The Shangri-Las were an American pop group of the 1960s. It was formed in Queens, New York City in 1963. They were two sets of sisters: Mary Weiss (born December 28, 1948) and Elizabeth "Betty" Weiss (born November 27, 1946), and identical twins Marguerite "Marge"/"Margie" Ganser (February 4, 1948 - July 28, 1996) and Mary Ann Ganser (February 4, 1948 - March 14, 1970).
They began playing school shows, talent shows, and teen hops, coming to the attention of Artie Ripp, who arranged the group's first record deal with Kama Sutra. Their first recording in December 1963 was "Simon Says", later issued on the Smash label, on which Betty Weiss sang lead. They also recorded "Wishing
Well" / "Hate To Say I Told You So", which became their first release in
early 1964 when leased to the small Spokane label. Initially, the girls performed without a name. But when they
signed their first deal, they began calling themselves the Shangri-Las,
after a Queens, New York restaurant.
In April 1964, when the girls were still minors, their parents signed with Red Bird Records; Mary was 15, Betty was 17, and the Ganser twins 16. Having been hired by record producer George "Shadow" Morton, they had their first success with the summer hit, "Remember (Walking in the Sand). The recordings for Morton featured lavish production with heavy orchestration and sound effects, and their next and biggest hit, "Leader of the Pack" (U.S. #1, UK #11), climaxes with roaring motorcycles and breaking glass.
By the end of 1964 the group was an established act. They performed with the Beatles, a Fall 1964 tour with the Rolling Stones, The Drifters and James Brown. The group was also a fixture on the Murray The K shows at the Brooklyn Fox from 1964-66. Shortly before the Shangri-Las went to the UK for the
aforementioned promotional tour in Oct. 1964, Betty Weiss dropped out
temporarily, leaving the group as a trio. She still is featured on the
recording for "Leader Of The Pack" which was recorded prior to the
release of "Remember". The remaining trio went on to tour the US and
also appeared on many TV shows including Hullaballoo, Shindig!, Hollywood A-Go-Go, and Lloyd Thaxton.
Many TV clips and photos of the group taken at this time (just Mary
Weiss and the twins) circulated at the group's peak in popularity and
beyond, which led many to recall the group being only a trio. Betty then
rejoined the group in mid-1965 and the group appeared as a quartet once again until the start
of 1966 when they permanently became a trio again (Mary Ann and Marge
left at different times replacing each other until the demise of the
group).
The Shangri-Las' "tough girls" persona set them apart from other groups. Having grown up in a rough neighborhood of Queens,
they were less demure than their contemporaries. Rumors about supposed
escapades have since become legend, for example the story that Mary
Weiss attracted the attention of the FBI
for transporting a firearm across state lines. In her defense, she said
someone tried to break into her hotel room one night and for protection
she bought a pistol. Whatever truth these stories may have, they were believed by fans
in the 1960s, and they helped cement the group's bad-girl reputation.
The group appeared on several TV shows and continued to tour the US, but
in 1966 two of three releases on Red Bird failed to crack the U.S. top
50, although the group remained popular in England and Japan. Mary Ann Ganser left, but returned early in 1967 when Marge left. Red Bird Records had folded. The group recorded more tracks
with Shadow Morton producing (some of which remain unreleased) and
signed with Mercury Records but the band had no further hits, and in 1968 they disbanded,
amid litigation.
