Sha Na Na – anno salutis humanae MCMLXXV

From October of 1971. All photos by me, including Lenny Baker, the sax player. Lance was born at Carleton on this evening. See if you can spot Lance’s future singer, Mike Guidici.

They began as a group shortly before Woodstock. From the Complete Directory to Prime Time Network TV Shows review of their musical variety series Sha Na Na from 1977-1981:

“Sha Na Na was founded in 1969 by 12 Columbia University students, who did a capella oldies first on campus, and then in professional engagements. The group was first called The Kingsmen, then changed their name to avoid confusion with another group by the same name (the one that recorded ‘Louie, Louie’).

Sha Na Na – the name came from the background chant in a 1950s hit by the Silhouettes, called ‘Get a Job’ – was a surprise with the spaced out, acid-rock generation, scoring a major triumph at Woodstock in the summer of 1969.

However, since they did only other people’s hits, the novelty soon began to wear off and they were in decline when their management pushed them into television – and a whole new comedy/rock career.”