The Shangri-Las were an American pop girl group of the 1960s. Between 1964 and 1966 they charted with teen melodramas, and remain especially known for their hits "Leader of the Pack", "Remember (Walking in the Sand)" and "Give Him a Great Big Kiss."

Early career: The group was formed at Andrew Jackson High School in Cambria Heights, a neighborhood in Queens, New York City, in 1963. They were two sets of sisters: Mary Weiss (lead singer) (born 28 December 1948) and Elizabeth "Betty" Weiss (born 1946), and identical twins Marguerite "Marge" Ganser (4 February 1948–28 July 1996) and Mary Ann Ganser (4 February 1948–14 March 1970). They began playing school shows, talent shows, and teen hops, coming to the attention of Artie Ripp, who arranged the group's first record deal with Kama Sutra. Their first recording in December 1963 was "Simon Says", later issued on the Smash label, on which Betty Weiss sang lead. They also recorded "Wishing Well" / "Hate To Say I Told You So", which became their first release in early 1964 when leased to the small Spokane label. … Read original text here >>> Shangri-Las