| Randy & the Rainbows | |
|---|---|
Randy Safuto and Christian Carrasco, one of the members of the Spanish doo-wop band Earth Angels, during their participation in the festival of this genre at the Benedum Center for the Performing arts in Pittsburgh, Pensilvania |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Maspeth, New York |
| Genres | vocal, doo-wop |
| Years active | 1962–present |
Randy & the Rainbows are an American doo wop group from Maspeth, New York.
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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 hit #18 on the US Black Singles chart and #10 on the Billboard Hot 100 that year.[1] "Denise" was written by Neil Levenson, and was inspired by his childhood friend, Denice Lefrak.[2] 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 #97,[1] and the group never charted again.
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.[3] They released a new album, entitled Play Ball, in 2001 on producer Jimmy Wisner's label WizWorks.[4] Two groups now exist; one includes Mike Zero and Sal Zero's replacement Vinny Carella, the other includes Randy and Frank Safuto.
The group appeared on the 2001 PBS special Doo Wop 51; it featured Randy's group plus Mike Zero.
Founder band member, Ken Arcipowski, died on March 23, 2011.[5]