Mary Weiss, lead singer for the ’60s girl group the Shangri-Las, died recently at age 75. The group had a strong chart run in 1964 and ’65, including this No. 1 hit from 1964. Unlike most girl groups, the Shangri-Las – two sets of sisters from a sketchy neighborhood in Queens – had a tough-girl image that was bolstered by the tale of romance with a biker. Producer Shadow Morton admitted, “I was asking her to be an actress, not just a singer.”
The song had a long history in Britain. Initially banned by the BBC for its morbid theme, it nevertheless reached No. 11 in 1965. It was re-released in 1972 and, with the BBC ban lifted, hit No. 3, then made it to No. 7 after another re-release in 1976.
Weiss stayed away from the music business for decades until she released a solo album, “Dangerous Game,” in 2007, and toured behind it. Her voice had deepened in the intervening years, but the songs sounded much the same.
