Randy & the Rainbows

Randy & the Rainbows are an American doo-wop group from Maspeth, New York.

Randy & the Rainbows
Also known asLater performed as:
Madison Street
Triangle
Them and Us
OriginMaspeth, Queens, New York, United States
GenresDoo-wop
Years active1962 (1962)–present
MembersOriginal 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
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.

History

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, 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

The 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
  • Ken Arcipowski (May 26, 1944 – March 23, 2011, aged 66)[7][8]

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.[9] They released a new album, entitled Play Ball, in 2001 on producer Jimmy Wisner's label WizWorks.[10]

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 (died October 16, 2018)
  • Frank Safuto
  • Anthony Vara (died December 26, 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 (died 2012)
  • Jimmy Bense (joined 1990)[11]
  • Dave Grant
  • Steve Klein
  • Bobby Taylor
  • Barry Titone


Randy Rainbow

New York satirical singer and comedian

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 - No. 10)
  • 1963: "Why Do Kids Grow Up" (US Billboard Hot 100 - No. 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. Warner, Jay (2006). American Singing Groups: A History from 1940s to Today. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 433. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
  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.CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link). Chart No. 336. CHUM. Accessed December 16, 2015.
  5. "Milestones", Billboard, February 2, 2008, p. 60. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
  6. "Dominick Safuto". Wioe.com. 24 October 2018. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
  7. Rock, Doc. "The Dead Rock Stars Club - 2011 January to June". Thedeadrockstarsclub.com. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
  8. "Obituary for Kenneth P. Arcipowski at Papavero Funeral Home". Papaverotributelink.com. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
  9. "Randy & the Rainbows - Biography & History - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
  10. "Play Ball - Randy & the Rainbows - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
  11. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2005-09-07. Retrieved 2008-02-16.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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