Mary Weiss, LI Music Hall of Fame member, ex-Babylon resident, who led The Shangri-Las, dies at 75

Mary Weiss, whose heartfelt vocals on such hits as “Leader of the Pack” and "Remember (Walking in the Sand)” led the girl group The Shangri-Las to pop chart success and entry into the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame, died on Friday at age 75. The former Babylon resident died in Palm Springs, California, her home for the past decade.

The death was confirmed by Miriam Linna, head of Brooklyn-based Norton Records, Weiss’ label. No cause of death was given.

The Shangri-Las — which included Weiss’ sister, Betty, and twins Marge and Mary Ann Ganser — were inducted into the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame in 2010. The group formed in 1963 while all four were attending Andrew Jackson High School in Cambria Heights, Queens. Eschewing frilly dresses in favor of street-wise chic that included tailored men’s pants and boots, The Shangri-Las stood out among girl groups of the time.

“They were one of the first girl groups from the New York area to be just that. They had a new sound; the songs were well-written and produced,” said Barry Fisch, general manager of the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame in Stony Brook. “And they had that sexual appeal. I don’t believe in real life they were tough girls. But they came off as tough kicking teenagers. To adolescent young male teenagers at the time, that was a turn on.”

Many of the group's songs also dealt with edgier subjects including death, troubled romances and even a suggestion of sex. In 2007, Weiss told Newsday that at the peak of the group's success between 1964 and 1966, she hadn't really been involved in a serious boy-girl relationship, but she understood the emotions. “Anything involving pain, I could totally relate to,” she said.

She also spoke of visiting gospel tents in St. Albans and absorbing a sound that would influence The Shangri-Las to distinguish them from other girl groups.

It didn't take long after the quartet was formed for them to get their big break. They were spotted in a local nightclub by producer Artie Ripp, which led to a record deal followed immediately by their first single, “Simon Says,” in late 1963.

Their first hit, ”Remember (Walking in the Sand)," reached the Billboard top 5 in 1964 for Red Bird Records. The song was written by Brill Building pop songwriter-producer George “Shadow” Morton, also a Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame member.

Their biggest hit was unquestionably “Leader of the Pack,” which hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in November 1964. The song was also notable as one of Billy Joel's first entries into the world of music. In 1998, Joel told Uncut that he recalled playing piano on a recording session of “Leader of the Pack,” but he wasn't sure if his contribution made it to the final version. Joel, who grew up in Hicksville, would have been about 15 at the time.

The Shangri-Las were so popular in the mid-’60s that they got to perform at the New York World's Fair, which featured a monorail that had the group's name on it.

After The Shangri-Las broke up in 1968, Weiss left the music business. During a 2007 interview at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, she said of the music industry: “I truly believe a lot of men were considered artists, whether or not people wrote for them, where women were considered products.”

The Shangri-Las, minus Mary Ann Ganser, who died in 1970, reunited in 1977 for occasional performances, but Weiss wasn't looking to rekindle her singing career. Instead, she got a job in the accounting department of a New York architectural firm and later found work as an interior designer.

She and her husband, Edward Ryan, eventually moved from Forest Hills to Babylon so they could be close to the beach, she told Newsday in 2007. That was also the same year she reentered the recording business and released her critically acclaimed debut solo album, “Dangerous Game.”

Weiss and her husband moved to Palm Springs around 10 years ago. The couple had no children. In addition to Ryan, she is survived by her sister, Elizabeth.