I came across the video below of Sha Na Na the other day (which is hilarious!) and did some research on them and founds some interesting stuff. Here's some of the key items.
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The name is taken from a part of the long series of nonsense syllables in the doo-wop hit song "Get a Job", originally recorded in 1957 by the Silhouettes.
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Billing themselves as "from the streets of New York" and outfitted in gold lamé, leather jackets, and pompadour hairdos, Sha Na Na performs a song and dance repertoire of classic fifties rock and roll, simultaneously reviving and sending up the music and 1950s New York street culture.
- In the early days they opened for The Grateful Dead and The Kinks.
- Later when they were touring Bruce Springsteen opened for them!!!!!
- They appeared as Johnny Casino and the Gamblers in the movie "Grease" and had 6 songs on the movie's soundtrack.
- They had a syndicated TV show (which I remember) from 1977 to 1981. The show had musical numbers and some pretty awful "comedy" sketches. Bowser was happened.
- On the final day of Woodstock, they were the act on stage before Jimi Hendrix.
Here's a video of Sha Na Na on TV, before they had their own show. It is…. classic. It reminds of something we'd see from old Finnish TV. Make sure you get at least to the 1:10 mark.
And here they are performing "At the Hop" at Woodstock. Holy cow!