The Sandpipers were an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

easy listening Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to 1970s. It is related to middle-of-the-road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit songs, n ...

trio who carved a niche in 1960s

folk rock Folk rock is a hybrid music genre that combines the elements of folk and rock music, which arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music revival. Performers s ...

with their vocals and innovative arrangements of international ballads and pop standards. They are best remembered for their

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

of "

Guantanamera "Guantanamera" (; Spanish: (the woman) from Guantánamo) is perhaps the best-known Cuban song and that country's most-noted patriotic song, especially when using a poem by the Cuban poet José Martí for the lyrics. The official writing credi ...

", which became a

transatlantic Transatlantic, Trans-Atlantic or TransAtlantic may refer to: Film * Transatlantic Pictures, a film production company from 1948 to 1950 * Transatlantic Enterprises, an American production company in the late 1970s * ''Transatlantic'' (1931 film) ...

top 10 hit in 1966, and their

top 20 A record chart, in the music industry, also called a music chart, is a ranking of recorded music according to certain criteria during a given period. Many different criteria are used in worldwide charts, often in combination. These include rec ...

hit " Come Saturday Morning" from the soundtrack of the film ''

The Sterile Cuckoo ''The Sterile Cuckoo'' (released in the UK as ''Pookie'') is a 1969 American comedy-drama film by producer-director Alan J. Pakula that tells the story of an eccentric young couple whose relationship deepens despite their differences and inadeq ...

'' in 1970. Singing in English, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Latin, and Tagalog, the Sandpipers had seven separate album entries in the ''Billboard'' 200 from 1966-1970, and over a dozen charted singles.

Career

Founding members Jim Brady (born August 24, 1944,

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), Mike Piano (born October 26, 1944,

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, New York) and Richard Shoff (born April 30, 1944,

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

) first performed together in the Mitchell Boys Choir, before forming the Four Seasons with friend Nick Cahuernga. Due to the rising popularity of a group with that name from

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

, they changed their name to the Grads and continued as a trio. Although the Grads did not enter the

charts A chart (sometimes known as a graph) is a graphical representation for data visualization, in which "the data is represented by symbols, such as bars in a bar chart, lines in a line chart, or slices in a pie chart". A chart can represent tab ...

with their early recordings, they performed well enough to secure a residency at Harrah's Lake Club (now

Harveys Lake Tahoe Harveys Lake Tahoe is a hotel and casino located in Stateline, Nevada. It has 742 rooms and suites as well as six restaurants and a casino with of space. It also has a video arcade, wedding chapel, pool, convention center and a full-service h ...

) where a friend brought them to the attention of

Herb Alpert Herb Alpert (born March 31, 1935) is an American trumpeter who led the band Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass in the 1960s. During the same decade, he co-founded A&M Records with Jerry Moss. Alpert has recorded 28 albums that have landed on the ...

A&M Records A&M Records was an American record label founded as an independent company by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss in 1962. Due to the success of the discography A&M released, the label garnered interest and was acquired by PolyGram in 1989 and began distr ...

. Alpert was impressed with the Grads, but after one

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

without success the group agreed to a name change, choosing the Sandpipers out of a dictionary. After the name change, their producer,

Tommy LiPuma Tommy LiPuma (July 5, 1936 – March 13, 2017) was an American music producer. He received 33 Grammy nominations, 5 Grammy wins, and his productions sold over 75 million albums. LiPuma worked with many musicians, including Barbra Streisand, Miles ...

, recommended they record the

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

n anthem "

" and they had their first

hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...

. The use of female singers (including

Robie Lester Robie Lester (March 23, 1925 – June 14, 2005) was an American actress, singer, voice artist, and author, best known as the voice of "Miss Jessica" in the Rankin/Bass animated special ''Santa Claus is Comin' to Town'', the singing voice of ...

) to add background vocals on "Guantanamera" established a trend that the Sandpipers would incorporate in multiple future studio recordings and live shows. Initially Kathy Westmoreland ( de) (later with

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

) toured with the group to provide the lyricless

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...

that were used much like second

strings String or strings may refer to: *String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...

, adding an ethereal quality to the Sandpipers' sound. Later Pamela Ramcier was the primary back-up vocalist. At times two or more back-up vocalists were used. For the Sandpipers' first live show in

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United State ...

, two female singers were on stage, the well-known folk singer

Penny Nichols Penny Nichols (December 26, 1947 – October 29, 2017) was an American folk musician and songwriter. Career Nichols began her career in the Southern California folk circuit in Orange County, California, in 1964, singing in a bluegrass band with ...

and Pat Woolley. Early pressings of the ''Guantanamera'' LP showed a five person group—two females with Piano, Shoff, and Brady—on the back cover while later pressings had just the male trio. Subsequent albums depicted only the original trio. Other backup singers followed including Stormie Sherk in 1967, and Diane Jordan and Kathy Westmoreland in 1969. Some pressings of the 1970 ''Come Saturday Morning'' LP credit "solo voices"

Patrice Holloway Patrice Yvonne Holloway (March 23, 1951 – October 3, 2006) was an American soul and pop singer, and songwriter. Career Patrice Yvonne Holloway was born on March 23, 1951 in Los Angeles, California, the youngest of three children born to Wade ...

, Carolyn Willis, and Susan Tallman. "Guantanamera" charted in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

in September 1966 and in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

the following month, and remains the group's biggest hit, earning 1967

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

nominations for Best Performance by a Vocal Group and Best Contemporary Group Performance, plus gold record awards for the single and the album. They also had many lesser chart entries including

cover versions In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

of "

Louie Louie "Louie Louie" is a rhythm and blues song written and composed by American musician Richard Berry in 1955, recorded in 1956, and released in 1957. It is best known for the 1963 hit version by the Kingsmen and has become a standard in pop and ...

", "The French Song" (Quand Le Soleil Dit Bonjour Aux Montagnes), and

songs A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetition ...

from the

movies A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

'' and ''

Beyond the Valley of the Dolls ''Beyond the Valley of the Dolls'' is a 1970 American satirical musical melodrama film starring Dolly Read, Cynthia Myers, Marcia McBroom, Phyllis Davis, John LaZar, Michael Blodgett, and David Gurian. The film was directed by Russ Meyer and ...

''. The

record sleeve A record sleeve is the outer covering of a vinyl record. Alternative terms are ''dust sleeve'', ''album liner'' and ''liner''. The term is also used to denominate the outermost cardboard covering of a record, i.e. the ''record jacket'' or ''album ...

for their 1966 album ''

'' was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Album Cover - Photography.

Dolores Erickson Dolores Erickson (born September 1935) is an American model and artist. She came to prominence by appearing as a model on a number of album covers, most notably '' Whipped Cream & Other Delights'' (1965) by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass. Early ...

was featured on the front cover artwork. In 1967 the

Baldwin Piano Company The Baldwin Piano Company is an American piano brand. It was once the largest US-based manufacturer of keyboard instruments and known by the slogan, "America's Favorite Piano". Since 2001, it has been a subsidiary of Gibson Brands, Inc. It cease ...

signed the group to promote the company's line of musical instruments. In 1968, following a South Africa concert tour, they participated at the

Festival di Sanremo The Sanremo Music Festival, officially the Italian Song Festival () and commonly known as just (), is the most popular Italian song contest and awards ceremony, held annually in the city of Sanremo, Liguria. It is the longest-running annual ...

in Italy, a highlight on the Italian music calendar. They were, as then usual, alongside Anna Identici as one of the two performers of the song "Quando M'Innamoro," which attained sixth place. The song would become more popular in the interpretation by

Gigliola Cinquetti Gigliola Cinquetti (; born Giliola Cinquetti on 20 December 1947) is an Italian singer, songwriter, and television presenter. Life and career Gigliola Cinquetti was born into a wealthy family in Verona. From the ages of 9 to 13, she studied and ...

. The English version by British pop singer Engelbert Humperdinck, "A Man Without Love", became a global hit. In 1969, the group embarked on a European tour with appearances in London, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Madrid, and Berlin. In 1970 "Come Saturday Morning" was nominated for

Best Original Song This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...

and was performed by the Sandpipers at the 42nd Academy Awards ceremony. In the mid-1970s, Michael Piano left the group and was replaced in turn by Michael Brady, Gary Duckworth and Ralph Nichols (later with

The Lettermen The Lettermen are an American male pop vocal trio. The Lettermen's trademark is close-harmony pop songs with light arrangements. The group started in 1959. They have had two Top 10 singles (both No. 7), 16 Top 10 singles on the Adult Contempor ...

). The final 1979 single, "Singapore Girl", featured only Brady and Shoff. Original member Michael Piano died on December 29, 2014, in

Kauai, Hawaii Kauai, () anglicized as Kauai ( ), is geologically the second-oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands (after Niʻihau). With an area of 562.3 square miles (1,456.4 km2), it is the fourth-largest of these islands and the 21st largest island ...

. Jim Brady died on May 5, 2019, in Durango, Colorado. The Sandpipers were among hundreds of artists whose material was destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire.

Other groups named Sandpipers

#In 1965-66, an American girl group from

Pensacola, Florida Pensacola () is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, and the county seat and only incorporated city of Escambia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 54,312. Pensacola is the principal ...

briefly toured and recorded as the Sandpipers, backed by an early Gregg and

Duane Allman Howard Duane Allman (November 20, 1946 – October 29, 1971) was an American rock guitarist, session musician, and the founder and original leader of the Allman Brothers Band, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame i ...

band called the

Allman Joys The Allman Joys was an early band with Duane and Gregg Allman fronting. It was originally the Escorts, but it eventually evolved into the Allman Joys. Duane Allman quit high school to spend his days at home practicing guitar. They auditioned for ...

. After "Guantanamera" was released they became the Daisies. #Another group known as the Sandpipers (or sometimes the Golden Sandpipers) sang for

Golden Records Golden Records was a Simon & Schuster record label based in New York City. It was conceived and founded in 1948 by the Grammy Award-winning children's music producer, Arthur Shimkin, then a new recruit in the S&S business department. Shimkin ...

, most notably the theme to ''

Mighty Mouse Mighty Mouse is an American animated anthropomorphic superhero mouse character created by the Terrytoons studio for 20th Century Fox. The character was originally called Super Mouse, and made his debut in the 1942 short ''The Mouse of Tomorro ...

'', the version that is now the best known and perhaps the original (although some sources cite the Terrytooners with

Mitch Miller Mitchell William Miller (July 4, 1911 – July 31, 2010) was an American choral conductor, record producer, record-industry executive, and professional oboist. He was involved in almost all aspects of the industry, particularly as a conductor ...

and orchestra). #There was a South African folk rock group active in the 1960s also named the Sandpipers. #A female choral group at

Albertus Magnus College Albertus Magnus College is a private Catholic university in New Haven, Connecticut. Founded by the Dominican Sisters of St. Mary of the Springs (now Dominican Sisters of Peace), it is located in the Prospect Hill neighborhood of New Haven, ...

known as the Sandpipers released an LP in 1961. #A South Florida trio (Art Williams, Wally Pape, Billy Stuart) released one LP, ''The Singin', Swingin' Sandpipers'', in 1965 on the Art label. #A New York group released one single as the Sandpipers in 1966 on the Kismet label. #A Detroit group released one single as the Sandpipers in 1966 on the Giant label. #The Nashville-based Cypress label released a single by the Sand Pipers in 1966. #A Malaysian group released three EPs as the Sandpipers in the 1960s: ''Hey Tak Malu'' on the Maria label, and ''Nyatakan Lah Pada Ku'' and ''Deritaan Insan'' (with Siti Khatijah Hamid) on the Playboy label. #An instrumental group from Mason City, Iowa, released an LP, ''The Sandpipers Play Fiesta! and Other Favorites'', in the late 1960s on the Fredlo label featuring several Herb Alpert covers. #A country and western LP, ''Silver Dollar Saloon'', and an EP, ''Irish Eyes'', were released in 1975 by Gary Lane, Chris Beckett, and the Sandpipers.

Discography

Albums

U.S. releases on

unless otherwise noted. Some releases in U.K. and other countries had different titles, alternate covers, and variations in track lists. * ''

'' (LP-117*/SP-4117, 1966, #13) * ''

The Sandpipers The Sandpipers were an American easy listening trio who carved a niche in 1960s folk rock with their vocals and innovative arrangements of international ballads and pop standards. They are best remembered for their cover version of " Guantanamer ...

'' (LP-125*/SP-4125, 1967, #53) * ''

Misty Roses ''Misty Roses'' was an LP album featuring The Sandpipers, released by A&M Records in 1967. The album reached #135 on the Billboard chart and the first track, "Cuando Salí de Cuba," made #3 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. The Dece ...

'' (LP-135*/SP-4135, 1967, #135) * '' Softly'' (SP-4147, 1968, #180) * '' Spanish Album'' (SP-4159, 1969) * ''

The Wonder of You "The Wonder of You" is a song written by Baker Knight. It was originally recorded by Vince Edwards in 1958, but this recording has never been released. In an interview with a DJ from Chattanooga, Tennessee, Ray Peterson told the story of how Bak ...

'' (SP-4180, 1969, #194) * '' Second Spanish Album'' (AMLS-969, 1970) (UK release) * '' Come Saturday Morning'' (SP-4262, 1970, #96) * '' A Gift of Song'' (SP-4328, 1971) * '' Overdue'' (Satril SATL 4006, 1976) (UK release) * ''Ay, Ay, Ay, Manila!'' (

RCA The RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded as the Radio Corporation of America in 1919. It was initially a patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse, AT&T Corporation and United Fruit Comp ...

XFPLI-021, 1977) (Philippines release) ''*

Mono Mono may refer to: Common meanings * Infectious mononucleosis, "the kissing disease" * Monaural, monophonic sound reproduction, often shortened to mono * Mono-, a numerical prefix representing anything single Music Performers * Mono (Japanese b ...

EPs

* ''Misty Roses'' (A&M SP-425, 1967), 6-song jukebox EP

Compilations

* ''I Successi Dei Sandpipers'' (A&M POP 79, 1969, Italy) * ''Greatest Hits'' (A&M SP-4246, 1970, #160) * ''Softly as I Leave You'' (A&M AMLS 975, 1970, UK) * ''Michelle'' (A&M/Summit SRA-250-081, 1970, Australia) * ''La Bamba'' (A&M/Mayfair AMLB 51030, 1971, UK) * ''Golden Double Deluxe'' (A&M AMW-23, 1971, Japan) * ''Golden Prize'' (A&M GP-207, 1971, Japan) * ''Stars in Gold'' (A&M 80 828 XT, 1972, Germany) * ''Sweet with a Beat'' (Reader's Digest RDS 7096, 1973, Germany) * ''Foursider'' (A&M SP-6015, 1973) * ''Portrait Of The Sandpipers'' (A&M AMLC4004, 1973, UK) * ''O Melhor De'' (Opus/Columbia 413.615, 1984, Brazil) * ''The Sandpipers: A&M Gold Series'' (A&M D25Y3263, 1988, Japan) * ''The Sandpipers: Digitally Remastered Best'' (Universal/A&M 487252, 1998)

Soundtracks

* ''

'' (Paramount PAS-5009, 1970) - "Come Saturday Morning", "Montage", "End Walk" * ''

'' ( 20th Century Fox TFS 4211, 1970) - "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls" * ''

Beerfest ''Beerfest'' is a 2006 American comedy film directed by Jay Chandrasekhar and starring the comedy troupe Broken Lizard, which comprises Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter, and Erik Stolhanske. The film co-stars Nat Faxon, ...

'' (Element ABA0098, 2006) - "Enamorado" * '' The Wrecking Crew'' (Rockbeat ROC 3313, 2008) - "Guantanamera"

Appearances

* ''Million Dollar Sound Sampler'' (A&M LP-9001, 1966) - "Strangers in the Night" * ''Family Portrait - 16 Outstanding Selections From A&M Records'' (A&M SP-19002, 1967) - "Fly Me to the Moon" * ''As 13 De Sorte'' (Fermata FB-179, 196?, Brazil) - "Guantanamera", "Strangers in the Night" * ''San Remo '68'' (CGD FG 5038, 1968, Italy) - "Quando M'Innamoro" * ''Armed Forces Radio & Television Station Library'' (RL 9-8, 1968) - "The French Song", "Bon Soir Dame" * ''Jewel Box'' (A&M SP-19006, 1969) - "Cancion De Amor (Wanderlove)" * ''Burt Bacharach & Friends'' (A&M SP-19007, 1969) - "Where There's a Heartache" * ''Introducing Stereo '70'' (A&M AMLB 1002, 1971, UK) - "The Windmills of Your Mind", "Cuando Salí De Cuba" * ''Introducing Stereo '71'' (RCA/Camden CAM/S-538, 1971, Mexico) - "The Windmills of Your Mind", "Cuando Salí De Cuba" * ''10 Mayfair Hits'' (A&M/Mayfair SMF66-9885, 197?, Australia) - "Windmills of Your Mind", "The Wind Will Change Tomorrow" * ''The Look of Love'' (Columbia P2 6020, 1973) - "The World Is a Circle" * ''The Hamlet Collection'' (A&M/Hamlet SAMP.8888, 1975) - "Ojos Espanoles" "Yesterday" * ''Family Portrait'' (A&M 86 768 XAT, 1975, Netherlands) - "Just an Old Fashioned Love Song" * ''The Best of Louie, Louie'' (Rhino RNEP 605, 1983) - "Louie, Louie" * ''This Land Is Our Land: The Pop-Folk Years'' (

Rhino A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species o ...

R2 71834, 2003) - "Guantanamera" * ''A&M Records - History 100'' (A&M 90680-4, 2007, Japan, 5-CD Box Set) - "Guantanamera", "Louie Louie", "Come Saturday Morning"

Singles

;Notes

References

External links

Sandpipers bio at Way Back AttackSandpipers at Sanremo 1968
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sandpipers, The A&M Records artists Musical groups established in 1965 Musical groups disestablished in 1975 Folk rock groups from California American folk musical groups Musical groups from Los Angeles American musical trios Spanish-language singers of the United States