Mary Weiss, style-setting lead singer of the Shangri-Las, dies at 75

MARY Weiss, whose yearning vocals and street-smart vibe as lead singer of the ShangriLas brought an edgier style to the girl-group era of the 1960s with hits including “Leader of Pack,” and who then mostly left music for decades until returning with a solo album in her 50s, died Jan 19 at 75.

The death was confirmed by Miriam Linna, head of Norton Records, Weiss’s label. No other details were immediately made public.

The Shangri-Las - which included Weiss’s sister Betty and twins Marge and Mary Ann Ganser - channeled their working-class roots in Queens with a sound and look that challenged the reigning glamour of groups such as the Chiffons and Supremes.

Weiss was once asked about the evening gowns worn by some other singers onstage.

“Old people’s clothes,” she scoffed.

Weiss favored tailored men’s pants and boots, and the group made their mark with songs about teen love, heartbreak, tragedy and the sly suggestion of sex.

Weiss’s crystalline voice was ideal for the AM radio play that could make or break groups in the 1960s.

“My folks were always putting him down/They said he came from the wrong side of town,”

Weiss sang on “Leader of the Pack,” which features a spoken intro about a bad-boy crush and includes the sounds of a crashing motorcycle as she mourns the end of an ill-fated romance.

The song hit No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100 charts in 1964.

On 1965’s “Remember (Walking in the Sand),”

Weiss looks back on lost love as the other Shangri-Las back her up with plaintive oohahhs.

“It’s been two years or so/ Since I saw my baby go,” Weiss sang.

Their producer, George “Shadow” Morton, said he asked Weiss for dual roles in the group: “Be an actress, not just a singer.”