MW: I became interested in music at about four or five years old. When I was a kid, I loved the Ink Spots and then with rock n' roll, I loved the Everly Brothers and Neil Sedaka. My brother was much older, so I listened to all of the records he had. He was an Elvis freak. There were guys that sang on the street corner in my neighborhood. I would listen to them and I'd sing with them sometimes.
ML: Do you remember what started you singing?
MW: I always sang, as far back as I can remember. I sang in the church choir. I was in every school play and sang in all of them.
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Left to right: Mary's Confirmation; Mary with George at his graduation; Liz and Mary
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ML: Did you go to rock n' roll shows?
MW: The only rock n' roll show I attended was in grammar school. Our class went to Freedomland and the Everly Brothers played. They did so much for everybody regarding harmony. By the time I was fifteen, I was always in the studio, so I didn't get to go to shows at that time. I really didn't go to concerts until much later.
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Clockwise from top left: Hula hoop Mary leads the pack; Mary -- first grade; future Shangs Mary and Liz in a very early photo shoot; Mary in polka dots... and plaids
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ML: What were the local hangouts in your neighborhood for teenagers?
MW: It was a place called Ed's. We all hung out there. There were all these groups of kids -- Ed's group, Bill's group, Reno's group, the 225th Street group and we all met there, four or five groups of neighborhood kids.
ML: Who were you listening to?
MW: We'd listen to Babalu and Cousin Brucie on WABC. When I was a teenager, I bought all my records at Korvettes. They had the best record department and they were cheap.
BM: Great store! They'd print their own charts every week.