# Why was Sha Na na at Woodstock? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 11, 2006, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-sha-na-na-at-woodstock/364093 "2006-07-11T22:42:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2015, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-sha-na-na-at-woodstock/364093/81 "2015-09-04T01:56:45Z")
From what I’ve read (the Pete Fornatale book on Woodstock) Sha Na Na’s performance was so good they ended up getting a song on both the movie and album to the surprise of the people in charge. One thing that may have helped them was a number of acts (Joplin, CCR, Grateful Dead, BST) refused to be on it. ``` Someone mentioned Rush opening for Sha Na Na in 1974. I saw them in the fall of 1972 and they had a loud, heavy metalish group whose name I can't remember as the opening act. Not quite what you'd expect from a group doing fifties songs. Bill Graham was well known for having different styles of music on the same bill to educate the audience. The Woodstock people probably had the same; they strike me as having a certain naivety that luckily didn't get ugly like Altamont. ``` ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2015, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-sha-na-na-at-woodstock/364093/82 "2015-09-04T03:05:46Z")
Look at the way that Sha Na Na differed from the actual rock and roll acts from, say, 1959: That's from a concert on September 23, 1970. That's from Woodstock. What most of them are wearing are gold lame suits, which were something particular to Elvis: > **[The Story of Elvis Presley’s Gold Lamé Suit](http://www.elvis-history-blog.com/elvis-gold-suit.html)** > > Elvis Presley’s gold suit … created but seldom worn in 1957 O.K., first, they had the suit unbuttoned over a bare chest. Nobody in 1959 would have done that. It would have been considered a bit obscene. Second, they didn’t wear a consistent uniform. All groups in 1959 had consistent uniforms among their members. In fact, Sha Na Na didn’t even look like people who would hang out in the same social groups. Most obviously, one member was black. Rock groups in 1959 were always segregated. Even in 1969 it was unusual to have a multiracial group. Sha Na Na looked like somebody’s drugged-out memories of a 1959 rock and roll group. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2015, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-sha-na-na-at-woodstock/364093/83 "2015-09-04T03:10:01Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > Look at the way that Sha Na Na differed from the actual rock and roll acts from, say, 1959: > > That's from a concert on September 23, 1970. > > That's from Woodstock. > > What most of them are wearing are gold lame suits, which were something particular to Elvis: > > [The Story of Elvis Presley’s Gold Lamé Suit](http://www.elvis-history-blog.com/elvis-gold-suit.html) > > O.K., first, they had the suit unbuttoned over a bare chest. Nobody in 1959 would have done that. It would have been considered a bit obscene. Second, they didn’t wear a consistent uniform. All groups in 1959 had consistent uniforms among their members. In fact, Sha Na Na didn’t even look like people who would hang out in the same social groups. Most obviously, one member was black. Rock groups in 1959 were always segregated. Even in 1969 it was unusual to have a multiracial group. Sha Na Na looked like somebody’s drugged-out memories of a 1959 rock and roll group. Those phonies!!! And I bought a ticket! Why I ought to…!!! ---
**Author:** ![C.Montgomery\_Burns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecd19e/32.png) [@C.Montgomery\_Burns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C.Montgomery_Burns)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2015, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-sha-na-na-at-woodstock/364093/84 "2015-09-04T17:16:26Z")
I had always heard that Sha Na Na was a filler act, but that they were a surprise hit with the crowd. ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2015, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-sha-na-na-at-woodstock/364093/85 "2015-09-04T17:32:31Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > Rock groups in 1959 were always segregated. [Are](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Usen0SrrXMg) [you](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1eU_lDQaVM) [sure](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TY0ze7Ky5_k)? ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2015, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-sha-na-na-at-woodstock/364093/86 "2015-09-04T19:03:44Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > I think Voyager was making a 10 Years After joke 🙂 And a zombie thread joke. Since my post was the last one in the old thread, about 10 years back, I feel guilty for not hammering in the stake firmly enough. I waive consecutive translation of my jokes… ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2015, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-sha-na-na-at-woodstock/364093/87 "2015-09-04T19:08:40Z")
> [@drad\_dog](#): > > Monterey wasn’t supposed to be hard rock. None of the festivals were designed that way. Why would John Phillips organize a festival to make himself look out of it? They were all contemporary musicians. > > Otis Redding was a big part of the mix at Monterey. The SF bands were in absolute awe of him. Very important as the only R and B act. He was going to go big, and he did but the wrong way. I don’t know what “earlier era” means to you, but things go in and out of style you know. However Hendrix appeared at Monterey also. I remembered him [from the movie.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monterey_Pop) ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2015, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-sha-na-na-at-woodstock/364093/88 "2015-09-04T19:14:35Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > However Hendrix appeared at Monterey also. I remembered him [from the movie.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monterey_Pop) Not an R and B act. To the organizers anyway. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2015, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-sha-na-na-at-woodstock/364093/89 "2015-09-04T19:46:03Z")
One other thing- in show biz, performers cross paths with all sorts of unexpected people they hit it off with. Anyone who listened to both “Kiss on My List” and “Larks Tongues in Aspic Part 1” would scoff at the idea of Darryl Hall and Robert Fripp working together. But they did! Fripp produced and played on Hall’s solo _ **Sacred Songs** _ album Likewise, a lot of people wondered how on Earth Neil Diamond ended up singing in \*\*\*The Last \*\*\*_ **Waltz.** _ Surely a schmaltzy pop singer like Neil couldn’t be cool enough to work with Robbie Robertson. But he DID! Robbie produced Neil’s _ **Beautiful Noise** _ album- and years earlier, Neil almost got Robbie a songwriting job at the Brill Building. All kinds of musicians you can’t picture knowing each other- much less LIKING each other and liking each other’s work- often do. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2015, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-sha-na-na-at-woodstock/364093/90 "2015-09-04T20:52:18Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > All kinds of musicians you can’t picture knowing each other- much less LIKING each other and liking each other’s work- often do. Don’t forget Frank Zappa regrouping the Mothers of Invention with three members of the Turtles. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2015, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-sha-na-na-at-woodstock/364093/91 "2015-09-04T21:17:38Z")
> [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#): > > Don’t forget Frank Zappa regrouping the Mothers of Invention with three members of the Turtles. There’s also his album of doo-wop music from 1968, [Ruben and the Jets.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cruising_with_Ruben_%26_the_Jets) ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2015, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-sha-na-na-at-woodstock/364093/92 "2015-09-04T22:02:09Z")
> [@Gangster\_Octopus](#): > > I guess one way to think that they were an odd choice was that they were essentially a cover band from a different era. Were there any other cover bands at Woodstock? Even though Sha-na-na were a contemoporary band they were not playing contemporary music and I ma not sure that any other band there was like that at all. I was alive during Woodstock (although not there), and I agree with the OP – Sha Na Na was an odd choice. At the time of Woodstock there was no such thing as nostalgia. The 50’s were dead (even if remembered by the Woodstock generation). This was before American Grafitti, Grease and Happy Days --although (IMHO) Sha Na Na single-handedly spawned them. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2015, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-sha-na-na-at-woodstock/364093/93 "2015-09-04T23:11:28Z")
Wasn’t odd at all. This is the Bill from a poster from 1969 at the Fillmore: The kinks, Taj Mahal, Sha Na na. It’s in a MOJO magazine article on the kinks. Bowie on the cover. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2015, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-sha-na-na-at-woodstock/364093/94 "2015-09-05T02:46:40Z")
Thanks, Shakester. I’m astonished to discover that there were any racially integrated rock groups in the 1959. Here’s the closest I’ve been able to find to a website about this. I presume you used this website to find those groups you give - The Crests, The Del Vikings, and the Impalas - since they are the only ones that would have been together in 1959: > **[Examiner is back - Examiner.com](https://examiner.com)** > > Examiner.com is the go-to source for millions of people who want to know what's happening in their city. And we're still growing! ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2015, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-sha-na-na-at-woodstock/364093/95 "2015-09-05T07:05:48Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > Thanks, Shakester. I’m astonished to discover that there were any racially integrated rock groups in the 1959. Here’s the closest I’ve been able to find to a website about this. I presume you used this website to find those groups you give - The Crests, The Del Vikings, and the Impalas - since they are the only ones that would have been together in 1959: > > [Examiner is back - Examiner.com](http://www.examiner.com/article/a-number-of-significant-racially-integrated-groups-emerged-the-50s-and-60s) That’s the one. Jazz bands were (sometimes) racially integrated at least as far back as the 40s, probably earlier. [Benny Goodman](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benny_Goodman)’s bands for example. Legendary Motown musicians the [Funk Brothers](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Funk_Brothers) started working together in 1959. Musicians (and I am one, so I speak from some experience, though I’m not American) are usually much more interested in musical ability than skin colour. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-sha-na-na-at-woodstock/364093.md?page=4)