
Here to stay
Courtesy photo
Rock ’n’ roll band Sha Na Na’s current lineup includes (front row, from left) Screamin’ Scott Simon, Donny York, Jocko Marcellino and Reggie Battise; and (back row, from left) Geno Jaramillo, Downtown Michael Brown, Jim Waldbillig and Paulie Kimbarow.
The 1950s experienced a kind of renaissance in the ’70s. “Happy Days” and “Laverne & Shirley” were two of the top shows on TV. “Grease” was a sensation, taking first Broadway, then Hollywood, by storm. No band symbolized the movement more than Sha Na Na. Taking the stage in ’50s garb — leather jackets, gold lam´e and “greaser” gear, with slicked back hair or pompadours — and performing strictly songs from the golden age of rock ’n’ roll, Sha Na Na formed at Columbia University in New York City in 1968, according to the group’s Web site. The band achieved early fame with a performance at the 1969 Woodstock Festival, going on just before Jimi Hendrix’s famous, festival-ending set. Sha Na Na rode the 1950s revival right onto prime time, with the 1977 launch of their self-titled variety show. But the group achieved their most lasting success with an appearance as “Johnny Casino and the Gamblers” in 1978’s “Grease,” and a prominent position on the film’s hit soundtrack.
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