Randy and the Radiants

Memphis' legendary garage and Rock & Soul band's final sessions from the Original Sun Studio, 706 Union Ave.  Memphis, TN.  Recorded in 1990, with original songs from the band's founders, Randy Haspel and Bob Simon, and a generous helping of Memphis Soul, with guest appearances from Rufus Thomas, Jay Spell, and Andrew Love of the Memphis Horns.

       Randy and the Radiants began their long careers as teenage garage rockers, produced for Sun Records by Sam Phillips and his son, Knox. Their popularity in Memphis and the Mid-South earned them an opening spot for the Dave Clark Five on their first American tour in 1964, and their two singles on Sun, released in 1964 and 1965, have become collectors' items for garage band enthusiasts,  The band's second incarnation began in 1974, and lasted well into the 90s, including two rare singles for ABC Records in 1978. The Radiants were fresh off the road as the backing band and opening act for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame members, The Impressions, and were at the peak of their performing abilities when they entered the Original Sun Studios to record in 1990. The band's founders, Randy Haspel and Bob Simon, were living in Nashville, writing country songs for a Music City publisher, only every third song sounded like classic Memphis Soul, something the Radiants did very well. The recordings were intended for release on a West Coast, new-age label, but the deal fell apart and the tapes sat on the shelf for seven years. When Sun Studio changed management, they sold the master tapes to Randy, who re-mixed and digitized the songs with Sun Studio master engineer, James Lott, and issued the CD in limited release on his own label, Slick Records in 1997.

For the first time on the web, Randy & the Radiants "From Sun to Sun" is offered as a companion piece to the newly released CD anthology on Ace Records/Big Beat UK, "Memphis Beat: The Sun Recordings 1964-1966."  Hear the band's long musical journey from garage rock to seasoned creators and performers of classic Memphis Soul that took them, literally, from Sun to Sun.