".
He began singing and writing in a doo-wop group, the Monterays, later renamed as the Desires, and, after Maresca left, as the Regents, who had a hit with "Barbara Ann".
The song was recorded in 1982 by Rocky Sharpe and the Replays, whose version made number 19 on the UK singles chart.
[6] Maresca continued to record, with less success, for the remainder of the 1960s, both under his own name and using the pseudonym Artie Chicago (From The Bronx), including his own version of "The Wanderer" in 1968.
[1] Ernie Maresca died on July 8, 2015, at his home in South Florida, after a brief illness at the age of 76.