Information AboutSha Na Na |
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| doo wop groups | |
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Sha Na Na was a Rock And Roll / Comedy group from New York City , who performed 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. They began under the name The Kingsmen , when the members were attending Columbia University , but changed the name due to the Pacific Northwest group of the same name famous for " Louie, Louie ". The name comes from the refrain of the '50s song "Get A Job" ("Sha-na-na-na, sha-na-na-na-na...") 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. Regardless, they began in 1969 , at the height of the hippie "counter-culture," and achieved national fame after playing at the Woodstock Festival . Sha Na Na helped to spark a 1950s nostalgia craze, inspiring similar groups both in North America and in the United Kingdom , as well as the Broadway play ''Grease'' , the movie ''Grease'' , and the television show '' Happy Days ''. Sha Na Na had its own syndicated television show in the late 1970s , featuring guests such as James Brown and the Ramones , amongst others. The band's best known and most recognizable member was Jon Bauman , whose stage persona was of a "greaser" named "Bowzer". His trademarks were his slicked-back hair, a sleveless black t-shirt, same-colored jeans, sneakers, and occasionally a leather jacket decorated with chains and patches. Bowzer was best known, however, for his unusual pose where he'd do a bicep flex with his fist pointed towards his mouth, which was usually wide open. Bauman went on to be a game show host (his primary hosting job was The Hollywood Squares half of The Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour , a hybrid game show which ran on NBC from 1983 to 1984) and a radio talk show host who recently has revived his Bowzer persona as the promoter of a series of Rock And Roll Revival concerts in the United States. 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 . The band remains well-known for their tracks on the '' Grease '' Soundtrack , including '' Those Magic Changes '', '' Hound Dog '' and '' Tears On My Pillow ,'' and for their appearance in the Woodstock movie. See also: List Of Artists Who Died Of Drug-related Causes GALLERY TRIVIA
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