The Sandpipers

The Sandpipers
1966 publicity photo. L-R Mike Piano, Richard Shoff, Jim Brady
Background information
Origin	California
Genres	Folk rock
Years active	1966–1975
Labels	A&M
Past members	Jim Brady Mike Piano Richard Shoff Pamela Ramcier Ralph Nichols Gary Duckworth

The Sandpipers were an American easy listening trio who carved a niche in 1960s folk rock with their vocal harmonies and innovative arrangements of international ballads and pop standards. They are best remembered for their cover version of "Guantanamera", which became a Top 10 hit in 1966, and their Top 20 hit "Come Saturday Morning" from the soundtrack of the film The Sterile Cuckoo in 1970.

Founding members Jim Brady (born August 24, 1944, Los Angeles), Mike Piano (born October 26, 1944, Rochester, New York) and Richard Shoff (born April 30, 1944, Seattle) first performed together in the Mitchell Boys Choir, before forming the Four Seasons with friend Nick Cahuernga. Due to the rising popularity of a group with that name from New Jersey, they changed their name to the Grads and continued as a trio.

Although the Grads did not enter the charts with their early recordings, they performed well enough to secure a residency at Harrah's Lake Club (now Harveys Lake Tahoe) where a friend brought them to the attention of Herb Alpert of A&M Records. Alpert was impressed with the Grads, but after one single without success the group agreed to a name change, choosing the Sandpipers out of a dictionary. After the name change, their producer, Tommy LiPuma, recommended they record the Cuban anthem "Guantanamera" and they had their first hit. The use of a female singer (Robie Lester, uncredited) to add background vocals on "Guantanamera" established a trend that the Sandpipers would incorporate in multiple future studio recordings and live shows.