Randy & the Rainbows

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 (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 (d. 2016-12-26)
Charlie Rocco

Mike Zero's Randy & The Rainbows:
Mike Zero
Jack Vitale
Vinny Carella (d. 2012)
Jimmy Bense
Randy Safuto and Christian Carrasco, one of the members of the Spanish doo-wop band The Earth Angels, during their participation in the festival of this genre at the Benedum Center for the Performing Arts in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Randy And The Rainbows with The Earth Angels doo-wop band.

Randy & the Rainbows are an American doo-wop group from Maspeth, New York. The group was formed in 1962 in a neighborhood of Queens, and featured two pairs of siblings, along with a fifth member. The Safuto brothers 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

The original 1962 line-up was made up of:

  • Dominick "Randy" Safuto
  • Frank Safuto
  • Mike Zero
  • Sal Zero
  • Ken Arcipowski

Founder band member, Ken Arcipowski (born Kenneth P. Arcipowski on May 26, 1944), died on March 23, 2011. He was 66.[6][7]

Later years

They 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.[8] They released a new album, entitled Play Ball, in 2001 on producer Jimmy Wisner's label WizWorks.[9]

Two similarly named groups

Two 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
  • Frank Safuto
  • Anthony Vara (died Dec.26th, 2016)
  • Charlie Rocco

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 (who died in 2012)
  • Jimmy Bense (joined 1990[10])

Discography

Albums

  • 1982: "C'mon Let's Go!"
  • 2001: Play Ball

Singles

  • 1960: "Johnny" (as The Dialtones)
  • 1960: "'Till I Heard It from You" (as The Dialtones)
  • 1963: "Angel Face"
  • 1963: "Denise" (US Billboard Hot 100 - #10)
  • 1963: "Why Do Kids Grow Up" (US Billboard Hot 100 - #97)
  • 1963: "Come Back"
  • 1963: "Don't Worry, I'm Gonna Make It"
  • 1963: "Dry Your Eyes"
  • 1963: "Happy Teenager"
  • 1963: "No Love"
  • 1964: "Little Star"
  • 1964: "She's My Angel"
  • 1964: "Strike It Rich"
  • 1965: "Joyride"
  • 1965: "Little Hot Rod Suzie"
  • 1966: "Bonnie's Part of Town"
  • 1966: "He's a Fugitive"
  • 1966: "I'll Forget Her Tomorrow"
  • 1966: "Lovely Lies"
  • 1966: "Quarter to Three"
  • 1967: "I'll Be Seeing You"
  • 1982: "Debbie"*
  • 1982: "Try the Impossible"
  • 1984: "Remember (Walking in the Sand)"

References

  1. 1 2 3 Warner, Jay (2006). American Singing Groups: A History from 1940s to Today. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 433. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
  2. 1 2 Randy & the Rainbows - Chart History - The Hot 100, Billboard.com. Accessed September 30, 2015
  3. ↑ "Billboard Hot R&B Singles", Billboard, September 28, 1963. p. 20. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
  4. ↑ "CHUM Hit Parade – Week of August 19, 1963". Archived from the original on November 7, 2006. Retrieved 2016-01-21. . Chart No. 336. CHUM. Accessed December 16, 2015.
  5. ↑ "Milestones", Billboard, February 2, 2008, p. 60. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
  6. ↑ Thedeadrockstarsclub.com – accessed March 2011
  7. ↑ Kenneth P. Arcipowski (May 26, 1944 - March 23, 2011) accessdate December 5, 2017
  8. ↑ Biography, Allmusic.com
  9. ↑ Review of Play Ball. Allmusic.com
  10. ↑ WizWorks Records
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