The group began singing as part of the longstanding Columbia University a cappella group "Kingsmen", but the ensemble changed their name due to the popularity of the Pacific Northwest rock band of the same name (see: "The Kingsmen"). Conceived by George Leonard, then a graduate student in Humanities, Sha Na Na began performing in 1969, at the height of the hippie counterculture. The guys achieved national fame after playing at the Woodstock Festival, where they preceded Jimi Hendrix. In fact, the ever friendly and genial Hendrix stuck out his neck for the group, insisting the band be allowed to take the stage even after festival’s promoters wanted to cut them from the bill at the last minute, and Sha Na Na members have since credited him for 'saving' them from obscurity almost single-handed.
Their ninety-second appearance in the popular Woodstock concert film brought the group national attention, and they were a part of the 50s nostalgia craze of the era. Similar artists both in the Americas and in the U.K. appeared (examples being Alvin Stardust and Gary Glitter). The Broadway musical 'Grease' and the TV show 'Happy Days' both also displayed the same ethos as Sha Na Na.
The degree to which their act was truly nostalgic, as opposed to the degree to which it was "invented nostalgia" for joking purposes has been called into question. Still, the group appeared in the movie 'Grease' (based off of the musical of the same name) as "Johnny Casino & The Gamblers", gaining them even more attention. Sha Na Na was also successful with the hit syndicated television show of the same name that the guys did from 1977 to 1982. The program featured guests with much 70s fame such as soul and funk star James Brown and the popular punk band Ramones; musicians from rock & roll's golden era such as Little Richard and Chubby Checker also appeared.
The original band line-up featured twelve performers: Alan Cooper (bass vocals), Rob Leonard (vocals), Frederick 'Denny' Greene (vocals), Henry Gross (guitar), John 'Jocko' Marcellino (drums), Joe Witkin (piano), Scott Powell aka Captain Outrageous aka Tony Santini (vocals), Donald 'Donny' York (vocals), Elliot Cahn aka 'Gino', (rhythm guitar), Rich Joffe (vocals), Dave Garrett (vocals) and Bruce 'Bruno' Clarke. The act has often involved three "up front" dancers/singers in gold lamé and the other nine in "greaser attire", such as rolled up t-shirt sleeves, leather jackets, tank tops, et cetera. During their long-running career, the ensemble has gone through multiple line-up changes. Most recently, co-founder John 'Jocko' Marcellino has served as the group's central frontman. Their latest release is 2013's 'Sha Na Na Greaser High School Hop', with them still touring even decades upon decades after their foundation.
Also that year, Sha Na Na was notably a part of the "Grease Sing-A-Long" event, which is held annually at the Hollywood Bowl. During the 35th anniversary of the beloved movie, they performed several of their tracks from the work's famous soundtrack. "This has become a family event," Marcellino remarked, "They all come dressed up greased with their Pink Lady outfits on, their T-Birds leather jackets, and it’s fabulous that a fourth generation is learning these songs and loving these songs."
Examples of former members:
Vinnie Taylor (1949 - 1974) (real name Chris Donald), who replaced Henry 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.[citation needed] He was found in a Holiday Inn hotel room in Charlottesville, Virginia.[citation needed]
Former Sha Na Na bass player, from their television show lineup, Dave "Chico" Ryan, died in 1998.
Former Sha Na Na guitarist, from their television show lineup, Danny "Dirty Dan" McBride, died in 2009.
Founding member of the band Robert Leonard is a professor of linguistics at Hofstra University, and had an appearance as a qualified expert in linguistics for the murder case of Charlene Hummert in the episode "A Tight Leash" of the TV medical detectives series Forensic Files in 2004.[citation needed]
The group's first guitarist, Henry Gross, went on to become a solo performer, and had a hit single with "Shannon" in 1976. Another founding member, Alan Cooper, the lead singer in the group's performance of "At the Hop" in the Woodstock film, also went on to an academic career. He taught religious studies for ten years at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, was a professor of Bible studies at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati, and now serves as the Elaine Ravich Professor of Jewish Studies and provost at the Jewish Theological Seminary.[citation needed]
Long time member Jon "Bowzer" Bauman replaced Alan Cooper and became a recognizable member of the group as he taunted audiences while he flexed his muscles, burped and spat in the direction of the bass player. For two years in 1983 and 1984 he served as the host of the game show Hollywood Squares between the retirement of longtime host Peter Marshall and the last host John Davidson. Today, Bowzer continues to tour under his own banner.
Elliot Cahn, the group's original rhythm guitar player and musical arranger, later became the first manager of Green Day. "Screaming" Scott Simon replaced Joe Witkin, the original keyboard player (and singer of Teenager in Love on their first album). Today, Witkin is an emergency room physician living with his family in San Diego, California and playing with a band called "The Corvettes"[3] doing an oldies revue. Witkin's son, Brian Witkin, went on to become the founder of Pacific Records.
Joe Witkin left the band in 1970 to finish medical school, and subsequently moved to San Diego in 1975 to do his internship and residency at the University of California in San Diego. He worked at Scripps Hospital East County from 1978 to 2000 as an ER physician, and currently holds the same position at Sharp Grossmont Hospital in La Mesa.
Scott Powell today is a specialist in orthopedic surgery and sports medicine.[4] He performed on the TV show under the stage name "Santini" (which he changed from his previous alias, "Captain Outrageous"). Powell left the band in 1980 and returned to Columbia to take pre-medical courses.[citation needed] He is a member of the medical staff of U.S. national soccer teams, and is the team physician for the Federation Women’s National Team and an associate clinical professor at USC.[citation needed] While Powell was with Sha Na Na, he sang the bulk of the Elvis revival songs.
Frederick "Denny" Greene left the group to pursue studies in law.[citation needed] After graduating from Yale Law School, he became the vice president of production and features at Columbia Pictures.[citation needed] He is currently a professor at the University of Dayton. Greene was known for his skilled dancing, and sang the lead in "Tears on My Pillow", "Duke of Earl" and others.
Bruce "Bruno" Clarke is now a professor of English at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas.
At the Hop
Sha Na Na Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Bah bah bah bah, bah bah bah bah
At the hop
Well, you can rock it, you can roll it
You can stop and you can stroll it at the hop
When the record starts spinnin'
You chalypso when you chicken at the hop
You do the dance sensation
That is sweepin' the nation at the hop
Let's go to the hop
Let's go to the hop, oh baby
Let's go to the hop, oh baby
Let's go to the hop
Come on, let's go to the hop, let's go
You can swing it, you can groove it
You can really start to move it at the hop
Where the jockey is the coolest
And the music is the smoothest at the hop
All the cats and chicks can get their kicks at the hop
So let's go
Let's go to the hop
Let's go to the hop, oh baby
Let's go to the hop, oh baby
Let's go to the hop
Come on, let's go to the hop, let's go
Bah bah bah bah, bah bah bah bah
Bah bah bah bah, bah bah bah bah
At the hop
The lyrics to Sha Na Na's "At The Hop" describe the atmosphere and excitement of attending a popular social event in the 1950s and 1960s - the hop dance. The song captures the energy of the dance through the repetitive and lively chorus, "Bah bah bah bah, bah bah bah bah, At the hop" which creates a sense of excitement and anticipation for the event. The lyrics describe the different styles of dancing that people can do at the hop such as rocking, rolling, chalypso, and chicken, emphasizing how versatile and inclusive the hop dance is.
The verse lyrics describe the specific elements that make the hop dance unique and enjoyable. The music is described as smooth, while the person in charge of the music, the jockey, is seen as the "coolest." The dance craze that is sweeping the nation is also mentioned, suggesting that attending the hop dance is a cultural phenomenon that is seen as mainstream and desirable.
Overall, the lyrics to "At The Hop" can be interpreted as a celebration of a moment in time when young people had a fun and inclusive social outlet where they could come together and dance.
Line by Line Meaning
Bah bah bah bah, bah bah bah bah
Instrumental intro
Bah bah bah bah, bah bah bah bah
Instrumental intro
At the hop
We're at the dance party
Well, you can rock it, you can roll it
You dance any way you want
You can stop and you can stroll it at the hop
You can dance slowly or quickly
When the record starts spinnin'
When the music starts playing
You chalypso when you chicken at the hop
You do the Cha-Cha or the Chicken dance
You do the dance sensation
You do the latest popular dance
That is sweepin' the nation at the hop
That everyone is dancing to at the party
Let's go to the hop
Let's keep dancing at the party
Let's go to the hop, oh baby
Let's keep dancing at the party, sweetie
Let's go to the hop, oh baby
Let's keep dancing at the party, sweetie
Let's go to the hop
Let's keep dancing at the party
Come on, let's go to the hop, let's go
Come on, let's dance at the party
You can swing it, you can groove it
You can dance with a style
You can really start to move it at the hop
You can really show off your dance skills at the party
Where the jockey is the coolest
Where the DJ plays the best music
And the music is the smoothest at the hop
And the music is the best to dance to at the party
All the cats and chicks can get their kicks at the hop
Everyone is having a good time at the party
So let's go
So, let's dance some more
Let's go to the hop
Let's keep dancing at the party
Let's go to the hop, oh baby
Let's keep dancing at the party, sweetie
Let's go to the hop, oh baby
Let's keep dancing at the party, sweetie
Let's go to the hop
Let's keep dancing at the party
Come on, let's go to the hop, let's go
Come on, let's dance at the party
Bah bah bah bah, bah bah bah bah
Instrumental outro
Bah bah bah bah, bah bah bah bah
Instrumental outro
Lyrics © Kanjian Music
Written by: Arthur Singer, Dave White, John Madara
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
faithxvoid
Remember being a punk rock kid in the 90s. I caught this on VH1 during Woodstock 98 and it absolutely blew my mind and gave me a greater appreciate of how chains of influence create sounds.
Rick Acton
"a punk rock kid in the 90s" youre a 19 yr old homeless person with a free smartphone posting comments for $0.50 a piece
Sherwood Shwartz
I think it's fair to say that these guys blew a few minds at Woodstock.
lonecrapshooter67
Cuppa Tea I think they probably enjoyed it. It was the music they heard as kids, the original anti establishment genre. You can here good applause after they play
lonecrapshooter67
Cuppa Tea no it wasn't like that at all
Les Phelps
There were maybe 30,000 people left at the site on Monday morning.
john gonzalez
@lonecrapshooter67 did they get booed off the stage like Kris Kristofferson at the Isle of Wight Festival? Doesn't seem that way.
lonecrapshooter67
Hear sorry
potatoegirl31
These guys were NOT a decade behind the times, they were a decade AHEAD of the times! :)
gabe rey
Yep very punk before punk was even thought of