The Impalas

by Bryan ThomasThe 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.