Mary Weiss (28 Dec 1948 - 19 Jan 2024) has passed on, age 75. Her sister, Elizabeth "Betty" Weiss (lead singer on "Leader of the Pack") is the last living Shangri-La...
I felt like I was watching a parody about the music business. I laughed out loud. He wasn't even fully committed to the lie. His mouth was curling up at the ends.
Its now March 2020 and two of the original 4 members have since passed. But even today through the lens of 31 years later that guy stealing their name and sending out a fake group is sleazy!!
+babybluemusic42.7 oh,I agree.It would have to been done right.If it's done "on the cheap" it would do more harm than good.There are great films done about singers of every description.Some,like Buddy Holly,were great.Others are trash,too many to name.This group has so many unanswered questions;what happened to Mary's sister,Betty?Im dying to know.This group was so controversial,it needs to be told.This is a producers' opportunity to make a film and get some attention.I say producer, because there are so many rich guys ,with nothing to do with their money.A director or actor would have to be good ,to get noticed,where a producer just puts up the money.
Let's all just never forget the original Shangri-las ! Brilliant act with 3 (or 4 ! ) beautiful young women. Always loved them and all of their hit records.
Those ladies were the talent. Their management dropped the ball 55-60 years ago. The rights to the Shangri Las name should have been nailed down. Protected from loopholes and fast talking, ethically challenged attorneys.
According to Shadow Morton who was the original Shangrilas's producer, the Shangrilas walked out of their contract in 1968 without notice or reason and just sort of disappeared for years. The record company did not even know where to contact them for recording sessions that had been set up for them in 1968. In fact, the Shangrilas were supposed to record Society's Child written by Janis Ian but no one knew where the Shangrilas had gone. So the girls are partly responsible for this happening to them..
Yes, here they are a quarter of a century later and still extremely beautiful inside and out to match their talents. Having Queens accents didn't hurt either. Viva the Weiss sisters.
This reminds me of the Drifters situation, I used to work for the last of the original Drifters to tour under the name and at the same time there were multiple other groups touring under the Drifters name and singing their songs.
The Original Shangri-las!! You are Rockin Roll History!!! How dare those imposters!! My heart goes out to The Original Shangri-las!! Your number one fan!! Robert Bigaouette
I like the way Fox pretends he's shocked that the new band pretends to be the original band. I think he was actually shocked that it was caught on tape. What a slime.
@RareMusicalGems I grew up with the Shangri-Las and was in Betty's class. We were so proud of their accomplishments! A few years ago, I attended a doo wop concert where the "Shangri-Las" were billed (I knew it would be fakes). We sat on the aisle seats and when they left the stage, I reached out to one of them and said, "How dare you refer to these songs as one of YOUR original hits?" They got very embarrassed, and rightly so. Fox is a slease-bag, and opportunist parasite.
What a great high school story. Thank you for sharing. I'll bet that was a great time and place to grow up. Where all girls from Queens so beautiful then? I imagine Betty was actually the shy and unassuming type. Did she go by Liz in school?
Those girls who call themselves the Shangri-las don't even come close to the originals.Mary Weiss you are the greatest! along with your sister and the twins[rip].
Entertainment Tonight did a good job with this story. Really did some real investigative reporting. And even dug up alot of old video of shangri-las TV performances.
I read somewhere that Mary Wilson, one of the original Supremes, spearheaded a campaign to prevent "new' groups from using the group names if there aren't any original members included-
It's a good thing I didn't know about this in 1989. I would have gathered up every hardcore Shangs fan I knew, found this guy, and uh...made him change his mind. You do NOT mess with those girls OR their fans!
I hosted a concert at Playland in Rye, NY around 1988 that was billed as starring The Shangri-Las -- and was shocked to go backstage before the show and meet the fake quartet -- all obviously not even BORN in the '60s. Incensed, I refused to introduce them onstage as The Shangri-Las. Instead, I spoke of the REAL group and retitled the show "a tribute." Afterwards I told Fox to go to hell. BTW -- the real girls won their suit against the jerk. Sadly, Marge died of breast cancer in 1998.
Thank you for your comment 13 years ago. I was scrolling through the comments to see what happened to the law suit. Good for you for refusing to introduce them as the regular group. Cheers
@@Daniel_Antonio_Arellano782 I knew one of the fakes. The so-called lead singer.was a pleasant enough person but as my Band The Teemates backed the real girls several times in the 60s.Could not help but stifle. a go to hell. (Bobby of the Teemates)
The Shangri Las (original) were rippid off in the 60' 70' 80' 90'... they never got their due recognition. Sadly also only remembered for one or two songs, when in matter of fact all their output was absolutely fantastic, not to mention their influance they had on many to this day.
Unfortunately, MOST of those groups from that era were only remembered for one or two songs. Yet, many of them recorded a lot of material that was just never heard on mainstream radio.
when these fake shangri-las showed up at Rye Playland,NY. in the mid-90's I was in the audience. I had my panasonic[vhs]camera and started to record them.all of a sudden this guy comes over and try to yank my camera away.now I know why.
@@davidjackson7281 it was a free concert.nonetheless I was disappointed because one of the fake Shangri-las was a tall blonde pretending to be MARY WEISS.
It's an outrageous situation, but I have to admit I enjoy watching Margie Ganser's fury--it makes it obvious their tough-girls image wasn't just an image!
yes, if not for this sleazy guy doing this to them we'd not have this little bit of footage of them, he actually in the bigger pic, did the SLa's fans a favor!
Back in those days, I would imagine it was a time when no one sued each other over what is clearly not there's, etc... so they didn't think to trademark the name. That guy knows what he's doing. what a scumbag.
Did you attend Andrew Jackson High School as well? Do you have any Shangri-Las stories to share? Did you have a chance to see them perform, specifically with Betty singing lead vocals on some songs? Any reply would be appreciated. Viva the Shangs!
@@davidjackson7281 No, I lived a little distance away. My cousin went to Jackson High School, I believe the time they went there. I knew in which house they lived, and have a newspaper article about it. I have passed the home, it is kept in good condition. Their music was always popular among my peers, and we heard it often on the radio. What I liked about them was that their songs weren't sappy sweet. Instead, they bespoke teenage tragedies. By one's teens, a person knows everything in life is not all happiness and joy. I never saw them perform. They stopped performing shortly after breakup, and unfortunately had their own tragedies after that. The news article explains it. It's a shame, in the history of pop music their songs and messages were of an entirely different element than other groups from the 1960s. It was for all audiences. In honesty, I would rather listen to their music than just about anything recorded today. The Shangri-Las have withstood the test of time. Hope I was able to give you useful information.
@@spideraxis Thank you very much. I believe I may have seen that very local newspaper article where the nice Ganser house is on 221st. Nice to read your answer. I believe the Weiss house was on 219th. I get confused so it might be the reverse. Yes, they sang the best teenage angst songs. Their career was way too short. They were very unique in a lot of ways. Trend setters and future influencers within the music industry.They are timeless like you said. It's been way cool chatting with you.
@@davidjackson7281 The article was in the Queens Chronicle July 30, 2020. It shows the home of the Ganser twins on 219 Street in Cambria Heights. Do you know what became of the lawsuit?
@@spideraxis Thanks so much for the info. That was the article I had remembered seeing. I just enjoyed reading it again. Regarding the lawsuit, the best I can ascertain from comments on YT (perhaps from one or two of the 534 comments in this video) is it was settled in that the real group could perform with their name as they did for that last reunion time in 1989 I believe it was at CBGB. An agreement was reached that they would receive some kind of compensation for each imposter show. Again, this is way cool corresponding with you on a topic dear to my heart. The article also explains the origin of the name which is interesting for anyone not familiar with that. As you probably know Dick Fox passed away last June. So the Weiss sisters outlived him. I don't denigrate the dead.
About 20 years ago in 1990 or '91 I went to the Dick Fox Rock & Roll Revival at Westbury Music Fair on Long Island and saw the Shangri-Las. (I guess I never saw the Entertainment Tonight episode the year before and all these years until I saw this on CZcams a few mos. ago I really thought I saw the real group and couldn't believe how young they looked. I FEEL SO CHEATED!!! Thank G-d for CZcams!!!
This reminds of what happened to Dennis Yost, who did want to perform(the Classics IV's songs were more transcendent of age). . At least he got the rights to the Classics IV name back before he died.
Mary and Betty need to make an appearance and let everyone know who they are and are to be treated as respected entertainers! Vegas is waiting for you ladies!
The last time I saw Mary Weiss was at a outdoor concert in Hoboken New Jersey around 7 years ago. She was performing with a band and she was singing her songs by herself. No Shangri Las. (The other 2 women were not there) But she can still belt them out. Go get them Mary and don't let anyone stop you. You sound terrific!
This makes me so angry, and hurt for those three women who gave the world so much. They got ripped off over and over and over again. I'm disgusted. How could anybody else other than these three women even THINK of going onstage as The Shangri-Las? I know they weren't the first to be ripped off - and I know lots of their contemporaries got similarly screwed - but for crying out loud, these girls held their own against THE BEATLES. When virtually NO ONE could. They should have gotten medals from the American Army of Rock And Roll! If I remember correctly, they lost their court case, and these imposters continued to do appearances. Those fake-Shangri Las should be ashamed of themselves.
The Shangs should be in the RnR Hall Of Fame. Probably the most influential group from the 60’s not inducted. Decades of chart-topping musicians both male & female have cited them as a major influence, the list of cover versions & homages is long.
@@ShakaCthulu I misunderstood your original comment! I didn't check to see what post or video you were responding to, I thought you were talking about "The Shaggs"!!! So sorry!!! My bad! That will teach me a lesson! :D "The Shangs" is a GREAT way of referring to The Shangri Las, sorry about that, Shaka! Viva The Shangs! :D
Wow, that record store had CDs in long-boxes. What a time trip. As for the subject matter, the fake band saying it was 'our hit' -- that's taking it to the limit.
This same situation arose with Fleetwood Mac,. The band members had to settle with their manager and he got royalties for certain songs, because when the band was started they signed contracts giving up their publishing. The settlement also officially gave the name and rights of Fleetwood Mac to Mick Fleetwood, and John McVie.
And as everyone knows, Fleetwood Mac brought legal action against a fake group touring with their name in the 70's, just before Buckingham-Nicks joined.
Mary and the twins were as beautiful as you could be. So how do you rate Betty? She was the most beautiful woman ever. Not even Betty Davis was as gorgeous as Betty Weiss! I'd love to see Betty today, I'm sure at 72 she is still beautiful. Not even age can take that kind of beauty away. I LOVE YOU BETTY WEISS!!!!!!!!!!
Sadly enough a lot of Girl Groups of that time didn't "Own" The Rights to their names. When Florence Ballard of The Supremes left Motown in 1967 after getting Fired she signed a Contract that said that if she went solo she could never say she was a Member of The Supremes or affiliated with Motown. Also Phil Spector was notorious for owning the Rights to The Girl Groups he worked with back in the day.
I don't think such a contract would be legal as it goes against free speech besides it'd be impossible to implement as the media would always bring up her past and they would have no legal power to stop the media from saying it.
I met one of the Copy Girls posing as Mary or Betty performing at Venues in Atlantic City. She was a friend but it really upset me because my band THE TEEMATES backed up the original Shangri Las a number of times at Venue we were the headline Band. As the headline Band we were the Act that also backed up musically the Stars who appeared at these Venues....
Interesting. What was the name of your band? What instrument did you play? Do you recall how many times you backed the Shangri-Las? Do you remember seeing Betty sing lead vocals on any of the songs.
Those dark-haired twins scared the life out of me then in the 1960s as a kid -and some of these records still do ! Great music and what a great singer Mary was -only about 15 at the time -great memories -joyce s.
Listen to that producer totally bullshitting. "I made them young so people wouldn't confuse them." They were up onstage playing like it was their music. Sad how the music industry did its artists.
sadly this happend a lot. the same thing happened to the Chiffons and others. in fact The Drifters never had their name, and producers used others to go on the road and sing thier songs. The Dixie Cups never got royalities for their song, neither did the Drifters.the lead singer of the Coasters also took people to court to get the name back it happened all the time.
Thank you so much for posting this clip. Those fakes are just a joke and it's a disgrace that they can live of the reputation of the brilliant orginals.
What a crock! Those girls in the fake group were undoubtedly in grade school or younger when Mary, Betty, Margie and Mary Ann were churning out their hits.
I totally remember this segment when it was first aired. The brunette in red is Betty Wiese, the one who sang on 'Leader of the Pack'; it wasn't Mary who did. Betty often didn't appear live with the girls (her choice), although she performed on all the tracks - sometimes as the lead voice. I can't believe they were only teenagers. Good on them! x
Actually you are incorrect. It was indeed Mary who sang on the hit version! There is an alternate take of Betty singing lead but at some point, they realized that Mary was a better fit for the lead vocal. But, they kept the intro dialog the same where the narrator (Mary) is called by Betty.
I grew up listening to the “REAL” Shangri-Las and those imposters just kill the true sound of Orginal Shangri-Las, then to ha e the nerve of passing themselves as their original hits! Go get them and save your name, you worked for it👍
The copyright reverts to when the work was produced and by whom. When the album came out, what the liner notes say, and the photographs. It happened to other bands as well. It's why the ruling came down that a group has to have at least one original member to continue being called the name. Ownership (who has the original rights) is everything.
Reminds me of record compilations they had back in the 70's sung by "The Original Artists". Turned out the name of the group was "The Original Artists". There is always some piece of crap out to try and rip off people by being a sleaze bag.
That's why I don't go to oldies show with young performer claiming they are the real thing. I rather play the original music from the the original singers.on my Mp3 player.
I saw a documentary once about a fake Drifters. An original Drifter tracked them down and found them performing at some county fair somewhere. After their performance he confronted them backstage. They ran away!! It's was hilarious. How about the story of a fake Fleetwood Mac. It was a few years before Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks joined the band. The real band hired a lead singer and booked a long tour of the US. At the beginning of the tour, the new lead singer was caught having an affair with the drummer's wife. They immediately fired the lead singer and the band flew back to England. The manager of the band had a whole tour booked. He put together a fake Fleetwood Mac and tried to fulfill the tour dates. The real Fleetwood Mac had no idea he did it. You can't make this stuff up!!!
Thank goodness for copyright law. I can't believe this dude went on tape trying to make this argument. The old Shangs must have cleaned house with this lawsuit.
In the 1987 Bestseller Rock Star by Jackie Collins (RIP) there was a Girl Group called Nellie & the Knockers loosely based on The Shangri-Las who were together for Three Years. The Group Broke Up, and Nellie became a Nun. The Same thing happened with The Temptations. There was The Group that Otis Williams the only "Original" Member leads, then Three Former Temptations Eddie Kendricks, David Ruffin (RIP) and Dennis Edwards who is retired performed also as The Temptations and Paul Williams Jr., is in a Tribute Group. They talked about the same thing on 20/20 as well as Jackie Wilson's downfall.
We all know who the real Shangri-Las are. Fine, take their name. But we all know that you’re a fake. Say what you want. Mary, Mary Ann, Betty, and Margie are forever the Shangri-Las!!! Long live their love!
How many pretends Elvis in Vegas and other venues, Trump's on SNL and cartoons, you name whomever. Life is about money. It runs what people do in life.
![The Shangri-Las - Remember (Walking in the Sand) [In Color]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/ViaToHNTukE/mqdefault.jpg)
![The Shangri-Las - Remember (Walking in the Sand) [In Color]](/img/tr.png)
No fake groups will do! The original Shangri-Las will always be the ones I regard as the real deal. I'll listen to the real thing!
At Marsena.. Just like Coca-Cola rite? It's The Real Thang! 7.01 am 5/29/17
Exactly!
I agree. The Shangrilas should never have quit...you can see what happens when you throw away fame to become housewives.
I feel the same.
@@spideraxis me too
Mary Weiss (28 Dec 1948 - 19 Jan 2024) has passed on, age 75. Her sister, Elizabeth "Betty" Weiss (lead singer on "Leader of the Pack") is the last living Shangri-La...
Mary was the lead singer on Leader of the Pack.
Mary was the lead singer on every Shangri-La hit. @@franko6677
New York Dolls
That producer acting like he was shocked that they were pretending to be the original group was as fake as his fake Shangri-Las.
Hahahahahahahahaha 👍🏼😷
I felt like I was watching a parody about the music business. I laughed out loud. He wasn't even fully committed to the lie. His mouth was curling up at the ends.
At least he wasn't dumb enough to admit it on camera at least I guess.
Supporting the real Shangri-las all the way
Good but the New Shangri-las have already stole and made out.
For a minute or two I actually thought this guy was a SNL parody of an entertainment lawyer....
Its now March 2020 and two of the original 4 members have since passed. But even today through the lens of 31 years later that guy stealing their name and sending out a fake group is sleazy!!
Which ones passed ?
@@squeakyandpepper6658 The identical twins, Mary Ann (died in 1970) & Marge (died in 1996) Ganser. Marge was on ET w/ the Weiss sisters.
The lead singer, Mary Weiss just passed away on January 19, 2024
R.I.P. Mary...Betty is the last one left.
Sweaty Betty….knocked up at 17
@@rapman5791 Awful comment, maybe that’s how u came into this world?
It’s almost 2021, I’m 16 years old, and I’m a fan of The Shangri-Las. I hope they make a comeback.
They're old AF, and half of them are dead.
@@blairseely7394
They’re only in their 60’s and Mary’s voice was the most important anyway.
@@Blabette Mary has made new solo recordings not long ago. Her voice has gotten deep. I think she's 72 now.
@@blairseely7394 unnecessary comment
@@kb6kgx It's just the truth. The twins died years ago.
they need a movie biopic done on them
Great idea!
+doug denslowe just not done by lifetime though lol
+babybluemusic42.7 oh,I agree.It would have to been done right.If it's done "on the cheap" it would do more harm than good.There are great films done about singers of every description.Some,like Buddy Holly,were great.Others are trash,too many to name.This group has so many unanswered questions;what happened to Mary's sister,Betty?Im dying to know.This group was so controversial,it needs to be told.This is a producers' opportunity to make a film and get some attention.I say producer, because there are so many rich guys ,with nothing to do with their money.A director or actor would have to be good ,to get noticed,where a producer just puts up the money.
Who would play Mary?
@@Musicblue22 Yeah they always drop the ball smdh
sadly, Marge died 7 years after this broadcast, she was only 48.
Be sure and tell ‘em large Marge sent ya!!
R.I.P. Maryann, Margie and Betty. I'll never forget them rehearsing at the front gates of Andrew Jackson High School before we went in to class.
Betty still alive
u still alive?
Amazing story! 😯🙃
Only the Ganser Twins have passed away, Elizabeth Betty Weiss is still very much alive.
Mary Just died a few days ago.
Let's all just never forget the original Shangri-las ! Brilliant act with 3 (or 4 ! ) beautiful young women. Always loved them and all of their hit records.
What a slimeball...he just drips with greed
Christian LeGault
Christian LeGault .. Who is " he " ??
He looks exactly like someone who would do that,
@@QueenlySweetpea Can’t believe he’s like that.
Yeah he's a scumbag
The good news is that Mary Weiss returned last year with a whole new album and she is singing again and sounds great!!!!
You know I'm a bit late. But thank gods. I'd recently discovered them and will follow her career with great interest.
Those ladies were the talent. Their management dropped the ball 55-60 years ago. The rights to the Shangri Las name should have been nailed down. Protected from loopholes and fast talking, ethically challenged attorneys.
exactly.
According to Shadow Morton who was the original Shangrilas's producer, the Shangrilas walked out of their contract in 1968 without notice or reason and just sort of disappeared for years. The record company did not even know where to contact them for recording sessions that had been set up for them in 1968. In fact, the Shangrilas were supposed to record Society's Child written by Janis Ian but no one knew where the Shangrilas had gone. So the girls are partly responsible for this happening to them..
This is what happens when you don't have a lawyer and you sign with the company
Bananarama are still performing after 40 years! The Shangri-Las could have been performing up until the 2000s! That sleaze man stealing their name!
Yes. In June 1989, Mary, Betty and Margie performed together for the last time at a Cousin Brucie show in New Jersey.
God, Mary and Betty Weiss are a hot pair of sisters. Betty especially looks amazing in this
Yes, here they are a quarter of a century later and still extremely beautiful inside and out to match their talents. Having Queens accents didn't hurt either. Viva the Weiss sisters.
This reminds me of the Drifters situation, I used to work for the last of the original Drifters to tour under the name and at the same time there were multiple other groups touring under the Drifters name and singing their songs.
The Original Shangri-las!! You are Rockin Roll History!!! How dare those imposters!! My heart goes out to The Original Shangri-las!! Your number one fan!!
Robert Bigaouette
I like the way Fox pretends he's shocked that the new band pretends to be the original band. I think he was actually shocked that it was caught on tape. What a slime.
@RareMusicalGems
I grew up with the Shangri-Las and was in Betty's class. We were so proud of their accomplishments! A few years ago, I attended a doo wop concert where the "Shangri-Las" were billed (I knew it would be fakes). We sat on the aisle seats and when they left the stage, I reached out to one of them and said, "How dare you refer to these songs as one of YOUR original hits?" They got very embarrassed, and rightly so. Fox is a slease-bag, and opportunist parasite.
What a great high school story. Thank you for sharing. I'll bet that was a great time and place to grow up. Where all girls from Queens so beautiful then? I imagine Betty was actually the shy and unassuming type. Did she go by Liz in school?
Am I the same age as Betty/Liz's daughter? She had such poise and such a powerful sound. I'd love to know if she was a happy high schooler.
Those girls who call themselves the Shangri-las don't even come close to the originals.Mary Weiss you are the greatest! along with your sister and the twins[rip].
Entertainment Tonight did a good job with this story. Really did some real investigative reporting. And even dug up alot of old video of shangri-las TV performances.
I read somewhere that Mary Wilson, one of the original Supremes, spearheaded a campaign to prevent "new' groups from using the group names if there aren't any original members included-
"That's why I made them young!" Only a lawyer could say that!
There's only one shangrilas and no one else never will replace them!
Betty and Mary are both still living; it is the twin sisters who are deceased
RIP Mary Weiss. Died in January 2024
It's a good thing I didn't know about this in 1989. I would have gathered up every hardcore Shangs fan I knew, found this guy, and uh...made him change his mind. You do NOT mess with those girls OR their fans!
Sounds good but it has already happened. It continues to happen in every form of ripping people or things off for fame and all the money it brings.
They need a biopic
I hosted a concert at Playland in Rye, NY around 1988 that was billed as starring The Shangri-Las -- and was shocked to go backstage before the show and meet the fake quartet -- all obviously not even BORN in the '60s. Incensed, I refused to introduce them onstage as The Shangri-Las. Instead, I spoke of the REAL group and retitled the show "a tribute." Afterwards I told Fox to go to hell. BTW -- the real girls won their suit against the jerk. Sadly, Marge died of breast cancer in 1998.
Thank you for your comment 13 years ago. I was scrolling through the comments to see what happened to the law suit. Good for you for refusing to introduce them as the regular group. Cheers
@@hoderharris Same here, 1 year later December 2022
@@Daniel_Antonio_Arellano782 I knew one of the fakes. The so-called lead singer.was a pleasant enough person but as my Band The Teemates backed the real girls several times in the 60s.Could not help but stifle. a go to hell. (Bobby of the Teemates)
The Shangri Las (original) were rippid off in the 60' 70' 80' 90'... they never got their due recognition. Sadly also only remembered for one or two songs, when in matter of fact all their output was absolutely fantastic, not to mention their influance they had on many to this day.
Unfortunately, MOST of those groups from that era were only remembered for one or two songs. Yet, many of them recorded a lot of material that was just never heard on mainstream radio.
when these fake shangri-las showed up at Rye Playland,NY. in the mid-90's I was in the audience. I had my panasonic[vhs]camera and started to record them.all of a sudden this guy comes over and try to yank my camera away.now I know why.
There were still imposters in the mid-90s? Did you know they were before you paid admission? Not judging, just curious, just asking.
@@davidjackson7281 it was a free concert.nonetheless I was disappointed because one of the fake Shangri-las was a tall blonde pretending to be MARY WEISS.
@@sporting06 Free or not that sounds no bueno. Thanks for sharing. Sorry for the disappointment.
It's an outrageous situation, but I have to admit I enjoy watching Margie Ganser's fury--it makes it obvious their tough-girls image wasn't just an image!
yes, if not for this sleazy guy doing this to them we'd not have this little bit of footage of them, he actually in the bigger pic, did the SLa's fans a favor!
Very grumpy lady
It's almost funny, Richard Fox refers to himself in the interview as Dick, and that's exactly what he was.
Back in those days, I would imagine it was a time when no one sued each other over what is clearly not there's, etc... so they didn't think to trademark the name. That guy knows what he's doing. what a scumbag.
One of the best girl groups of the 1960s. They lived a short distance from where my home was at the time.
Did you attend Andrew Jackson High School as well? Do you have any Shangri-Las stories to share? Did you have a chance to see them perform, specifically with Betty singing lead vocals on some songs? Any reply would be appreciated. Viva the Shangs!
@@davidjackson7281 No, I lived a little distance away. My cousin went to Jackson High School, I believe the time they went there. I knew in which house they lived, and have a newspaper article about it. I have passed the home, it is kept in good condition.
Their music was always popular among my peers, and we heard it often on the radio. What I liked about them was that their songs weren't sappy sweet. Instead, they bespoke teenage tragedies. By one's teens, a person knows everything in life is not all happiness and joy.
I never saw them perform. They stopped performing shortly after breakup, and unfortunately had their own tragedies after that. The news article explains it. It's a shame, in the history of pop music their songs and messages were of an entirely different element than other groups from the 1960s. It was for all audiences. In honesty, I would rather listen to their music than just about anything recorded today. The Shangri-Las have withstood the test of time.
Hope I was able to give you useful information.
@@spideraxis Thank you very much. I believe I may have seen that very local newspaper article where the nice Ganser house is on 221st. Nice to read your answer. I believe the Weiss house was on 219th. I get confused so it might be the reverse. Yes, they sang the best teenage angst songs. Their career was way too short. They were very unique in a lot of ways. Trend setters and future influencers within the music industry.They are timeless like you said. It's been way cool chatting with you.
@@davidjackson7281 The article was in the Queens Chronicle July 30, 2020. It shows the home of the Ganser twins on 219 Street in Cambria Heights. Do you know what became of the lawsuit?
@@spideraxis Thanks so much for the info. That was the article I had remembered seeing. I just enjoyed reading it again. Regarding the lawsuit, the best I can ascertain from comments on YT (perhaps from one or two of the 534 comments in this video) is it was settled in that the real group could perform with their name as they did for that last reunion time in 1989 I believe it was at CBGB. An agreement was reached that they would receive some kind of compensation for each imposter show. Again, this is way cool corresponding with you on a topic dear to my heart. The article also explains the origin of the name which is interesting for anyone not familiar with that. As you probably know Dick Fox passed away last June. So the Weiss sisters outlived him. I don't denigrate the dead.
About 20 years ago in 1990 or '91 I went to the Dick Fox Rock & Roll Revival at Westbury Music Fair on Long Island and saw the Shangri-Las. (I guess I never saw the Entertainment Tonight episode the year before and all these years until I saw this on CZcams a few mos. ago I really thought I saw the real group and couldn't believe how young they looked. I FEEL SO CHEATED!!! Thank G-d for CZcams!!!
They will never be like the original Shangri - las
Great group
Way better than the Supremes📺
the slime is thick here
This reminds of what happened to Dennis Yost, who did want to perform(the Classics IV's songs were more transcendent of age). . At least he got the rights to the Classics IV name back before he died.
Look at Mary rolling her eyes at 1:35....love her!!
Mary and Betty need to make an appearance and let everyone know who they are and are to be treated as respected entertainers! Vegas is waiting for you ladies!
The epitome of record executives
The last time I saw Mary Weiss was at a outdoor concert in Hoboken New Jersey around 7 years ago. She was performing with a band and she was singing her songs by herself. No Shangri Las. (The other 2 women were not there) But she can still belt them out. Go get them Mary and don't let anyone stop you. You sound terrific!
i'm going to call myself the beatles.
The "new" shangri-las were horrible!!!! The original are so amazing♥
This makes me so angry, and hurt for those three women who gave the world so much. They got ripped off over and over and over again. I'm disgusted. How could anybody else other than these three women even THINK of going onstage as The Shangri-Las? I know they weren't the first to be ripped off - and I know lots of their contemporaries got similarly screwed - but for crying out loud, these girls held their own against THE BEATLES. When virtually NO ONE could. They should have gotten medals from the American Army of Rock And Roll! If I remember correctly, they lost their court case, and these imposters continued to do appearances. Those fake-Shangri Las should be ashamed of themselves.
The Shangs should be in the RnR Hall Of Fame. Probably the most influential group from the 60’s not inducted. Decades of chart-topping musicians both male & female have cited them as a major influence, the list of cover versions & homages is long.
@@ShakaCthulu Too bad you don't how to spell the band's name, lol.
@@TTM9691 too lazy to spell it out. :)
@@ShakaCthulu I misunderstood your original comment! I didn't check to see what post or video you were responding to, I thought you were talking about "The Shaggs"!!! So sorry!!! My bad! That will teach me a lesson! :D "The Shangs" is a GREAT way of referring to The Shangri Las, sorry about that, Shaka! Viva The Shangs! :D
@@TTM9691 No worries. There’s also a Shangri-Las cover band called The Shangs. Not half bad.
This guy is SKEEVY!!!
Crooks; they ripped off EVERYTHING; except originality.
Wow, that record store had CDs in long-boxes. What a time trip. As for the subject matter, the fake band saying it was 'our hit' -- that's taking it to the limit.
OMFG ... Betty (Liz)'s bangs, vibe and face at 2:03. She's such a rockstar. Amazing 20th century singer-performer.
She sang lead vocals on about 11 songs and was fantastic.
No hits, though. She got preggers and dropped out of the band in 1964. She returned for a few gigs in the next couple of years. @@davidjackson7281
This same situation arose with Fleetwood Mac,. The band members had to settle with their manager and he got royalties for certain songs, because when the band was started they signed contracts giving up their publishing. The settlement also officially gave the name and rights of Fleetwood Mac to Mick Fleetwood, and John McVie.
And as everyone knows, Fleetwood Mac brought legal action against a fake group touring with their name in the 70's, just before Buckingham-Nicks joined.
Back when ET actually did entertainment reporting.
It strikes me odd that Joan Jett never did any Shangri Las songs. But after seeing this interview, I am glad she didn't. ❤️ 🖤❤️
What an amazing nuance in the history of that word.
Those Weiss sisters were looking really good in the 1980's, especially Betty.
Betty and Mary were still hot 25 years later!
Mary and the twins were as beautiful as you could be. So how do you rate Betty? She was the most beautiful woman ever. Not even Betty Davis was as gorgeous as Betty Weiss! I'd love to see Betty today, I'm sure at 72 she is still beautiful. Not even age can take that kind of beauty away. I LOVE YOU BETTY WEISS!!!!!!!!!!
tapmuroc deffent
@@alanmurr6562 Not even shitting in diapers
@@StandWatie1862 That's a shitty thing to say ;) But seriously NO! Beauty is generated from the soul not the skin.
Such a shame! what a slimy thing to do...and then who told the newbies to say "our first number one"...!
Only one Shangri-Las. The rest are just tribute bands. Or worse.
fabricadojoe It's just sad that people no longer can even attempt to be original with name or musical content. What a sad white dude.
Sadly enough a lot of Girl Groups of that time didn't "Own" The Rights to their names. When Florence Ballard of The Supremes left Motown in 1967 after getting Fired she signed a Contract that said that if she went solo she could never say she was a Member of The Supremes or affiliated with Motown. Also Phil Spector was notorious for owning the Rights to The Girl Groups he worked with back in the day.
I don't think such a contract would be legal as it goes against free speech besides it'd be impossible to implement as the media would always bring up her past and they would have no legal power to stop the media from saying it.
That's how it was done back in the day. The record companies had better lawyers than the artists had, if the artists had any at all.
Call yourself a Shangri-Las tribute group, sing their songs, and pay proper respect to them, and you can book some gigs if you're good.
I met one of the Copy Girls posing as Mary or Betty performing at Venues in Atlantic City. She was a friend but it really upset me because my band THE TEEMATES backed up the original Shangri Las a number of times at Venue we were the headline Band. As the headline Band we were the Act that also backed up musically the Stars who appeared at these Venues....
Interesting. What was the name of your band? What instrument did you play? Do you recall how many times you backed the Shangri-Las? Do you remember seeing Betty sing lead vocals on any of the songs.
Dick Fox didn't break any legal laws by picking up the name, but he did break the unwritten laws of honour and decency..
Since when did humans care about honor, decency or what is fair. Fair to them is making money anyway possible, legal or otherwise.
Those dark-haired twins scared the life out of me then in the 1960s as a kid -and some of these records still do ! Great music and what a great singer Mary was -only about 15 at the time -great memories -joyce s.
Listen to that producer totally bullshitting. "I made them young so people wouldn't confuse them." They were up onstage playing like it was their music. Sad how the music industry did its artists.
sadly this happend a lot. the same thing happened to the Chiffons and others. in fact The Drifters never had their name, and producers used others to go on the road and sing thier songs. The Dixie Cups never got royalities for their song, neither did the Drifters.the lead singer of the Coasters also took people to court to get the name back it happened all the time.
Along with thousands of others and even companies like Apple getting sued for stealing tech and things. It's The Money Game.
There never WAS an official "Drifters". The members, including the lead singers, came and went over the years.
Thank you so much for posting this clip. Those fakes are just a joke and it's a disgrace that they can live of the reputation of the brilliant orginals.
What a crock! Those girls in the fake group were undoubtedly in grade school or younger when Mary, Betty, Margie and Mary Ann were churning out their hits.
Thanks, Garrett!
Betty was the most attractive of all the members...by far.
I totally remember this segment when it was first aired. The brunette in red is Betty Wiese, the one who sang on 'Leader of the Pack'; it wasn't Mary who did. Betty often didn't appear live with the girls (her choice), although she performed on all the tracks - sometimes as the lead voice. I can't believe they were only teenagers. Good on them! x
Actually you are incorrect. It was indeed Mary who sang on the hit version! There is an alternate take of Betty singing lead but at some point, they realized that Mary was a better fit for the lead vocal. But, they kept the intro dialog the same where the narrator (Mary) is called by Betty.
Mary Weiss, the blonde sister, sang lead on Leader of the Pack and their other hits.
goddam i get so tired of people like you confidently spreading lies. Please delete your comment, history is sacred and getting it right is everything.
Few groups were registering their names in the late 50s/early 60s. It wasn't common business practice then.
This happened to The Sugababes too. Women are still treated this way in music.
I grew up listening to the “REAL” Shangri-Las and those imposters just kill the true sound of Orginal Shangri-Las, then to ha e the nerve of passing themselves as their original hits! Go get them and save your name, you worked for it👍
The copyright reverts to when the work was produced and by whom. When the album came out, what the liner notes say, and the photographs. It happened to other bands as well. It's why the ruling came down that a group has to have at least one original member to continue being called the name. Ownership (who has the original rights) is everything.
Reminds me of record compilations they had back in the 70's sung by "The Original Artists". Turned out the name of the group was "The Original Artists". There is always some piece of crap out to try and rip off people by being a sleaze bag.
Outrageous!!!
They were great, punk before punk existed. Ramones loved them!
I'm really just here for a glimpse of Mary Hart's hair.
That's why I don't go to oldies show with young performer claiming they are the real thing. I rather play the original music from the the original singers.on my Mp3 player.
Nathan Pretlow Even worse is that people attending a lot of those shows, particularly at small city music festivals, don't even know the differences.
I saw a documentary once about a fake Drifters. An original Drifter tracked them down and found them performing at some county fair somewhere. After their performance he confronted them backstage. They ran away!! It's was hilarious.
How about the story of a fake Fleetwood Mac. It was a few years before Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks joined the band. The real band hired a lead singer and booked a long tour of the US. At the beginning of the tour, the new lead singer was caught having an affair with the drummer's wife. They immediately fired the lead singer and the band flew back to England.
The manager of the band had a whole tour booked. He put together a fake Fleetwood Mac and tried to fulfill the tour dates. The real Fleetwood Mac had no idea he did it.
You can't make this stuff up!!!
The Gasser twin looks really pissed-off about this issue.
What is really sad is that she, Margie, died in 1996 only seven years after this incident and her Mary Ann had died in 1970 at only age 22.
RIP Mary and Margie
And Mary Ann Ganser
sadly this happens a lot. there are a lot of groups who had to sue in order to keep the groups name and be able to use it on stage
well, who does remember the fake "Shangri-Las" of the 80s? now?
"Nobody owned the name". That guy is dripping slime.
Thank goodness for copyright law. I can't believe this dude went on tape trying to make this argument. The old Shangs must have cleaned house with this lawsuit.
In the 1987 Bestseller Rock Star by Jackie Collins (RIP) there was a Girl Group called Nellie & the Knockers loosely based on The Shangri-Las who were together for Three Years. The Group Broke Up, and Nellie became a Nun. The Same thing happened with The Temptations. There was The Group that Otis Williams the only "Original" Member leads, then Three Former Temptations Eddie Kendricks, David Ruffin (RIP) and Dennis Edwards who is retired performed also as The Temptations and Paul Williams Jr., is in a Tribute Group. They talked about the same thing on 20/20 as well as Jackie Wilson's downfall.
MARY WEISS (1948 - 2024)
Fran and Joe Canfield probably were interviewed for at least a 1/2 an hour, and all that was used was Joe saying "shocked"
lol
Interesting to see Richard Nader in this clip, may he rest in peace. His wife carries on the booking business.
Thanks Garret!
We all know who the real Shangri-Las are. Fine, take their name. But we all know that you’re a fake. Say what you want. Mary, Mary Ann, Betty, and Margie are forever the Shangri-Las!!! Long live their love!
No phony baloneys!! Just the real ones.
if you want to do the music of the Shangri-Las, fine - but to pretend you actually ARE them is ridiculous
How many pretends Elvis in Vegas and other venues, Trump's on SNL and cartoons, you name whomever. Life is about money. It runs what people do in life.
@@araymond1able SNL is a parody show idiot. The whole point is to parody real people.
There is a simple tag any reasonable performer can use & that it works, by adding the words "Tribute Band"
20 years ago...wow time is flying
Yup, 30 years now
If he had tried that with the Shirelles He would be a headless Fox