1. He was a legendary performer
As a founding member of the group Sha-Na-Na, Greene performed with his fellow bandmates at the landmark music festival, Woodstock.
2. He balanced being a rock-star with being a student at Columbia University
"There were times I'd be downtown to do a variety show or some performance, and grab the train to get back to campus for a night class," he told Ron Rollins for an article in Ohio Magazine. "I was in the band full-time, and balancing a normal life."
3. He initially studied theater at Columbia.
Greene thought that he would be an actor.
In a 1998 interview he told the New York Times, "Being a rock star was never something that was particularly interesting to me," he said. "It was a great job. I loved the singing part. The byproducts, unfortunately, were exhausting travel and the ongoing-forever politics of being in a business controlled by young adults."
4. He was featured singing with Sha-Na-Na in the 1978 movie Grease
The school dance was pretty much the pinnacle of the movie Grease. Well, Greene’s band Sha-Na-Na appeared as Johnny Casino and Gamblers, and provided the backdrop for all those amazing dance scenes. He was featured on the song “Tears on My Pillow,” originally by Little Anthony and the Imperials.
5. The band Sha-Na-Na hosted their own TV show
Sha-Na-Na had their own show that aired on television from 1977 to 1981. The show featured top-name performers from Milton Berle to the Ramones as guests.
As the only black member of the band, Greene found that the writers of the skit-based program had no idea what to do with him, and would all too often cast him in roles he considered racist, according to Ron Rollins.
6. He spoke out about apartheid
"It was pretty controversial," he told Ron Rollins.
7. He channelled these experiences to teach his students
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