Girl Groups: The Shangri-Las

"We were as tough as we needed to be. We had little to no protection on the road, and I usually carried the band's cash. It was a scary time"

The Shangri-Las were unusual in the world of 1960s girl groups. They did not come out of Motown and their songs, whilst catchy, often reflected the darker side of teenage life and relationships. Violence, death and runaways were frequent themes in their songs.

The group was originally made up of sisters Mary and Betty Weiss and twins Mary Ann and Marge Ganser. They formed the group whilst still in high school in their home of Queens, New York, and were signed to a record label the following year, 1964. They had two major hits with, 'Remember (Walking in the Sand)' and 'Leader of the Pack'. They appeared alongside The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, and were briefly a trio when Betty left the group in late 1964 to have a baby. Betty left against in 1966 and in the following years both twins left and rejoined, Mary Weiss, the lead singer was the only permanent member. The group eventually broke up for good in 1968, though they briefly reunited in the late seventies.

Owing to the tough neighbourhood they grew up in and their favoured outfits of black pants and shirts, they were known as the bad girls of pop/rock, and often false stories began circulating about their 'tough' escapades. One famous incident found Mary in possession of a pistol, a cautionary measure as they were constantly fending off fans, and despite being teenagers they had no real protection. Still she credits their tough image for protecting them against unwarranted attention from the male bands they toured with.
The group continues to be an influence today and is credited with inspiring punk music. Tragically both Gasner twins have passed away but Mary continues to be involved in music, releasing a solo album in 2007.

"The Shangri-Las were punk before punk existed"