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.
Rock & Roll Is Here to Stay
Sha Na Na Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It was meant to be that way, though I don't know why
I don't care what people say, rock 'n roll is here to stay
(We don't care what people say, rock 'n roll is here to stay)
Rock 'n roll will always be our ticket to the end
It will go down in history, just you wait, my friend
Rock 'n roll will always be, it'll go down in history
(Rock 'n roll will always be, it'll go down in history)
Everybody rock, everybody rock
Everybody rock,Everybody rock
Now everybody rock 'n roll, everybody rock 'n roll
Everybody rock 'n roll,rock 'n roll,rock 'n roll
Everybody rock 'n roll, everybody rock 'n roll
Rock 'n roll will always be our ticket to the end
It will go down in history, just you wait, my friend
Rock 'n roll will always be, it'll go down in history
If you don't like rock 'n roll, think what you've been missin'
But if you like to bop and strawl, come on down and listen
Let's all start to have a ball, everybody rock 'n roll
Ah, oh baby, ah, oh baby, ah
Oh baby, ah, oh baby, rock
The lyrics of Sha Na Na's "Rock & Roll Is Here to Stay" express a sense of love and loyalty towards rock 'n roll music, which the songwriter believes will never die. The opening line itself declares that rock 'n roll will always be present, and it was destined to be that way even though the reason behind this destiny is unknown.
The song highlights the various aspects that make rock 'n roll so exceptional and timeless. The songwriter emphasizes that it doesn't matter what people's opinions about it may be because rock 'n roll is here to stay. The song proclaims that the genre will indeed go down in history and become a symbol of rebellion, a voice for the youth, and a source of endless entertainment.
The song invites the audience to join the singer in celebrating rock 'n roll music, urging them to get up and move to the beat by repeatedly chanting, "Everybody rock, everybody rock." Additionally, the lyrics encourage those who may not have appreciated rock 'n roll to give it another chance and discover what they have been missing.
Line by Line Meaning
Rock 'n roll is here to stay, it will never die
The genre of music called rock and roll will always stay and will never fade away.
It was meant to be that way, though I don't know why
Rock and roll was meant to last forever, but no one really knows the reason why.
I don't care what people say, rock 'n roll is here to stay
Despite what people say, rock and roll will always be around.
(We don't care what people say, rock 'n roll is here to stay)
We, the singers, also do not care about what people say about rock and roll, as it will always be with us.
Rock 'n roll will always be our ticket to the end
Rock and roll will continue to be our way of entertainment until the end of time.
It will go down in history, just you wait, my friend
Rock and roll is significant and will definitely be remembered in history.
(Rock 'n roll will always be, it'll go down in history)
The singers reiterate that rock and roll will continue to exist and will indeed be remembered throughout history.
So come on, everybody rock, everybody rock
Let's all sway to the rhythms of rock and roll.
Now everybody rock 'n roll, everybody rock 'n roll
They invite everyone to dance to the tune of rock and roll.
Rock 'n roll will always be our ticket to the end
Rock and roll will continue to be our way of entertainment until the end of time.
It will go down in history, just you wait, my friend
Rock and roll is significant and will definitely be remembered in history.
(Rock 'n roll will always be, it'll go down in history)
Again, the singers emphasize that rock and roll will always exist and will be remembered throughout history.
If you don't like rock 'n roll, think what you've been missin'
For those who do not like rock and roll, think about everything you have missed to enjoy.
But if you like to bop and strawl, come on down and listen
However, for those who enjoy dancing to rock and roll, they are invited to come and listen to the music.
Let's all start to have a ball, everybody rock 'n roll
Let's all start to have fun and dance to the beat of rock and roll.
Ah, oh baby, ah, oh baby, ah
The singers express their joy and excitement in the form of sounds and words.
Oh baby, ah, oh baby, rock
They continue to express their happiness by emphasizing the word rock.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: DAVID WHITE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Anthony V
A combination of theatre art, punk, and rock. This is much different than their tv show which was watered down with a bad laugh track. They were brilliant here.
martin gough
Yes
Leisure Imports
They always played with a punk rock level of energy. Even at Woodstock.
CTXBaseball
Incredible memories growing up in Massachusetts watching them playing HIGH SCHOOL GYMS for pete's sake! Absolutely love ShaNaNa!!!!
Catie Harris
You guys did great.
Scottish117
The more I watch this band out of curiosity for the first time since discovering them on the Woodstock movie, the more I am thinking they were a huge influence on early punk
therickyman
I think you are correct.
PJ Willett
I'm not saying you're wrong, but Sha Na Na formed in 1968, which is after MC5, The Stooges and The Velvet underground. I would say early punk was well on its way before Sha Na Na was even formed.
Scottish117
@PJ Willett Your right definitely right. I think there was some influence but mostly towards the 50s revival in psychobilly and some new wave which is within the punk realm.
PJ Willett
@Scottish117 I can definitely see that