From:   "Dik de Heer" 
Date:  Fri Sep 5, 2003  1:18 am
Subject:  Born To Be With You : Joe Frazier (Impalas)
 
JOE "SPEEDO" FRAZIER

Born 5 September 1943, New York City, New York

Joe Frazier was the lead singer and only black member of the
Impalas, a vocal quartet from Brooklyn who are best remembered
for their 1959 hit "Sorry (I Ran All The Way Home)". The group was
formed in 1958 by Tony Carlucci (first tenor), Richard Wagner 
(baritone) and Lenny Renda (second tenor). They began practicing
in the back room of a candy store and on local street corners,
where they were heard by Joe Frazier, who called himself Speedo.
His offer to help their harmonies turned into a full-fledged frontrunning
spot with the group. They issued a song called "First Date" on the
small Hamilton label, which went unnoticed. 

One evening their street-corner singing attracted the attention of
Artie Zwirn and Aristides Giosasi (Gino of the act Gino and Gina,
"Pretty Baby", # 20, 1958), who liked their sound and also had an
original song called "Sorry, I Ran All The Way Home". In early 1959
an introduction to Alan Freed led to an MGM audition and a record 
deal with MGM's Cub subsidiary. "Sorry" became a # 2 hit single on
the pop charts and peaked at # 14 R&B. It managed to make it to the
UK at # 28 in the summer of 1959.

The famous "uh-oh" at the beginning of the record was not intended,
but a knee-jerk utterance by Speedo acknowledging that he had 
missed the cue given by Leroy Holmes, the arranger and conductor 
of the session. The A&R man said to leave it in there, so the "uh-oh" 
was repeated on the next take.

The follow-up, "Oh What A Fool", also penned by Zwirn and Giosasi,
had 100,000 advance sales. This led Cub to believe that no promotion
was necessary and the single was given only the slightest exposure.
A big mistake : the record died at # 86. Two more Cub singles and an
LP followed, but there were no further hits and after a final single for 
20th Century in 1961, the Impalas hit the pavement. 

"Speedo" Frazier went on to sing with Love's Own in 1973. In 1980, he
resurrected the Impalas as a touring act ; they also issued one single,
"My Hero" on UGHA in 1982.

CD: Sorry (I Ran All The Way Home) - Collectables. Rerelease of the
1960 Cub LP.