Lennie Baker, Singer and Saxophonist With Sha Na Na, Dies at 69

[Fansome]

Lennie Baker, Singer and Saxophonist With Sha Na Na, Dies at 69

FEB. 26, 2016

Lennie Baker, a longtime member of the rock and doo-wop group Sha Na Na, who sang lead on its hit version of “Blue Moon,” died on Wednesday in Weymouth, Mass. He was 69.

He had been hospitalized after developing an infection, David Baker, a nephew, said.

Sha Na Na found fame resurrecting 1950s rock ’n’ roll with a retro style of singing and stage choreography that mixed tight harmonies with dashes of comedy. Starting in 1970, Lennie Baker spent 30 years touring with the group as a vocalist and saxophone player.

He sang the group’s upbeat doo-wop version of “Blue Moon” in a recording as well as in performances around the world, in one instance at Carnegie Hall. The tune, written in 1934 by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, was his favorite, he often said.

He also sang lead on the song in the 1978 movie “Grease,” in which the group performed as Johnny Casino and the Gamblers. And he appeared with the group on “Sha Na Na,” its comedy and variety television show broadcast from 1977 to 1980.

Mr. Baker left Sha Na Na in 2000 and lived on Martha’s Vineyard.

Before joining the group, he was a saxophone player for the 1950s rock ’n’ roll group Danny and the Juniors.

He was born on April 18, 1946, in Whitman, Mass. Information on survivors was not immediately available.

Another former Sha Na Na member, Dennis Greene, died in September.