BLACK SOCIAL HISTORY : AFRICAN AMERICAN " THE IMPALAS " WERE A RACIALLY INTEGRATED VOCAL GROUP FROM BROOKLYN WHO WERE BEST KNOWN AND REMEMBERED FOR THEIR 1959 HIT " SORRY I RAN ALL THE WAY HOME " AND SCORED THEM THERE ONLY TOP 20 HIT : GOES INTO THE " HALL OF BLACK GENIUS "

                                     BLACK                  SOCIAL                HISTORY                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               The Impalas were a racially integrated vocal group from Brooklyn who are best remembered for their 1959 hit "Sorry (I Ran All the Way Home)," which scored them their only Top 20 hit (number two pop, number 14 R&B). Forming in 1958, the group -- Joe "Speedo" Frazier (the only black singer), Richard Wagner, Lenny Renda, and Tony Carlucci -- were signed to the Cub label, a subsidiary label of MGM that also issued high-quality stereo recordings by the Five Satins,the Harptones, the Stereos, the Velours, and the Wanderers, to name a few. In August of 1959, Cub issued an album, Sorry I Ran All the Way Home, which featured other recordings the Impalas made for the label. Unfortunately, no further hits ever came, and they disbanded in 1961.

The Impalas were an American doo-wop group in the late 1950s, best known for their hit, "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 (born September 5, 1943), Richard Wagner, Lenny Renda, and Tony Carlucci. They were a racially integrated group - Frazier was the only black member.

They recorded for the small Hamilton record label, before they were discovered by songwriters and promoters Artie Zwirn and Aristides "Gino" Giosasi, who had written the song "Sorry (I Ran All The Way Home)". Early in 1959 disc jockey Alan Freed heard the group, added his name to the writing credits for the song, and secured them a deal with the MGM Records subsidiary label Cub. The record reached #2 on the U.S. pop chart, #14 on the R&B chart, and #28 in the UK Singles Chart The song sold over one million copies earning gold disc status.

The group recorded follow-ups including "Oh What A Fool," and 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, and in 1980 resurrected the Impalas as a touring act.