Randy & the Rainbows (3) aka the Dialtones (3) (Queens, New-York)


Personnel :

Dominick Safuto (Lead)

Frank Safuto (First Tenor)

Sal Zero (Second Tenor)

Mike Zero (Baritone)

Ken Arcipowski (Bass)



Discography :

The Dialtones (3)
1960 - Johnny / Till I Heard It From You (Goldisc 3005/Goldisc 3020)
N/A - Bohemian Daddy (unreleased demo)
N/A - 24 Hours (unreleased)

Randy & the Rainbows (3)
1963 - Denise/ Come back Rust 5059)
1963 - Why do kids grow up / She's my angel (Rust 5073)
1964 - Dry your Eyes / Happy teenager (Rust 5080)
1964 - Little Star / Sharin' (Rust 5091)
1965 - Joyride/ Little hot rod Suzie (Rust 5101)
1966 - Lovely Lies / I'll forget her tomorow (Mike 4001)
1966 - Quarter to three / he's a fugitive (Mike 4004)
1966 - Bonnie's part of town / Can it be (Mike 4008)
1967 - I'll be seeing you / Oh to get away (B.T Puppy 535)
1977 - Angel face / I wonder why (crystal ball 106)
1982 - Try the impossible / Debbie (Ambient Sound 02872)
1982 - Remenber (Walking in the Sand) / Happy teenager (Ambient Sound 451)

Triangle
1970 - Jacqueline / Your love comes shinin' through (Prmnt 0055)
1971 - Judge And Jury / Midnight Magic man (Prmnt 0123)

Madison Street
1977 - Mr Minsterl man / King of love (Mill 605)
1978 - Simple Love Song / We're Falling in love  (Mill 621)



Biography :

One of the last pop doo wop groups to hit the top 10 before the Beatles barnstormed American radio (actully Dion & the Del -Satins were the last. reaching number six with "Drip Drop" on December 28, 1963), Randy & the Rainbows were a Maspeth, Queens, quintet with hopes of lasting succes that were dashed by the death of a president and foreign "invasion".
In 1959, 12-year-olds Dominick Safuto, his brother Frank, cousin Eddie Scalla, and Rosalie Calindo on Lead formed the Dialtones.

The Dialtones

They managed one obscure single, "Till i heard it from you", for George Goldner's Goldisc Label in 1960.
The Hilight of that session might have been the period the Dialtones spent sitting in the studio waiting room with idols Little Anthony & the Imperials awaiting their turn to record.
In 1961 Goldisc tried again, releasing the Dialtones single for another shot at the charts. It didn't work.
Dom (Lead) then joined up with friend Mike Zero (Baritone) to form a new group with Mike's brother Sal (Second Tenor) and Ken Arcipowski (Bass) as the Encores.
When the Grover Cleveland High School Quartet decided to fill out their sound as a quintet, Dom convinced his brother and ex-Dialtone member Frank (First Tenor) to Join, and they renamed themselves Junior & the Counts.

Junior & the Counts

The Counts started Playing church festivities, sweet sixteens, and the like until they came to theattention of frank Carrarie, who became their manager and intoduced them to songwriter Neil Levenson.
Neil brought them to bright tunes productions, wich was really the creative base of singing-group-turned-producers the Tokens.

The Tokens produced the Group on two songs written by Levinson titled "Denise" and "Come Back", but before they could issue them on Rust subsidiary Laurie Records, a more commercially acceptable group name had to be chosen. The Schwartz Brothers, owners of Laurie, renamed them Randy & the Rainbows.

Dom became Randy and "Denise" became a monster hit. By August 24th it was number 10 nationally. with its gust-of-wind styled "oohs" on the into, a Four Seasons type of arrangement, and Randy's attractive lead, "Denise" crossed over the R&B chart on September 14th and peacked at number 18. It reached as high number two on New-York's local Radio Charts.

A cross contry tour grew out of "Denise's" succes, and the five 16 years olds were living in fantasyland performing alongside Dionne Warwick, the Chiffons, Timi Yuro, Darlene Love and the Four Seasons. They also did Murray the K's Brooklyn Fox Lador Day show for 10 days and were in awe of the talent around them, including Ben E. King, The Ronettes, The Miracles, The Dovells, The Chiffons, The Tymes, Little Stevie Wonder, The Angels (Whose "my boyfriend's back" beat them out of the top spot in New York), The Shirelles, Jan & Dean, Gene Pitney, and for one day only (as the poster said), The Beach Boys.

The Rainbows' next release, "Why do kids grow up", was a similarly infectious doo wop rocker that was released in the fall of 1963. It stopped, along with the country's hearbeat, when one week later President John F. Kennedy was assassinated.
The record was affected (as countless others); due to lack of interest during the country's turmoil, it barely charted nationally (#97, December 14, 1963).

From there on Rust singles like "Dry your Eyes", "Little Star" (The Elegants song), and "JoyRide" had little support and not much of a chance when the british invasion hit America.

The group continued to perform, but mostly on New York aera one-nighters. They appeard on Jerry Blavat's Philadelphia TV show as well as on Clay Cole's New York TVer.

Three releases on Mike and a return to the tokens and their B.T. Puppy label in 1966 for "I'll be seeing you" brought them little more than sporadic airplay.
After the B.T Puppy sides, Sal and Kenny left, leaving Dom, Frank, Mike and sometimes Vinnie Corella as the nucleus.
To find a record deal in the '70s the group had tochange its identity, so while they played oldies shows as Randy & the Rainbows they also recorded as Triangle for two singles for Paramount in 1970-71. In 1977 they produced their own self-financed single, "Mr Minstrel Man", as Madison Street and would up on Millenium Records. The commercial results were not encouraging.
Jay Warner (American Singing Group)

http://www.randyandtherainbowssafuto.com/
http://www.randyandtherainbows.com/


Videos :




My Favorite or Randy & the Rainbows :

"Why do kids grow up"


CD ;





MP3 :

The Highlighters (Toledo, Ohio)
aka The Toledos



Personnel :

Frank Williams (Lead)

James Sutton

Howard Bell

Jay Hooker


Discography :

The Highlighters
1958 - Flang Dang Do / The Bull (New Song 115/116)
1962 - Las Vegas Drive / Well  (New Song 133/134)

Chuck Dockery bb The Highlighters
1958 - Baby Let's Dance / I Just Love You  (New Song 117/118)

The Toledos
1961 - This Is Our Night / John Smith's Body (Down 2003/End 1094)


Biography :

Frank Williams, James Sutton, Howard Bell and Jay Hooker were so proud to be from Toledo in the Nord of Ohio that they called themselves The Toledos. The group signed for the blues label New Song, label founded by Porter Roberts in the late 1940s. New Song was based in Toledo, Ohio, about ninety miles south of Detroit. Renamed the Highlighters By Porter, the group recorded a couple of single that passed without pain or glory : "Flang Dang Do" b/w "The Bull" in 1958 and "Well" b/w "Las Vegas Drive" in 1962. By the way, they were instrumentally accompanied by Fred Harris' Red Top Trio composed by Fred Harris (Organ), Big Joe Burrell (sax) and Louis "Swing " Lee (drums). Both disks came out under two different names, The Highlighters with Fred Harris' Red Tops Organ Trio and Fred Harris' Red Tops Organ Trio vocal by Highlighters.

 After their first single on New Song,  The Highlighters backed Chuck Dockery on "Baby Let's Dance" and "I Just Love You" (New Song 117/118). Chuck Dockery is native of northern Ohio his real name was Charle. Dockery was employed as an insurance salesman and as a bassist for some country artists. Dockery began a solo career when he was presented with the opportunity to record on the New Song blues label of his countryman Porter Roberts. He turned New Song into a rocker label thanks to songs like "Baby let's dance" (1958) or "Rock while we ride" (1960), but with no success he left the music almost totally. 

  
Chuck Dockery                                                                                                          

New Song would not last much longer in the business, and after some good album, among which we can highlight the high school "Darling" (1961) by Beverly Bea, would close its doors. The Highlighters's story does not stop there, the group records two tracks, "This Is Our Night" and "John Smith's Body". The single will be released by the Down label, a subsidiary of Gone records, a label founded by George Goldner. It will be published in 1961 under their original name, The Toledos.




Songs :
(updated by Hans-Joachim) 

The Highlighters

  
Flang Dang Do                                           The Bull

  
    Well                                             Las Vegas Drive

 

The Toledos

  
This Is Our Night                             John Smith's Body


Chuck Dockery bb The Highlighters


Baby Let's Dance



…

The Roulettes (2)

The Roulettes (2)  (Manhattan, New York)
aka Billy & the Patios aka The Singing Roulettes

Personnel :

Billy Galante

Bobby Galante

Bobby Wicks

Victor Points

Lillie Acosta




Discography :

The Roulettes (2)
1958 - I See A Star / Come On Baby (Champ 102)

The Singing Roulettes
1959 - Hasten Jason / Wouldn't Be Going Steady (Scepter 1204)

Billy & The Patios
1961 - Love Is A Story / You Name It (Lite 9002)

Billy Gallant
1962 - Scribbling On The Wall / Thinking Wishing Hoping (Dee Dee 501)
1963 - Thinking Wishing Hoping / If You'd Only Be My Love (Goldisc G6)

Biography :

Bobby Galante was singing with a group of guys from the neighborhood that included himself, Bobby Wicks and Victor Points. Bobby wanted his brother Billy to write a song for his group. Billy wrote two songs, "I See A Star" and "Come On Baby". Victor Points was supposed to do the lead on "I See A Star", Victor simply froze at the microphone, He would open his mouth but nothing came out.

 
Billy at the Arthur Godfrey                                                                       1960 At the Hop with Dick Clark

They had no choice to quickly find a new lead singer for the song. Billy Galante spoke with Johnny Maestro, who mentioned a girl named Lillie Acosta. She was a stand-in for the Crests and the new lead singer for the group. They booked the Allegro Studios in New York and recorded "I See A Star" and "Come On Baby". Bobby Galante sang lead on the flip. After listening to the record, Florence Greenberg from Champ Records on Broadway signed with them a recording contract. Florence contacted Radio DJ Jocko Henderson to acquaint him with the records.

 Contract signing and Autographswith Sal Galante, Bobby Galante, Joan Galante

The record got significant airplay in the Tri-State area and The Roulettes appeared at records Hops all over New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. The record appeared as #55 on the CashBox chart. In 1959, they Waxed their second Records "Hasten Jason" and "Wouldn't Be Going Steady" released on Florence’s new Scepter label. the record didn't stand a chance, Florence Greenberg provided no support for "Hasten Jason".

Billy & The Patios

Billy Galante decided to continue singing after group broke up. Billy sang lead for the Intros as they played the club circuit in New York and New Jersey. In 1961, Billy wrote "Love Is A Story" and decided to record the song at the regency Studios in New York City. He assembled a group wing included Bobby Wicks, Victor Points and his wife’s Brother, Robert Malfi. They used the name Billy & The Patios because he wanted a new name and a clean slate. The record was put out on the Lite label but again, the record didn’t have a chance. Billy Galante continued as a solo singer under his name & Billy Vance...






Songs :

The Roulettes (2)

  
I See A Star                                     Come On Baby


The Singing Roulettes

  
    Hasten Jason                            Wouldn't Be Going steady


Billy & The Patios

  
Love Is A Story                                     You Name It


..

Clarence Basset, Bobby Ward, Ronnald Cuffey & Mickey Owens

The Five Sharps (New York)
 

Personnel :

Ronnald Cuffey (Lead)

Clarence Basset (First Tenor)

Bobby Ward (Second Tenor)

Tommy Duckett (Baritone)

Mickey Owens (Bass)

Discography :

1952 - Stormy Weather / Sleepy Cowboy (Jubilee 5104)

Biography :

The Five Sharps were a short-lived vocal group from the Jamaica housing projects in Queens, NY, and are best known today for their "Stormy Weather" (Jubilee), which is today considered one of the most collectible doo wop singles ever released. In 1952, this young quintet -- led by first tenor Bobby Ward -- recorded an original "Sleepy Little Cowboy" and "Stormy Weather," a hit ten years earlier for Lena Horne. The Five Sharps' version was much slower in pace, crudely harmonized and recorded, and had cheap sound effects of clapping thunder. The recording session took most of the day and the quintet were paid in hot dogs and soda pop. Jubilee 5104 was the Five Sharps' only release and appeared in stores in 1953. Not long afterward, the Five Sharps broke up and a couple of the members joined the army. End of story.

Two of the Sharps, Clarence Bassett and lead singer Ronald Cuffey, later recorded in 1958 for Casino Records as the Videos and had a small hit with "Trickle Trickle." Bassett then joined Shep & the Limelights and sang background on the 1961 hit "Daddy's Home" (number two on the pop charts that May). In 1964, Jubilee hired another group of Five Sharps and recorded a new version of "Stormy Weather" (Jubilee 5458). Cuffey was diagnosed with leukemia and passed away in the early '60s. After leaving the Limelites, Bassett joined late-period incarnations of both the Drifters and the Flamingos, and later, formed the '70s band Creative Funk.
Bryan Thomas, All Music Guide

http://www.uncamarvy.com/5Sharps/5sharps.html
http://www.electricearl.com/dws/stormy.html

Songs :

Stormy Weather                     Sleepy Cowboy

...

Manuel Canez 

The Montereys (5) (Bakersfield, CA)
aka The Four Escorts (2) ???

Personnel :

Manuel Canez (Lead)

Tom Lopez

Tom Rey

Santos Cepeda

Discography :

The Montereys (5)
1962 - Darlin Send Me A Letter / Darling (I Love You) (Trans American 10,000)
1963 - (I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons / I Still Love You (GNP Crescendo 314)
1966 - It Hurts So Much / Goodbye My Love (Arwin 130)

The Four Escorts (2)
1961 - Don’t You Remember / My Special Girl (Skyla 1113)

Biography :

Chicano vocal group, The Montereys were from the Bakersfield area. They started out as the Belvederes but were asked to change their name by the producer. Their lead singer was Hector Canez. The other band members were Tom Lopez, Tom Rey and Santos Cepeda.

   
                                                                                                       The Four Escorts (with Manuel Canez Top Left ???)

In 1962 they recorded an extremely rare record for the Trans American label (Trans American 1001) "Darlin (Love You So) b/w "Darlin' Send Me A Letter". Manuel Canez wrote and sang both songs. The following year, they recorded "(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons" b/w "I Still Love You"  produced by Kim Fowley and released on the GNP Crescendo label.

The Montereys were related to the Four Escorts who recorded  for producer Steve Venet on Skyla Records owned by Starla Kaye with the sides "Don’t You Remember" b/w "My Special Girl".

Songs :
(updated by Hans-Joachim)

The Montereys (5)

  
Darlin Send Me A Letter                     Darling (I Love You)

  
(I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons                    I Still Love You                 

The Four Escorts (2)

Don't You Remember / My Special Girl

...