Sha Na Na

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Sha Na Na

Sha Na Na is a rock and roll/comedy group from New York City, who perform covers of doo wop hits from the 1950s, simultaneously reviving and sending up the music, as well as 1950s New York street culture, in their performances. Their current touring group features original members Donny York, Jocko Marcellino, and Screamin' Scott Simon. Everyone else from the TV show days has left the group, and been replaced by bass singer Reggie Battise, bass player Jim Waldbillig, guitarist Gene Jaramillo, drummer Paul Kimbarow, and sax players Michael Brown and/or Jay Leslie.

1 Career
- 1.1 Members included
2 Gallery
3 Trivia
4 External links

[edit] Career

The group began under the name The Kingsmen, when the members were attending Columbia University, but changed their name due to the Pacific Northwest group of the same name famous for "Louie, Louie". The name comes from the refrain of the classic '50s hit "Get A Job" ("Sha-na-na-na, sha-na-na-na-na...") by The Silhouettes. Jon "Bowzer" Bauman commented on a 1981 Password Plus episode that the singer could possibly have actually been saying "Sha-da-da-da...", which in reality would make the group's proper name Sha-Da-Da, presumably unaware that Rick Lewis of The Silhouettes named his own daughter Shana after the hook to his song.

Sha Na Na began in 1969, at the height of the hippie "counter-culture," and achieved national fame after playing at the Woodstock Festival. The group helped to spark a 1950's nostalgia craze, inspiring similar groups both in North America and in the United Kingdom, as well as the Broadway musical Grease, the movie Grease as Johnny Casino & The Gamblers, and the television show Happy Days. The group had its own hit syndicated television show Sha Na Na from 1977 to 1982, featuring guests such as James Brown, the popular 1970's punk band the Ramones, and musicians from rock & roll's golden era, such as Little Richard, Bo Diddley, and the Chubby Checker.

The group's first guitarist, Henry Gross, went on to become a solo artist, and had a hit single titled "Shannon" in 1976. Vinnie Taylor (1949 - 1974) (real name Chris Donald), who replaced Gross as the lead guitarist in 1970, died from a heroin overdose on April 17, 1974, after a concert at University Hall at the University of Virginia. He was found in a Holiday Inn hotel room in Charlottesville, Virginia. Another founding member of the band Robert Leonard, is a professor of linguistics at Hofstra University. Jon Bowzer Bauman also continues to tour under his own banner.

The band remains well-known for their tracks on the Grease soundtrack including "Those Magic Changes", "Hound Dog", "Rock & Roll Is Here to Stay", "Blue Moon", "Born to Hand-Jive" and "Tears On My Pillow", the song "Sandy" sung by John Travolta for which Screamin' Scott Simon wrote the lyrics, and for their appearance in the Woodstock movie as well as the more recent "Festival Express."