Randy & the Rainbows are an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 doo wop group from Maspeth, New York.

Career

The group was formed in 1962 in a neighborhood of Queens

Queens

Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....

, and featured two pairs of sibling

Sibling

Siblings are people who share at least one parent. A male sibling is called a brother; and a female sibling is called a sister. In most societies throughout the world, siblings usually grow up together and spend a good deal of their childhood socializing with one another...

s, along with a fifth member. The Safuto brothers had previously sung in the group The Dialtones. They recorded with the producers of The Tokens

The Tokens

The Tokens are an American male doo-wop-style vocal group from Brooklyn, New York. They are known best for their chart-scoring 1961 single, "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" .-Career:...

, releasing the single "Denise" in 1963. The song hit #18 on the US Black Singles chart and #10 on the Billboard Hot 100

Billboard Hot 100

The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

 that year. "Denise" was written by Neil Levenson, and was inspired by his childhood friend, Denice Lefrak. The song later became a European hit for Blondie

Blondie (band)

Blondie is an American rock band, founded by singer Deborah Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer in the early American New Wave and punk scenes of the mid-1970s...

, with the title changed to "Denis". Randy & The Rainbows' follow-up single, "Why Do Kids Grow Up", barely scraped the pop charts at #97, 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

Little Anthony & The Imperials

Little Anthony and the Imperials is a rhythm and blues/soul/doo-wop vocal group from New York, first active in the 1950s. Lead singer Jerome Anthony "Little Anthony" Gourdine was noted for his high-pitched falsetto voice, influenced by Jimmy Scott...

, Tony Orlando

Tony Orlando

Michael Anthony Orlando Cassavitis , better known as Tony Orlando, is an American show business professional, best known as the lead singer of the group Tony Orlando and Dawn in the early 1970s. Discovered by producer Don Kirshner, Orlando had songs on the charts in 1961 when he was 16, "Halfway to...

, Blood, Sweat and Tears, Freddie Roman

Freddie Roman

Freddie Roman is a Jewish-American stand-up comedian, best known for his frequent appearances at "Borscht Belt" hotels. Dubbed "king of one liners", he is currently the Dean of the New York Friars' Club....

, Jay Black

Jay Black

Jay Black is an American singer, also known as "The Voice," whose height of fame came in the 1960s when he was the lead singer of the band Jay and the Americans. The band had numerous hits including "Cara Mia", "Come a Little Bit Closer", and "This Magic Moment".Black was born in New York and grew...

, Pat Cooper

Pat Cooper

Pat Cooper is an American actor and comedian. Cooper is primarily known for his stand-up routines, where he often makes reference to his Italian heritage from Mola di Bari, Italy...

, The Beach Boys

The Beach Boys

The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...

, Dionne Warwick

Dionne Warwick

Dionne Warwick is an American singer, actress and TV show host, who became a United Nations Global Ambassador for the Food and Agriculture Organization, and a United States Ambassador of Health....

, and The Four Seasons

The Four Seasons (group)

The Four Seasons are an American rock and pop band who became internationally successful in the mid-1960s. The Vocal Group Hall of Fame has stated that the group was the most popular rock band before The Beatles...

. They released a new album, entitled Play Ball, in 2001 on producer Jimmy Wisner

Jimmy Wisner

James J. "Jimmy" Wisner is an American pianist, arranger, songwriter, and producer. He is best known for his hit single "Asia Minor", released under the name Kokomo....

's label WizWorks. 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.

Current lineup

Mike Zero's Randy & The Rainbows

• Mike Zero
• Vinny Carella
• Jack Vitale
• Jimmy Bense (joined 1990)

Randy Safuto's Randy & The Rainbows

• Randy Safuto
• Frank Safuto
• Anthony Vara
• Charlie Rocco

External links

• Mike Zero's Randy & The Rainbows
• Randy Safuto's Randy & The Rainbows