Getty ImagesThe Shangri-Las with lead singer Weiss in the middle
NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 17:46
American singer Mary Weiss has died at the age of 75. She was the lead singer of the girl group The Shangri-Las, best known for Leader of the Pack.
Weiss formed The Shangri-Las in 1963 with her sister Betty and twin sisters Margie and Mary Ann Ganser, while they were in high school together in New York.
At the time, polyphonic girl groups such as The Ronettes and The Blossoms were popular and it didn’t take long before the foursome caught the attention of songwriter George Morton. In 1964 they had their first hit with Remember (Walking in the Sand). It became a big hit in the United States. Shortly afterwards the group released Leader of the Pack that became known all over the world.
In their heyday, the group performed as a support act for The Rolling Stones and James Brown.
Beluister Remember (Walking in the Sand):
In 1968 the group broke up due to legal problems. Weiss stated that she was never allowed to talk about this due to contractual agreements. But she did report in subsequent interviews that her mother had “signed some bad contracts” on her behalf. She then said she was not allowed to record music for ten years.
In 1970, band member Mary Ann Ganser died, most likely from an overdose. Weiss reunited a number of times with the remaining members of The Shangri-Las, but largely disappeared from the spotlight and started working at an architectural firm, among other things. In 2007 she returned and released her first and only solo album Dangerous Game out.
Influence for Amy Winehouse
Even after the break-up of The Shangri-Las, it remained Leader of the Pack are played and the song has been covered by, among others, Bette Midler, The Carpenters and in the popular cartoon Happy Feet. The song was also included in music magazine Rolling Stone’s most recent list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, which also included their first hit Remember (Walking in The Sand) can be found.
Amy Winehouse, among others, was influenced by The Shangri-Las. She often sang during her live performances part of Remember as part of her own hit Back to Black.
TikTok
And in recent years there has been a revival due to TikTok and Instagram. An (accelerated) part of Remember in which Weiss Oh, no, oh no, oh no no no, no no sings is posted by many users of social media platforms under videos in which something goes wrong.
Miriam Linna, the director of the record label that released Weiss’ solo album, reacts with sadness to Weiss’ death. “Mary was an icon, a hero to both young men and women of my generation and of all generations,” she says Rolling Stone.
2024-01-20 16:46:44
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