Johnny Contardo

Johnny Contardo (born December 23, 1951) is a former singer with the musical group, Sha Na Na which he left in 1983. In 1978, he appeared with Sha Na Na in the movie musical Grease as Johnny Casino and the Gamblers. His performance of the song "Those Magic Changes" was featured in the movie and on the soundtrack for Grease.

Johnny Contardo was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. His first singing experience was at the age of 6, in a Boston church choir.

His mother took him into night clubs when he was a teen to perform for audiences. She discovered that he had stage presence and personality in addition to his singing talent.

After graduating from Brookline High School in 1969, Johnny attended the Boston Conservatory of Music, studying voice, acting, and dance.

At age 19, Johnny took a minor role in a Boston production of the musical Hair. After six months, he played the lead role. He then received an offer to be understudy for the lead role on Broadway, and an offer to join Sha Na Na.

Johnny joined Sha Na Na in 1971. The television show Sha Na Na, aired from 1977 to 1981.

The show was primarily made up of 1950s song covers, and featured musical and non-musical guests and comedy sketches. Johnny performed many ballads, doo-wop, and rock and roll songs on the program.

In 1983, he left the group and began a solo career. He appeared in a minor role in the movie Scarface, released two albums and did live performances.

Eventually, he left the business and worked in advertising for a number of years. He taught voice lessons as well.

In 2005, Johnny returned to show business at the urging of his fans. He rehearsed in his garage, then made his comeback in a show in Florida, with headliner Frankie Avalon, who had also appeared in Grease.

Johnny's comment about his return to the business was, "My fans are unbelievable. They pushed me to do this. When I got on that stage again, it was like I never left Sha Na Na."

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