Unconfirmed but from a reliable source: Dominick “Randy” Safuto, cofounder and lead singer of Randy and the Rainbows has died. Randy was best known for their Top 10 1963 hit single “Denise.”

Following is an edited Wiki bio of the group:

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 name "Randy and the Rainbows" was chosen by the owners of Laurie Records after the group recorded "Denise". The group had previously been called "Junior
& the Counts" and "The Encores".

"Denise" spent 17 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching No. 10, while reaching No. 18 on Billboard's "Hot R&B Singles",[3] and No. 5 on Canada's CHUM Hit Parade. The song was written by Neil Levenson, and was inspired by his childhood friend, Denise
Lefrak. In the late 1970s, the song 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 into the pop charts at No. 97, and the group never charted again.

Ray Arthur

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