Doo Wop
The Impalas were a doo wop group who formed in Brooklyn, New York, in 1958. Group members were Richard Wagner, Lenny Renda, and Tony Carlucci. They practiced in the back room of a candy store, and one day Joe “Speedo” Frazier heard them and offered to help with those doo wop harmonies. Frazier became lead singer for the group. “Sorry (I Ran All The Way Home)” was written by Arthur Zwirn and Aristides “Gino” Giosasi. Leroy Holmes was the arranger and conductor for the session. The “uh-oh” at the beginning of the record evidently was not intended initially, as it was Frazier’s reaction to missing a cue. However, they liked it because it sounded like someone being caught and incorporated it into the song. They were released on Cub Records, which was a subsidiary of MGM. In 1959, “Sorry (I Ran All the Way Home) by The Impalas with the Leroy Holmes Orchestra went to #2 on the U.S. Pop Chart , #14 on the R&B Chart, and #28 on the U.K. Singles chart. The track sold more than one million copies to become an RIAA gold record and has gone on to become a golden oldies favorite. It’s a universal sentiment, as we all have to apologize to the one we love from time to time.
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I worked with Kenny Renda in Brooklyn new york.
We also lived near each other in Belmont long Island. I lost contact with him and wondered how he was doing.