The Three Chuckles
Encyclopedia
The Three Chuckles was an early American rock & roll group from Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...

.

Although designated rock & roll by contemporary observers, the sound of The Three Chuckles is closer to vocal pop, in hindsight. They formed around 1950, naming themselves after a popular candy of the day
Chuckles
Chuckles is a confectionery produced by Farley's & Sathers Candy Company, Inc. Chuckles are jelly candies coated with a light layer of sugar. They come in five flavors: cherry, lemon, lime, orange, and licorice. Each package of Chuckles contains one piece of each flavor. The candies have always...

, and played East Coast establishments. Original accordionist/keyboardist Bill Bentl left the group in the mid-1950s and was replaced with Teddy Randazzo
Teddy Randazzo
Teddy Randazzo was a NYC born pop songwriter who composed 1960s hit songs such as "Goin' Out of My Head", "It's Gonna Take a Miracle", and "Hurt So Bad"...

, then a teenager. In 1954, they recorded a song called "Runaround", written by a truck driver
Truck driver
A truck driver , is a person who earns a living as the driver of a truck, usually a semi truck, box truck, or dump truck.Truck drivers provide an essential service to...

 named Cirino Colacrai, and released it on Boulevard Records
Boulevard Records (U.S.)
Boulevard Records was an American record label. In 1954, it released the hit record "Runaround" by The Three Chuckles. It later released novelty records, including several albums by Barnes & Barnes....

 as the B-side to "At Last You Understand". The single was picked up for national distribution by RCA Victor, and "Runaround" became a hit, peaking at #20 on the U.S. national charts.

With their newfound fame, Randazzo became the lead singer and songwriter. They scored two further hits on the new Billboard charts: "Times Two, I Love You" (#67, 1955) and "And the Angels Sing" (#70, 1956). In 1956 Alan Freed
Alan Freed
Albert James "Alan" Freed , also known as Moondog, was an American disc-jockey. He became internationally known for promoting the mix of blues, country and rhythm and blues music on the radio in the United States and Europe under the name of rock and roll...

 offered them a spot in his movie Rock, Rock, Rock
Rock, Rock, Rock (film)
Rock, Rock, Rock is a 1956 black-and-white motion picture featuring performances from a number of early rock 'n' roll stars, such as Chuck Berry, LaVern Baker, Teddy Randazzo, The Moonglows, The Flamingos, and The Teenagers with Frankie Lymon as lead singer. Future West Side Story cast member David...

; following this Randazzo left the group for a solo career. Jackie Farrell joined after Randazzo left, but the group did not return to record, and broke up by 1958. Randazzo recorded solo.

Tommy Romano continued in the music industry, performing into the 1970s. In 1997, Collectables Records
Collectables Records
Collectables is a reissue record label founded in 1980 by Jerry Greene. Greene was previously associated with New York City's Times Square Record Shop, Philadelphia's Record Museum retail chain, and the Lost Nite and Crimson record labels....

 issued a collection of Three Chuckles songs on CD.

Members

  • Tommy Romano - vocals, guitar
  • Tommy "Russ" Gilberto - vocals, bass
  • Bill Bentl - accordion
  • Teddy Randazzo
    Teddy Randazzo
    Teddy Randazzo was a NYC born pop songwriter who composed 1960s hit songs such as "Goin' Out of My Head", "It's Gonna Take a Miracle", and "Hurt So Bad"...

    - accordion, vocals
  • Jackie Farrell - accordion
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