Henry Gross: More Than Just Songs About Dead Dogs

Henry Gross is best known for writing and singing a song about a dead dog. It wasn't even his own dog--he wrote and sang about someone else's dead dog. Sure, the fact that the dead dog belonged to Carl Wilson of the Beach Boys does make things sound a little more interesting, but it's still a song about someone else's dead dog.

Un perro de mi amigo es muerte.

"Shannon" went all the way to #6 on the Billboard charts in early 1976. People really liked it when Henry Gross sang about someone else's dead dog.

You would think "Shannon" would be the highlight of the musical career of Henry Gross. What could be better for a one-hit wonder? Well, how about that time he opened for Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock? You see, Henry Gross was a founding member of the group Sha-Na-Na. And yes, Sha-Na-Na opened for Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock.

After "Shannon," Henry Gross next biggest hit was "Springtime Mama," which went to #37 in the summer of 1976. (Maybe it would have done better if it had been released in the springtime? Just saying.)

What, exactly, is the difference between a Mama and a Momma?

It's not a bad song. With a fun piano flourish at the beginning, it's a little reminiscent of early "Cold Spring Harbor" Billy Joel. Unfortunately for Henry, singing about being horny in the spring is not as commercially viable as singing about someone else's dead dog.

Verdict: Deserving of his one-hit wonder status. (Perhaps he should have gotten himself acquainted with John Fogerty's cat.)