By MICHAEL BOYLAN
Weekend Editor

Where were you when you first saw Sha Na Na?

Were you one of the alleged millions who were at Woodstock (the non-riot version)? Did you first see them take the stage in the hit film “Grease?” Perhaps it was their hit syndicated television show that ran for four years that gave you a glimpse into the sights and beautiful sounds that is Sha Na Na.

Wherever you may have seen them, Sha Na Na has built a successful musical career that has spanned four decades.

The band was originally called The Kingsmen. They formed on the campus of Columbia University in 1968 and performed a wide variety of acapella music. Soon, the band realized that their most successful numbers were songs from the 1950s. They dropped their first name and became Sha Na Na, named after lyrics in the song “Get a Job.” By the next year, Sha Na Na played at Woodstock and took the world by storm.

After Woodstock, the band released their first album, “Rock `n Roll is Here to Stay.” The album, produced by Buddha Records on the Kama Sutra label, featured dozens of hits from the `50s and early `60s and went platinum. The album was re-released in 1973. Sha Na Na toured extensively, playing every major city in the United States and most of the countries in the world. Their star would only get bigger.

Soon, it was not enough to hear Sha Na Na, the screens of televisions and movie theaters called. The band was cast as one of the musical acts in the movie “Grease.” The movie was a celebration of everything 1950s, so it only made sense to include the band who had been paying their tribute to the decade over the past six years.

After the film's enormous success, a TV show followed. The band took the sound stage, built to look like an inner city apartment complex, and crooned weekly for over four years on syndicated television. The show featured the songs that had made them famous as well as short comedy sketches. Though the show was cancelled in 1981, Sha Na Na can still be seen on some channels in the U.S.

In 1983, the group lost one of its more famous members, “Bowzer,” to the lure of a solo career. The band continued to tour, adding several new members long the way and recording a new album, “Rock `n Roll party Forever.” Many of the original members are still with the band and will be when Sha Na Na performs at the Frederick Brown Jr. Amphitheater this weekend.

Sha Na Na is made up of members Jocko Marcinello, Screamin' Scott Simon, Lenny Baker, Chico Ryan and Donny York. After their stint in Peachtree City, the band plays dates in the midwest before launching a Japanese tour in November.

Sha Na Na will play Friday and Saturday at the Frederick Brown Jr. Amphitheater. The show will begin at 8 p.m. Admission is $21. Call 770-631-0630 to purchase tickets or for information.

Back to the Top of the PageBack to the Weekend Home Page