How old was Mary Weiss, the lead singer of The Shangri-Las, when they had their first No1 hit "Leader of the Pack"?

Mary Weiss (born December 28, 1948) is an American pop music vocalist, best known as the lead singer of The Shangri-Las in the 1960s.

Growing up in Queens, Weiss, her older sister Elizabeth (known as Betty) and her older brother George lived in Cambria Heights. She sang in school plays and church choirs. Additionally, she listened to her brother and his friends perform popular songs of the day; George being an Elvis Presley fan. Mary appreciated such performers as Neil Sedaka and the Everly Brothers; she attended her first Everly Brothers concert in 1963 at the age of 14.

After Weiss and her sister Betty became good friends with twins Mary Ann and Margie Ganser in grammar school, the four of them sang at local dances and hops. That brought them to the attention of local producer Artie Ripp, who later signed them on to Kama Sutra Productions. After recording demos and making it to the Brill Building in 1964 (and signing with Red Bird Records), they recorded songs: "Remember (Walking in the Sand)", which was their first hit, and "Leader of the Pack", which went to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts on November 28, 1964. Weiss did not turn 16 till December 28, 1964 making her only 15 at the time.

More Info: en.wikipedia.org

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Mr.LaFaye

Cool Beans a tad before my time so to speak, But with Older Sisters... Yes, I do remember them. A bit of Bio Info Billy Joel, a then-unknown working as a session musician, played on the demo of "Remember (Walkin' in the Sand)" By the end of 1964, the group was an established act. They performed with the Beatles, a Fall 1964 tour with the Rolling Stones, R&B artists such as The Drifters and James Brown (who, according to Mary Weiss, was surprised to discover the girls were white), and Cashbox magazine listed them as best new R&B group. The group was also a fixture on the Murray the K shows at the Brooklyn Fox from 1964-66. They also promoted Revlon cosmetics. In March 1965, they toured the UK with Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders, Herman's Hermits, Del Shannon, and others.