The Cuff Links were a creation of Paul Vance and Lee Pockriss who wrote and produced the group’s material. They hired musicians to sing and play, and controlled the Cuff Links name. Ron Dante, the lead singer of The Archies, was the lead singer on the Cuff Links debut single “Tracy”. He provided multi-tracks of Dante’s voice to record “Tracy”. The single shot to #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the fall of 1969. When a band was assembled to tour with the hit single, Ron Dante decided not to tour with the Cuff Links. The band that was assembled to tour was comprised of Pat Rizzo (saxophone), Rich Dimino (keyboards), Bob Gill (trumpet/flugelhorn/flute), Dave Lavender (guitar), Andrew “Junior” Denno (bass), Joe Cord (vocals) and Danny Valentine (drums).

Rupert Holmes (born with given name David Goldstein in Northwich, Cheshire, UK, in 1947) moved to the USA with his parents when he was six-years-old. In his 20s, Holmes was a session musician (producing sessions, writing and arranging songs, singing and playing a few instruments).

Pat Rizzo’s mother was a concert pianist. All his uncles were variously clarinet or saxophone players, as well as his maternal grandfather. An uncle of Rizzo’s became the librarian at the Metropolitan Opera in Manhattan. Pat Rizzo learned to play a number of musical instruments growing up. He appeared in a band called The Cavaliers who performed on The Herb Sheldon Studio Party in New York City, before Dick Clark hosted American Bandstand in August 1957.

A second single from the debut album Tracy, titled “When Julie Comes Around”, stalled at #41 on the Billboard Hot 100. Ron Dante left the Cuff Links after the debut album was released.

Run Sally Run by the Cuff Links

In early 1970, the Cuff Links released The Cuff Links album with “Run Sally Run” as the lead single.

Run Sally Run by the Cuff Links
Paul Vance and Lee Pockriss were credited with writing “Run Sally Run”. Paul Vance (born in Brooklyn, NY, in 1929 as Joseph Paul Florio) and Lee Pockriss (born in Brooklyn, NY, in 1924) wrote a number of hit songs including “Catch A Falling Star” (Perry Como – 1957), “Love Has Finally Come My Way” (Faron Young – 1957), “No” (Dodie Stevens – 1960), “Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini” (Brian Hyland – 1960), “Tracy” (the Cuff Links – 1969) and “Playground in My Mind” (Clint Holmes – 1972). “Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weekie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini” was actually inspired by Paul Vance’s shy 9-year old daughter, Paula, and an actual incident at a beach locker.

Pockriss cowrote “My Heart Is An Open Book” for Carl Dobkins Jr. in 1959; “Seven Little Girls (Sittin’ In The Back Seat)” for Paul Evans that same year. Others in 1960 included “In My Little Corner Of The World” for Anita Bryant, and “Kookie Little Paradise” for Jo-Ann Campbell. He also wrote “Johnny Angel”, a hit for Shelley Fabares in 1962. Lee Pockriss went on to write the theme songs for the 1961 film One, Two, Three, the 1964 film The Subject Was Roses, and the 1966 film, Stagecoach. In later years Pockriss wrote a number of compositions for the TV series, Sesame Street. Vance and Pockriss also wrote a parody of the Shangri-Las’ 1964 #1 hit, “Leader Of The Pack”. Their Top 30 rejoinder was titled “Leader Of The Laundromat”, recorded by The Detergents.

Paul Vance cowrote “King Size Papa”, a number-one R&B hit in 1948 for Julie Lee & Her Boyfriends. He wrote two Top Ten hits in the early 60s for Johnny Mathis titled “Gina” and “What Will Mary Say”. And in 1975, Paul Vance had a hit with “Run Joey Run” for David Geddes. Vance died in 1922 at the age of 92. Lee Pockriss died in 2011 at the age of 87.

The lyrics in “Run Sally Run” tell listeners that as Sally grew up no one ever cared about her. Now Sally has left home in search for understanding, love and someone who will care. Where can she run to where there’s a place for her; A place where she can find some answers that make sense.

“Run Sally Run” peaked at #3 in Fredericton (NB), #4 in Wichita (KS), #8 in Battle Creek (MI), and #9 in Wausau (WI). On the Billboard Hot 100 the single stalled at #76.

“Run Sally Run” was the final charting single in North America. The group had another Top 50 hit in Australia titled “Robin’s World”. The Cuff Links subsequently released several commercially unsuccessful singles into the mid-70s.

Original guitarist Dave Lavender went on tours with a reformed Cuff Links as of late July 2016. Pat Rizzo (born 1941) later joined Sly & The Family Stone from 1972 to 1975. From 1979 through the 1980s, Pat Rizzo was in the studio with War on a number of their recordings. Additionally, through the 70s Pat Rizzo played in a band in Manhattan with Cuban and Latin jazz musician Tito Puente. He was also a regular musician on the stage at Jilly’s in mid-town Manhattan.

Rupert Holmes wrote “Timothy” for The Buoys in 1971 which reached #17 on the Billboard Hot 100. Holmes also wrote jingles and pop tunes (including for Gene Pitney, the Platters, the Drifters, Wayne Newton, Dolly Parton, Barry Manilow, and the Partridge Family. In 1976, Holmes wrote some music that was included in the soundtrack for the 1976 film A Star Is Born starring Barbra Streisand. In the winter of 1979-80, Rupert Holmes became a household name with his chart-topping smash hit “Escape (The Piña Colada Song)”. A followup hit, “Him”, climbed to #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1980. In 1985, Rupert Helms musical The Mystery of Edwin Drood became a hit on Broadway. At the Tony Awards the musical earned eleven nominations. Holmes himself won Tony Awards for Best Book of a Musical, and Best Original Score. The musical also won Best Musical, Best Direction of a Musical, and Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical.

In 1986, Rupert Holmes song “You Got It All” became a #3 hit for the Jets. In the 1980s and 1990s, Holmes also played in cabarets and comedy clubs, mostly in New York City, telling often autobiographical anecdotes illustrated with his songs. In 2003, Holmes received a Tony Award for Best Play in his one-man performance Say Goodnight, Gracie. In 2012, Holmes created a musical adaptation of the 1963 film The Nutty Professor. In 2009, Rupert Holmes debuted his new musical the First Wives Club based on a 1996 film of the same name. The next year he staged another musical, Robin and the 7 Hoods, adapted from a 1964 film of the same name. And in 2013, Rupert Holmes debuted Secondhand Lions: A New Musical based on the 2003 movie of the same name. Over the decades Rupert Holmes has been involved in writing music for 19 musicals. In 2023, Holmes published a mystery novel titled Murder Your Employer: The McMasters Guide to Homicide. His adaptation of Gilbert and Sullivan’s 1879 play The Pirates of Penzance, was titled Pirates! The Penzance Musical. It began playing on Broadway in April 2025. Over the years Rupert Holmes recorded ten studio albums. The first, Widescreen (1974).

Ron Dante went on to produce albums for Barry Manilow from 1973 to 1981.

August 9, 2025
Ray McGinnis

References:
Laurie Yarnell, “The Man Who Wrote ‘The Piña Colada Song’ Lives Locally in Cold Spring,” Hudson Valley Magazine, NY, December 8, 2020.
Richard Sandomir, “Paul Vance, Lyricist behind ‘Itsy Bitsy’ Bikini Dies at 92,” New York Times, June 6, 2022.
“It’s Bitsy Bikini Songwriter Lee Pockriss Dies,” BBC, November 18, 2011.
“Pat Rizzo Interview,” The NAMM Show, Palm Springs, CA, October 24, 2016.

Run Sally Run by the Cuff Links

CFNB 550-AM Fredericton (NB) Top Ten | March 21, 1970

#28: Run Sally Run by the Cuff Links

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