Current:Home > ContactMary Weiss, lead singer of '60s girl group the Shangri-Las, dies at 75 -Ascend Wealth Education
Mary Weiss, lead singer of '60s girl group the Shangri-Las, dies at 75
View
Date:2025-04-11 23:34:22
Mary Weiss, the lead singer of the 1960s pop group the Shangri-Las, whose hits included "Leader of the Pack," has died. She was 75.
Miriam Linna, founder of Weiss' label, Norton Records, said Sunday that Weiss died Friday in Palm Springs, California. No cause of death was given. Rolling Stone first reported her death Friday.
The Shangri-Las, formed in the New York City borough of Queens, were made up of two pairs of sisters: Weiss and her sister Elizabeth "Betty" Weiss, along with twins Marguerite "Marge" Ganser and Mary Ann Ganser. They met in school and, as teenagers, began performing at school dances and teen hops.
After producer Artie Ripp signed them to Kama Sutra Productions, the Shangri-Las found enormous success as a girl group with a tough, working-class image and drama-filled songs of teen dreams and heartbreak that consumed mid-1960s radio waves. Their name came from a restaurant in Queens.
Their first hit, "Remember (Walking in the Sand)," reached the Billboard top 5 in 1964 for Red Bird Records. Weiss was just 15 when it charted. The song, which Aerosmith would later cover, was written by Brill Building pop songwriter-producer George "Shadow" Morton.
Morton would be a key architect of the Shangri-Las, developing a sound that fused a Ronettes-style R&B with big teenage emotions. "Leader of the Pack," co-written by Morton, was the top Billboard single of 1965. On it, Weiss sang:
Marlena Shaw,'California Soul' singer, dead at 81: 'Beloved icon and artist'
"My folks were always putting him down
They said he came from the wrong side of town
They told me he was bad, but I knew he was sad
That's why I fell for the leader of the pack"
The Shangri-Las didn't last long. They disbanded in 1968 amid legal issues. But they remained a pioneering all-female group.
"I truly believe a lot of men were considered artists, whether or not people wrote for them where women were considered products," Weiss said in a 2007 interview at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
After the break-up, Weiss moved to San Francisco and fell out of the music business. For years, she worked at an architectural firm. It would be four decades before Weiss recorded an album of new material again. She made her solo debut with the 2007 album "Dangerous Game."
"I didn't even sing along the car radio," Weiss told Rolling Stone in 2007 about her post-Shangri-Las years. "When I put something down, I really put it down."
On "Dangerous Game," Weiss recaptured some of the spirit and sound of the Shangri-Las but from a more adult perspective.
"I just want to have fun now. And I'm going to. People can take advantage of you in your youth," Weiss told New York magazine. "And they're not going to do it again. There are benefits to being a grown-up."
David Gail,soap star known for 'Beverly Hills, 90210' and 'Port Charles,' dies at 58
veryGood! (44339)
Related
- 'As foretold in the prophecy': Elon Musk and internet react as Tesla stock hits $420 all
- Colombian family’s genes offer new clue to delaying onset of Alzheimer’s
- FEMA urged to add extreme heat, wildfire smoke to list of disasters
- Police in Oklahoma arrest man accused of raping, killing Maryland jogger last August
- North Carolina trustees approve Bill Belichick’s deal ahead of introductory news conference
- Timeline of Willie Mays’ career
- Justin Timberlake arrested: What you need to know about the pop star
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Key West
- US appeals court rejects Nasdaq’s diversity rules for company boards
- Simone Biles docuseries 'Rising' to begin streaming July 17, ahead of Paris Olympics
Ranking
- Which apps offer encrypted messaging? How to switch and what to know after feds’ warning
- Mom of transgender girl athlete says Florida’s investigation has destroyed her daughter’s life
- We invited Harrison Butker to speak at our college. We won't bow to cancel culture.
- Julia Roberts' Rare Photo of Son Henry Will Warm Your Heart Indefinitely
- Rylee Arnold Shares a Long
- Turmoil rocks New Jersey’s Democratic political bosses just in time for an election
- Celine Dion endures a seizure onscreen in new documentary: 'Now people will understand'
- Barry Bonds posts emotional message after Willie Mays' death
Recommendation
Taylor Swift makes surprise visit to Kansas City children’s hospital
Vermont state rep admits secretly pouring water in colleague's bag for months
Krispy Kreme releases 'Friends'-themed doughnuts, but some American fans aren't happy
With pardons in Maryland, 2.5 million Americans will have marijuana convictions cleared or forgiven
Senate begins final push to expand Social Security benefits for millions of people
Shooting in Philadelphia wounds 7 people, police say
A surgeon general's warning on social media might look like this: BEYOND HERE BE MONSTERS!
Matt Grevers, 39, in pool for good time after coming out of retirement for Olympic trials