Supriya Ghosh (Editor)

Randy and the Rainbows

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Genres
  
Doo-wop

Genre
  
Doo-wop

Years active
  
1962 (1962)–present


Also known as
  
Later performed as:Madison StreetTriangleThem and Us

Origin
  
Maspeth, New York City, New York, United States (1962)

Albums
  
Happy Teenager (Doo Wop), C'mon Let's Go

Members
  
Frank Safuto, Mike Zero, Vinnie Corella, Dominic Safuto, Ken Arcipowski, Sal Zero

Record labels
  
Trust Records, RRainbow Records, Ovrpm Records, Jukebox Entertainment

Similar
  
The Chiffons, The Capris, The Elegants, The Mystics, The Dialtones

Profiles

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. The song spent 17 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching No. 10, while reaching No. 18 on Billboard's "Hot R&B Singles", and No. 5 on Canada's CHUM Hit Parade. "Denise" was written by Neil Levenson, and was inspired by his childhood friend, Denise Lefrak. The song later 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 the pop charts at No. 97, and the group never charted again.

Contents

Randy & the Rainbows Randy amp the Rainbows 3 aka the Dialtones 3 doowop

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, died on March 23, 2011. He was 66.

    Later years

    Randy & the Rainbows Crystal Ball Records Classic Hits Oldies Music Rare Records CD

    They continued to perform under several other names (Madison Street, Triangle, Them and Us), and toured in subsequent years with The Spinners, Little Anthony & the Imperials, Tony Orlando, Blood, Sweat and Tears, Freddie Roman, Jay Black, Pat Cooper, The Beach Boys, Dionne Warwick, and The Four Seasons. They released a new album, entitled Play Ball, in 2001 on producer Jimmy Wisner's label WizWorks.

    Two similarly named groups

    Randy & the Rainbows Lyrics Denise by Randy amp The Rainbows

    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)
  • Albums

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

    Randy & the Rainbows Randy The Rainbows Denise 1963 YouTube

  • 1963: "Denise" (No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100)
  • 1963: "Why Do Kids Grow Up" (No. 97 on the Billboard Hot 100)

  • Randy & the Rainbows Randy amp The Rainbows Denise Come Back Rust 5059 1963 YouTube

    Songs

    DeniseWe Love You Denise · 2013
    She's My Angel2007
    Till I Heard It from YouC'mon Let's Go · 2011

    References

    Randy & the Rainbows Wikipedia