Randy & the Rainbows are an American doo-wop group from Maspeth, New York.
Randy & the Rainbows | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Later performed as: Madison Street Triangle Them and Us |
| Origin | Maspeth, Queens, New York, United States |
| Genres | Doo-wop |
| Years active | 1962–present |
| Members | Original members (1962–1963): Dominick "Randy" Safuto Frank Safuto Mike Zero Sal Zero Ken Arcipowski Randy Safuto's Randy & The Rainbows: Randy Safuto Frank Safuto Anthony Vara Charlie Rocco Mike Zero's Randy & The Rainbows: Mike Zero Jack Vitale Vinny Carella Jimmy Bense |
History
editThe group was formed in 1962 in Maspeth, Queens, and featured two pairs of siblings, along with a fifth member. The Safuto brothers, Dominick and Frank, had previously sung in the group The Dialtones. They recorded with the producers of The Tokens, releasing the single "Denise" in 1963.[1] The name "Randy and the Rainbows" was chosen by the owners of Laurie Records after the group recorded "Denise".[1] The group had previously been called "Junior & the Counts" and "The Encores".[1]
"Denise" spent 17 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching No. 10,[2] while reaching No. 18 on Billboard's "Hot R&B Singles",[3] and No. 5 on Canada's CHUM Hit Parade.[4] The song was written by Neil Levenson, and was inspired by his childhood friend, Denise Lefrak.[5] In the late 1970s, the song became a European hit for Blondie, with the title changed to "Denis". Randy & The Rainbows' follow-up single, "Why Do Kids Grow Up", barely scraped into the pop charts at No. 97, and the group never charted again.[2]
Members
editThe original 1962 line-up was made up of:
- Dominick "Randy" Safuto (April 19, 1947 – October 16, 2018, aged 71)[6]
- Frank Safuto
- Mike Zero
- Sal Zero (October 10, 1942 - November 19, 2019, aged 77)
- Ken Arcipowski (May 26, 1944 – March 23, 2011, aged 66)
- Bill Pascali
Later years
editThey continued to perform under several other names (Madison Street, Triangle, Them and Us), and toured in subsequent years with The Spinners, Little Anthony and the Imperials, Tony Orlando, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Freddie Roman, Jay Black, Pat Cooper, The Beach Boys, Dionne Warwick, and The Four Seasons. Bill Pascali, joined forces with Randy Safuto and Randy and the Rainbows (1982 - 1992) and has spent over 10 years as Randy's first tenor and keyboardist, with several releases, “A Brighter Day”, “It’s Christmas Once Again” and “Happy Teenager” on Crystal Ball Records, and Resnik Music Group as well. [9] They released a new album, entitled Play Ball, in 2001 on producer Jimmy Wisner's label WizWorks.[10]
Similarly named groups
editTwo groups now exist carrying the same name, one led by the Safuto brothers (Randy and Frank), the other led by Mike Zero.
- Randy Safuto's Randy & The Rainbows
This is made up of the Safuto brothers, members are as follows:
- Randy Safuto (died October 16, 2018)
- Frank Safuto
- Anthony Vara (died December 26, 2016)
- Charlie Rocco
- Bill Pascali
The group appeared on the 2001 PBS special Doo Wop 51; it featured Randy's group plus Mike Zero.
- Mike Zero's Randy & The Rainbows
This is made up of
- Mike Zero
- Jack Vitale
- Vinny Carella (died 2012)
- Jimmy Bense (joined 1990)[11]
- Dave Grant
- Steve Klein
- Bobby Taylor
- Barry Titone
Discography
editAlbums
edit- 1982: C'mon Let's Go![12]
- 2001: Play Ball
Singles
edit| Year | Title | Peak chart positions |
Record Label | B-side | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Pop |
US R&B | |||||
| 1963 | "Denise" | 10 | 18 | Rust | "Come Back" | |
| "Why Do Kids Grow Up" | 97 | — | "She's My Angel" | |||
| 1964 | "Happy Teenager" | — | — | "Dry Your Eyes" | ||
| "Little Star" | 133 | — | "Sharin'" | |||
| 1965 | "Joyride" | — | — | "Little Hot Rod Suzie" | ||
| 1966 | "Lovely Lies" | — | — | Mike | "I'll Forget Her Tomorrow" | |
| "He's a Fugitive" | — | — | "Quarter to Three" | |||
| 1967 | "I'll Be Seeing You" | — | — | B.T. Puppy | "Oh to Get Away" | |
| 1982 | "Fourever Seasons" | — | — | Fox-Moor | "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" | |
| "Try the Impossible" | — | — | Ambient Sound | "Debbie" | C'mon Let's Go! | |
References
edit- ^ a b c Warner, Jay (2006). American Singing Groups: A History from 1940s to Today. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 433. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
- ^ a b Randy & the Rainbows - Chart History - The Hot 100, Billboard.com. Accessed September 30, 2015
- ^ "Billboard Hot R&B Singles", Billboard, September 28, 1963. p. 20. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
- ^ "CHUM Hit Parade – Week of August 19, 1963". Archived from the original on November 7, 2006. Retrieved 2016-01-21.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link). Chart No. 336. CHUM. Accessed December 16, 2015. - ^ "Milestones", Billboard, February 2, 2008, p. 60. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
- ^ "Dominick Safuto". Wioe.com. 24 October 2018. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
- ^ Rock, Doc. "The Dead Rock Stars Club - 2011 January to June". Thedeadrockstarsclub.com. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
- ^ "Obituary for Kenneth P. Arcipowski at Papavero Funeral Home". Papaverotributelink.com. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
- ^ "Randy & the Rainbows - Biography & History - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
- ^ "Play Ball - Randy & the Rainbows - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
- ^ "WizWorks Records". Archived from the original on 2005-09-07. Retrieved 2008-02-16.
- ^ Hunter, James (July 27, 1982). "Dancing till you doo-wop - Ambient Sound: the voices of authority". The Boston Phoenix. Retrieved September 10, 2024.