The Sandpipers
The Sandpipers were a male vocal trio that recorded a handful of easy listening pop hits in the mid-'60s. The group was distinguished by its light, breezy harmonies, which floated over delicate, breezy string arrangements, as well as the occasional appearance of a wordless female backing vocalist who drifted in and out of the music. Though they didn't manage to have a long, sustained career, the group did have one Top Ten hit with "Guantanamera" in 1966.
Originally, the Sandpipers were known as the Four Seasons. The three members -- Jim Brady, Mike Piano, and Richard Shoff -- were part of the Californian Mitchell Boys Choir before they formed their own group. Shortly after their formation, they learned that there was a New York group using the name the Four Seasons, so they changed their name to the Grads. As the Grads, they cut a handful of singles, which helped the group secure a residency at a Lake Tahoe nightclub.
After the Grads had been performing in Lake Tahoe for a while, a friend of the group introduced them to trumpeter Herb Alpert, who ran his own record label, A&M. Impressed, he signed the group to a record contract. A&M released a handful of singles by the Grads before the trio changed its name to the Sandpipers. None of the singles the group released were successful until their producer, Tommy LiPuma, recommended that they record a South American folk song called "Guantanamera." Once "Guantanamera" was released in 1966, it became a major hit, reaching the Top Ten in both the United States and Britain.
The Sandpipers managed to follow "Guantanamera" with several minor hits, including versions of "Louie Louie" and "Kumbaya." During this time, the group had taken to recording and performing with a supporting female vocalist named Pamela Ramcier. Ramcier contributed ethereal, wordless vocals to the group. Her vocals never acted as harmonies to the group's singing; they functioned in a supporting role, much like the strings that comprised the band's instrumental backing. Although Ramcier was never credited on the albums and was always shrouded in shadows during concerts -- though her hip, mod outfits complete with miniskirts and go-go boots often made her more noticeable than the actual Sandpipers -- her voice was one of the most distinctive elements of the group's music.
In 1970, they contributed songs to The Sterile Cuckoo ("Come Saturday Morning") and Russ Meyer's Beyond the Valley of the Dolls. Though the Sandpipers continued to record into the '70s, their audience diminished with each successive year. After spending five years without any chart success, the group disbanded in the mid-'70s.
© Stephen Thomas Erlewine /TiVo
Discography
21 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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A&M Digitally Remastered Best (Remastered 1998)
Pop - Released by A&M on 26 Feb 1998
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Guantanamera
Pop - Released by Polydor Associated Labels on 1 Jan 1966
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Second Spanish Album
Vocal Jazz - Released by Planet Blue Records on 1 Jan 1973
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Best of The Sandpipers
Rock - Released by Satril - A Division of HHO on 17 Apr 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
All over but the Crying / Ballad to a Missing Lover
Pop - Released by Tru-Glo-Town Records on 7 Dec 1966
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Favorite Children's Songs
Children - Released by Tam-Tam Media on 1 Feb 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Merry Christmas with Mitch Miller
Mitch Miller, The Gang, The Sandpipers
Christmas Music - Released by Tam-Tam Media on 1 Nov 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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I Stole the Wrong Truck
Blues - Released by The Sandpipers on 14 Jan 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
I'll Raise a Glass
Blues - Released by The Sandpipers on 24 Jul 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Time for Him to Go
Rock - Released by The Sandpipers on 1 Nov 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
What Might Have Been
Latin America - Released by The Sandpipers on 9 Jun 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
It's Better When It's Loud
Rock - Released by The Sandpipers on 14 May 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo