Sha Na Na

Sha Na Na
1972 photo.
Background information
Origin	Columbia University New York, New York United States
Genres	Rock and roll, doo-wop
Years active	1969–present
Past members	Former members

Sha Na Na is an American rock and roll group. The name is taken from a part of the long series of nonsense syllables in the doo-wop hit song "Get a Job", originally recorded in 1957 by the Silhouettes.

Billing themselves as "from the streets of New York" and outfitted in gold lamé, leather jackets, pompadour and ducktail hairdos, Sha Na Na performs a song and dance repertoire of classic fifties rock and roll, simultaneously reviving and parodying the music and 1950s New York street culture. Sha Na Na hosted the Sha Na Na syndicated variety series that ran from 1977 to 1981.

Their current touring group features original members Donny York and Jocko Marcellino, and long-time member Screamin' Scott Simon. Simon joined the band just after its appearance at the (1969). Everyone else from the original band and TV show has since departed. Current band members include bassist Tim Butler, guitarist Gene Jaramillo, drummer Paul Kimbarow, and sax player Michael Brown.

The group began singing as part of the long-standing Columbia University a cappella group The Kingsmen, but changed their name due to the Pacific Northwest group of the same name, famous for covering "Louie, Louie". Conceived by George Leonard, then a graduate student in humanities, Sha Na Na began performing in 1969 at the height of the hippie counterculture, and achieved national fame after playing at the , where they preceded Jimi Hendrix. Their 90-second appearance in the brought the group national attention and helped spark a 1950s nostalgia craze that inspired similar groups in North America, as well as the Broadway musical Grease, the feature film American Graffiti and the TV show Happy Days.

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