Sha Na Na

I loved this show and I always will.

I refuse to die before I get the episodes on DVD, especially the one where the Ramones guest star. Oh man, how frickin' cool is that. One thing that is rarely mentioned in rock trivia is the fact that SHa Na Na, of all bands, influenced punk rock, even today you can hear the style of what they did in pop-punk. Essentially, the took a standard song and sped it up and that's what the Ramones did (and they all dressed like Bowzer haha!!!) OK, so they really influenced me.

They had some really fine original songs too, in addition to the re-vamped oldies, and since they were 'hippies' and spoke ill of president Nixon *gasp* they will always be cool, as long as war and hatred rage across this planet. This fact makes my Sha Na Na cover band, Baa Na Na (started way back when I was too young to see the irony) something I will be forever proud of.

Grease for Peace!! (more than ever)

Sha Na Na were a group of Columbia University students who formed in 1968 and rose to popularity after performing at Woodstock, but it was their appearance in the blockbuster success GREASE that led to the creation of this variety show built around the band. The comedy sketches performed by the band were all based in a 50's "West Side Story" reality (on a sound stage) and in front of an "almost live" audience. Likely formulated to cash in on the 50's revival movement begun with American GRAFITI and HAPPY DAYS, it's perhaps surprising that it lasted as long as it did -a brief three and a half seasons. It may not have been as professional as Donnie & Marie or even the Mandrell Sisters, but what it lacked in budget it more than made up for in chutzpah. The "greaser" styled ensemble did a fair job on the comedy, which clicked mostly with youngsters, but the real highlight of this regional weekly program was the music., which appealed to older audiences nostalgic for the uncomplicated rock 'n roll music of the 50s.The band always performed at least one song in a straight-forward live manner, and usually several other songs throughout the program during the comedy vignettes (ala the Monkees). The writing was simple (perhaps even juvenile) but entertaining, as the program's target audience was probably also watching the (superior) Muppet Show, and the (inferior) Hudson Brothers, and Sha Na Na fit neatly between the two in terms of quality, and provided an alternative to the nursing home muzak of Lawrence Welk. The breakout star of the group was Jon "Bowzer" Bauman, whose basso profondo vocal register was so low as to be a novelty in and of itself. He went on to numerous acting roles and game show gigs. The television show helped the band sell a handful of records, and bushels of live concert tickets throughout its late 70's / early 80's run. For better or worse, Sha Na Na served as a cultural bridge for the generation between the New York Dolls (with whom they shared the Filmore East stage on more than one occasion) and new wave; it's hard to imagine the success of rockabilly revivalists The Stray Cats, without giving a little credit to the relentlessly touring Sha Na Na. All in all, it was good clean fun for the whole family -a sort of doo-wop version of HEE HAW.

Sha-Na-Na was a syndicated musical variety show which of course centered on the music group Sha Na Na who were well known for recreations of 50s and 60s classics. The jokes and skits were often pathetic but the music was pretty good and the band members (all ten of them) always seemed to be having a good time. They never took themselves too seriously and weren't above making fun of themselves. Bowzer was the leader and always closed the show by going "Do-Do-Do-Do" over and over while making muscles, which was a joke as he was pretty skinny and barely had any muscle. The guests were often from the 50s/60s era but once in awhile, they had more current guests like the Ramones and Kim Carnes. A show like this would never be made today, even with contemporary music stars but looking back, Sha Na Na was pretty fun to watch.

I remember watching this show as a kid and, for me, it worked wonderfully well. The humour, the music, all woven together in one seamless journey.

The music was fantastic, a throw-back to 50s rock 'n roll. So non-threatening that even my parents didn't mind the show (and the closest they got to aggressive rock was early Beatles stuff: even the Stones were too much for them).

While the band themselves were great, they were aided by some amazing guest artists.

Great show. Wonderfully nostalgic then, even more so now.

This was a great show. We loved watching the 50's come alive each week as the band brought back some of the greatest music ever made. Sha Na Na was the GREATEST tribute band ever assembled because they didn't just salute a single band- they saluted an entire decade of music! Boy, just think of the great music of the 50's, with so many great songs! That's what Sha Na Na meant to so many of us- they were our connection to the music of the 50's. There was such personality to the band- and Bowzer was the "leader of the pack." He had a great way of making each show so much fun. Sha Na Na is still touring and I'd recommend seeing them as a fun way to see what music used to be like- FUN!