The Shangri-Las
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The lead singer, Mary Weiss, was the subject of a Morrissey Central RIP post (January, 2024).
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The Shangri-Las was an American pop girl group formed in 1963 in New York City, disbanded in 1968. Between 1964 and 1966, they charted with teen melodramas, and remain especially known for their US #1 hit Leader of The Pack, and before that their million-selling #5 and their first 7" for Red Bird, Remember (Walkin' in the Sand (aka Remember (Walking in the Sand), and Give him a Great Big Kiss. The group was formed at Andrew Jackson High School in Cambria Heights, a neighborhood in Queens, New York City, in 1963. They were two sets of sisters: Mary Weiss (the youngest, being their main lead singer and only 15 when she sang on their two biggest hits in 1964) and Elizabeth "Betty" Weiss (b. 1946), and identical twins Marguerite "Marge"/"Margie" Ganser (1948-96) and Mary Ann Ganser (1948-1970).
They began playing school shows, talent shows, and teen hops, coming to the attention of Artie Ripp, who arranged the group's first record deal with Kama Sutra. Their first recording in December 1963 was Simon Says, later issued on the Smash label. They also recorded Wishing Well / Hate to Say I Told You So, which became their first release in early 1964 when leased to the small Spokane label. In April 1964 they signed for Red Bird, and that was the start of their most succesful period. In 1966-1967 there were unsuccesful releases on Mercury and they broke-up in 1968. There have been reunions since, the last in 1989, after which Entertainment Tonight revealed another group imitating them and using their (apparently unregistered) name, and being managed by a guy on Fox. Legal action ensued, and a court ordered them to stop performing.
External Links
- https://www.discogs.com/artist/242615-The-Shangri-Las
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shangri-Las
- https://web.archive.org/web/20141218100620/http://theshangri-las.com/
- https://research-repository.uwa.edu.au/en/publications/dressed-in-black-the-shangri-las-and-their-recorded-legacy
Wikipedia Information
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The Shangri-Las were an American girl group of the 1960s, consisting of Mary Weiss, her sister Elizabeth "Betty" Weiss and twin sisters Marguerite "Marge" Ganser and Mary Ann Ganser. Between 1964 and 1966 several hit pop songs of theirs documented teen tragedies and melodramas. They continue to be known for their hits "Remember (Walking in the Sand)", "Give Him a Great Big Kiss", and in particular, "Leader of the Pack" which went to #1 in the United States in late 1964. Following the death of Mary Weiss in 2024, her sister Betty is the only living member of the group.
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