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The Impalas were an American doo-wop group in the late 1950s, best known for their hit single, "Sorry (I Ran All the Way Home)".
The group formed in 1958 in Brooklyn, New York, and was composed of lead singer Joe "Speedo" Frazier (September 5, 1943 – April 1, 2014), Richard Wagner, Lenny Renda and Tony Carlucci. They were a racially integrated group—Frazier was the only black people member.
They recorded for Hamilton Records and were found by songwriters Artie Zwirn and Aristides "Gino" Giosasi, who wrote the song "Sorry (I Ran All the Way Home)". In 1959 disc jockey Alan Freed heard the group, added his name as a writer of the song and got them a contract with MGM Records subsidiary label Cub Records. In the US, the record reached No. 2 on the U.S. pop record chart, No. 14 on the R&B chart. Outside the US, "Sorry (I Ran All the Way Home)" peaked at No. 28 on the UK Singles Chart. The song sold over one million copies, earning gold disc status.
The group recorded follow-ups including "'Bye Everybody," "Oh What A Fool," an album for Cub, and one further single for the 20th Century label before disbanding in 1961. Frazier went on to sing with Love's Own in 1973, (1993). 9780851127323, Guinness Publishing. ISBN 9780851127323 and in 1980 resurrected the Impalas as a concert tour act.
Joe "Speedo" Frazier died on April 1, 2014, at the age of 70.
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