The Sandpipers

The Sandpipers 是一组美国3人男子组合，以轻快的和音见称，虽然组团的时间并不长久，但也在1966年的时候产生过一首曾入排行榜第10位的歌曲，那就是之后很多歌手也曾经翻唱过的《Guantanamera》。这首歌曲是出自古巴的诗歌，是一首古巴民谣。
 
The Sandpipers 开始组团时名叫“the Four Seasons”，由3位成员组成，分别是Jim Brady、Mike Piano和Richard Shoff。在组团前，他们曾是加利福尼亚一家男孩合唱团的成员。成团后，他们发现纽约有一队组合名也叫“the Four Seasons”，于是他们就决定将组合名改为“the Grads”，然后在一家夜总会驻场。
 
The Grads在夜总会演出了不久后，他们的朋友就把他们引荐给一位小号手Herb Alpert，Herb Alpert自己经营了一间唱片厂牌——AM。The Grads给他留下了深刻的印象，于是他就与他们签了唱片合约，并发行了一些单曲。单曲并没有取得成功，直至他们的制作人Tommy LiPuma推荐他们演唱一首南美的民谣《Guantanamera》（此时他们的组合名已改为“The Sandpipers”）。1966年，这首歌曲在美国榜和英国榜都打入了前10位。
 
The Sandpipers 在1970年之后推出过《Come Saturday Morning》等等。虽然The Sandpipers在1970年代仍有推出唱片，但他们的听众已经越来越少了。5年都没有得到排行榜的任何位置后，他们在1970年代中期就解散了。
 
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.