The Shangri-La's

The Shangri-Las were a girl group that was popular during the 60's.  Their producer Shadow Morton ( a protege of overproducer extraordinare Phil Spector) wrote, composed and produced their biggest hits such as "Remember (Walking in the Sand)", Leader of the Pack and Give Him A Great Big Kiss.  The group consisted of two sets of sisters the Ganser Twins and the Weiss girls.  The face of the group was Mary Weiss who provided most of the lead vocals, the beauty and the attitude.  Her sister was rarely photographed with the rest (it was usually Mary and the Ganser twins).  The Shnagri-Las sang dark songs about depression, gloom, bad relationships and death (which mirrored the aura of the band).  When they first started out they didn't have enough material so they used to perform a "tease" show.

When the hits dried up and the rough lifestyle proved too much for the girls, they simply faded away.  Even though their music career was brief, the influence they had created a lot of copycats and a few rock bands that deeply admired the band (The New York Dolls).  When the Dolls were looking for a producer for their second album they hired The Shangri-Las' Shadow Morton.  The girls went through some hard times (the Gansers have passed on) but the Weiss sisters pressed on.  Mary Weiss recorded a new album recentally and has toured occasionally.  The last time the Shangri-Las reunited was in the late 80's The Weiss sisters and the surviving Danser twin made one last performance at a local function.  Even Shadow Morton made an apperance.

Even though The Shangri-Las are gone we'll always have their music.