Posted on 09/09/2015 4:28:18 AM PDT by billorites
A Sha-Na-Na co-founder who has been a University of Dayton law professor for more than a decade is being remembered for imparting his knowledge of both fields.
Dennis Greene died Saturday at age 66 after a brief illness. The New York native helped create the retro rock band which performed at the Woodstock Music Festival and in the movie “Grease” before he pursued a legal career and joined the UD law school in 2001, according to the university.
“I think he was definitely an advocate for the artist,” said Lisa Grigsby, executive director of FilmDayton, for which she said Greene served as a board member.
“And I think that comes from his background as an entertainer,” she added. “And then moving forward into law he was really all about trying to make sure that people knew what the possibilities were — figuring out how to turn that into a long-term advantage for themselves.”
Among the courses he taught at UD were constitutional law and entertainment law, according to the university.
“Dr. Greene was a beloved and highly respected member of the campus community and our prayers go out to his family, friends, colleagues and students,” according to a statement from the university.
Greene helped create Sha-Na-Na in 1969 on the campus of Columbia University, where he was earned his bachelor’s degree three years later, according to UD. With Greene on vocals, the band featured a musical style from the 1950s and released its first album, Rock & Roll is Here to Stay, in its first year, the group’s website states.
The group was part of Woodstock, a three-day concert in August of 1969 that featured some of the biggest rock bands of the decade. Sha-Na-Na developed a loyal following, released several albums during the 1970s and toured internationally.
The group later hosted a syndicated television show and in 1978 was featured in “Grease.” In the film, Greene sang lead on “Tears on My Pillow.”
Greene earned a master’s degree from Harvard University in 1984 before obtaining his law degree three years later from Yale University. He taught law and was a visiting professor at several universities – including The Ohio State University – before joining UD, according to that law school’s website.
He joined the FilmDayton board in 2008, where he downplayed his music and entertainment fame while he helped budding filmmakers, Grigsby said.
“He didn’t really talk about it,” she said of his days with Sha-Na-Na. “But I think that was the driving force behind why he thought it was so important that entertainers or show business people must really be educated as to what the law was and to do it right and to take time to put things in writing and research them. He was a big advocate for that.”
Funeral arrangements are pending, according to the unive
I wouldn’t by any means consider them a quality singing group. The original versions of the songs they did (by the original artists) were vastly superior to theirs. I liked them more for the overall entertainment they provided, plus the nostalgia aspect of bringing back the great Doo-Wop sound.
In other words, I might consider buying or downloading one of their videos, but never an album or CD.
A Sha Na Na skit (”The Lion Sleeps Tonight”) that would never ever be allowed today.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqgfZk347z8
Lol! Probably not.
The group who made that song, The Tokens, are from Maspeth, Queens (NYC), walking distance from where I'm living now.
Re: The group who made that song, The Tokens, are from Maspeth, Queens (NYC), walking distance from where I’m living now.
Actually, no. It was Randy & the Rainbows (Denise, Denise) who were from Maspeth. The Tokens are apparently from Brooklyn. However, I did a few years ago see Jay Siegel and The Tokens perform live at a free show in Maspeth Queens. They of course did their big hit The Lion Sleeps Tonight.
“Randy & the Rainbows are an American doo wop group from Maspeth, New York. The group was formed in 1962 in a neighborhood of Queens, and featured two pairs of siblings, along with a fifth member. The Safuto brothers had previously sung in the group The Dialtones.
They recorded with the producers of The Tokens, releasing the single “Denise” in 1963. The song hit #18 on the US Black Singles chart and #10 on the Billboard Hot 100 that year.[1][2][3]”—Wikipedia
Robin Trower - Bridge of Sighs (FULL ALBUM)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYIwk4rHIpM
SHA NA NA .... S U C K E D
1975 - Daydream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgPosG8xYSk
Jimmy Dewar’s “mid-baritone” voice is perfect for this.
My Top-3 Trower tunes are (in order) Daydream, Alethea and Caledonia.
Can you tell I’m Scots-Irish?
: ) Condolences to family and friends of Dennis Greene.
I really like the Woodstock version of At The Hop. They speeded up the tempo and the electric piano was great!
All I really know of theirs is from Bridge of Sighs. But, thanks, I'll check those out. I saw them live at Shea Stadium in '76, with Jethro Tull and Rory Gallagher.
Hey thanks, Bro’!
For some reason, Gallagher wasn't listed on the ticket.
However, Trower and Tull were all that mattered that night.
I just went to "Wikipedia" to read up. I'm surprised at how successful the original members are. Doctors, Lawyers, Professors. The rest made a living in the music industry, which can't be easy to sustain for 40-odd years.
Watching the TV show, I thought that they were a bunch of goofs. Couldn't have been further from the truth.
Just gave a listen. I liked Caledonia and Alethea the best of the 3. But the ones from Bridge of Sighs, IMO, are still tops:
Day of the Eagle, Bridge of Sighs, In This Place, The Fool and Me, Too Rolling Stoned, About to Begin, Lady Love, and Little Bit of Sympathy.
Speakng of Doo Wop
Looking For An Echo - Kenny Vance & The Planotones
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ke1dV_IpSKA
Have to back-up on my previous post: Trower opened for ShaNaNa at Winterland Ballroom (SanFran) in 1975.
RE: Woodstock, Trower was still with Procol Harem during the Woodstock concert.
I, too, enjoy “Lady Love” and “Little Bit of Sympathy” for their chord progressions.
Howz about this one? : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMxewDWPV3Y
Fabulous string reverb work.
Saw them at a free concert in Coney Island (Brooklyn) in 2004. Unbelievable night. Because also there were Dion, of Dion and the Belmonts, and Frankie Vali, of the 4 Seasons! (details are for any youngsters out there who aren’t familiar with who these 2 guys are).
In any case, Kenny Vance & The Planotones, although definitely good, are similar to Sna-Na-Na in that they came along years later and did other people’s songs. Their song “Looking For An Echo” was a song about the Doo-Wop days.
“Kenny Vance and the Planotones first came to be as a fictional band appearing in the 1978 film American Hot Wax. The band consisted of Kenny Vance, Joe Esposito, Bruce Sudano and Ed Hokenson. They were just a combination of the Vance with the musical group Brooklyn Dreams. In the film they were portrayed as a very popular group with lots of hits and sang songs that were actually by artists like Danny & the Juniors and The Del-Vikings.[1]”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenny_Vance_and_the_Planotones
Pretty good. Sounds like it’s from the same general time frame as Bridge of Sighs.
Kenny Vance (born December 9, 1943) is an American singer, songwriter, and music producer who was an original founding member of Jay and the Americans. His career spans from the 1950s to today, with projects ranging from starting doo-wop groups to music supervising to creating solo albums. Vance has had a long and varied career in music and film that began in the late 50’s and was still going strong in the early years of the 21st century. The core of Kenny’s interest in music was vocal harmony, from the doo wop groups (where he began) to his long tenure as a founding member of Jay & The Americans in the 60’s. From the ‘70’s on he used his musical knowledge in a series of films while also releasing the occasional solo album. In the 90’s he returned to his original love by forming his own neo-doo wop group Kenny Vance and the Planotones.
Interesting. I had thought “Looking For An Echo” came out much earlier than ‘93. Could have sworn I heard it in the 80s, if not 70s.
The Planotones:
After leaving Jay and the Americans, Vance formed Kenny Vance and the Planotones in 1992. The band currently includes Johnny Gale, Kurt “Frenchy” Yahjian, Jimmy Bense, Chip Degaard and Tony Gallino as his band and they began touring. The group plays lots of doo wop songs of the 1950s and 1960s and their original material is strongly influenced by it.[2] They have released four albums to date which include both original material and covers.[3]
In 1996 they had some success with the song “Looking For An Echo.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenny_Vance_and_the_Planotones
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