Remembering Screamin’ Scott Simon

With a golden voice that crowned him Screamin’ Scott Simon, the pianist, and the songwriter for more than fifty years as a part of Sha Na Na, the rock ’n’ roll and doo-wop legend is no longer with us; he was 75. His daughter Nina Simon has announced that Simon who was a survivor of sinus cancer, passed on September 5th in Ojai.

This core member of Sha Na Na joined the stage back in 1970 and over the years his vigor and synergy positively impacted the group. His shows were characterized by other comical stunts such as playing piano with his feet, impersonating Jerry Lee Lewis' "Whole Lotta Shakin Goin’ On’" and "Danny and Juniors’ At the Hop."

Perhaps, one of his most significant contributions to music was his work with Louis St. Louis which became the song "Sandy" which was made popular by John Travolta in a 1978 film, Grease. This song, which is actually part of the film’s soundtrack also became an iconic entity that sold over 30 million copies across the globe.

Sha Na Na’s popularity embraced into every moment not only as on the stage, the group got their own television show in 1977 titled The Sha Na Na Show. Simon, who had moved to Los Angeles for the show, stayed with the show all of its four seasons and episodes and of the 97 episodes that were made, he was in all of them acting alongside the greats like Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, and James Brown.

Born on December 9, 1948, in Kansas City, Missouri, Simon began playing music at Columbia University where he earned the distinction of being referred to as Screamin’ Scott After he responded to an ad in the university’s newspaper in 1970, he joined Sha Na Na which had performed at Woodstock in 1969.

Simon didn't only play instruments and sing but he was also a composer of many songs that were played by Sha Na Na and the albums that he had on his own. This man’s creativity will forever be remembered through the ever-endearing songs he was part of and the positive impact he left behind through entertaining the world.

Thus, the tragic death of Screamin’ Scott Simon means the loss of one of the last true Sha Na Na members and those of its numerous fans who were inspired by his singing and attitude towards life. His impact on rock ’n’ roll will remain ever-enduring, thus guaranteeing that the sole incorporation of the dialect of his voice, literal and metaphoric, will reverberate through music history.