Tommy James and the Shondells
Tommy James and the Shondells | |
---|---|
Eddie Gray | |
Website | tommyjames |
Tommy James and the Shondells is an American
History
Origins
The band The Echoes formed in 1959 in Niles, Michigan, then evolved into Tom and the Tornadoes, with 12-year-old Tommy James (then known as Tommy Jackson) as lead singer. While attending Niles High School in Niles, Michigan, the group released its first single, "Long Pony Tail", in 1962.[8]
In 1964 James renamed the band the Shondells because the name "sounded good" and in honor of nearby
After first considering taking a job outside of music, James decided to form a new band, the Koachmen, with Shondells guitarist Larry Coverdale and members of a rival group called the Spinners (not
Hanky Panky
Meanwhile, in 1965, Pittsburgh dance promoter Bob Mack had unearthed the forgotten single "Hanky Panky", playing it at various dance parties, and radio stations there touted it as an "exclusive". Listener response encouraged regular play and demand soared. Bootleggers responded by printing 80,000 black market copies of the recording, which were sold in Pennsylvania stores.
James first learned of all this activity in April 1966 after getting a telephone call from Pittsburgh disc jockey "Mad Mike" Metro(vich) asking him to come and perform the song. James attempted to contact other members of the Shondells, but they had all moved away, joined the service or gotten married and left the music business altogether. There remains disagreement over the role of Metrovich in the recording. In his book, Me, The Mob and the Music, James credits Pittsburgh dance promoter Bob Mack and never mentions Metrovich.
In April 1966 James went by himself to make promotional appearances in Pittsburgh in nightclubs and on local television. Bob Mack made his dance club bands available to James for promotional appearances, but nothing seemed to fit until a guitarist from one of the bands took James to the Thunderbird Lounge in Greensburg, where he recruited a quintet that was playing there called the Raconteurs – Joe Kessler (guitar), Ron Rosman (keyboards), George Magura (saxophone), Mike Vale (bass) and Vincent Pietropaoli (drums) – as the new Shondells.[10] "I had no group, and I had to put one together really fast," recalled James. "I was in a Greensburg, PA club one night, and I walked up to a group that was playing that I thought was pretty good and asked them if they wanted to be the Shondells. They said yes, and off we went."[11]
With a touring group to promote the single, James went to New York City, where he sold the
Tommy James and the Shondells
At first, Tommy James and "his" Shondells played straightforward rock and roll, but they soon became associated with the budding
The group toured with Vice President
Further hits included "
The group continued until 1970.[15]
Hog Heaven
At a concert in Birmingham, Alabama, in March 1970, an exhausted James collapsed after coming off stage from a reaction to drugs and was pronounced dead. He was not dead, however, and decided to move to the country to rest and recuperate, and left the band.[16] His four bandmates carried on for a short while under the name Hog Heaven, recording two albums (one "self-titled" on Roulette Records in March 1971 and the second recorded in 1971, but unreleased until 2008), and landing one Hot 100 hit, "Happy", at number 98, but disbanded soon afterwards.
In a 1970 side project, James wrote and produced the No. 7 hit single "Tighter, Tighter" for the group
Covers by other artists
During the 1980s, the group's songbook produced major hits for three other artists:
1980s and later
In the mid-1980s, Tommy James began touring in oldies packages with other acts from the 1960s sometimes billed as Tommy James & the Shondells, although he is the group's only original member. A Greenwich Village nightclub appearance was filmed and released as Tommy James & the Shondells: Live! At The Bitter End.[19]
On January 6, 1987, original drummer Peter P. Lucia Jr. died of a heart attack while playing golf at the age of 39.
In 2008 "I'm Alive" was covered by Tom Jones and released on his 24 Hours album.
In 2009 James and the surviving Shondells, Gray, Vale and Rosman, reunited to record music for a soundtrack of a proposed film based on James' autobiography, Me, the Mob, and the Music, released in February 2010. The group still gets together from time to time for special video/TV events and nostalgia shows.
In March 2011 the Tommy James song "I'm Alive" (co-written with Peter Lucia) became a top 20 hit in the Netherlands for UK singer Don Fardon after his version had been used in a Vodafone commercial. The song originally appeared on the Crimson & Clover LP.
In 2012 "Crystal Blue Persuasion" was used in the eighth episode of Season 5 of Breaking Bad, "Gliding Over All", during a montage depicting the process involved to bring main character Walter White's methamphetamine operation and its signature blue crystal meth to an international level.
In 2015 Gray, Vale, and Rosman decided to reunite and form their new group, The Crystal Blue Band. They recruited their longtime friend and drummer Mike Wilps to replace the late Peter Lucia. That group disbanded in 2022.
Recognition
In 2008 Tommy James and The Shondells were inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame.[20]
Discography
Studio albums
Year | Album | Peak chart positions | Record Label | |
---|---|---|---|---|
US [21] |
UK | |||
1966 | Hanky Panky | 46 | Roulette Records | |
1967 | It's Only Love | — | ||
I Think We're Alone Now | 74 | |||
Gettin' Together | — | |||
1968 | Mony Mony | 193 | ||
1969 | Crimson & Clover | 8 | ||
Cellophane Symphony | 141 | |||
1970 | Travelin' | 91 | ||
"—" denotes releases that did not chart. |
Compilation albums
Year | Album | Billboard 200 [21] |
Record Label |
---|---|---|---|
1967 | Something Special! The Best of Tommy James and The Shondells | 174 | Roulette Records |
1969 | The Best of Tommy James and The Shondells | 21 | |
1989 | Anthology | — | Rhino Records |
1993 | The Very Best of Tommy James and the Shondells | — | |
2002 | The Essentials | — | |
2006 | The Definitive Pop Collection (2 cd) | — | |
2008 | 40 Years: The Complete Singles Collection (1966-2006) | — | Aura Records |
2021 | Celebration: The Complete Roulette Recordings 1966-1973 | — | Cherry Red Records / Grapefruit |
"—" denotes releases that did not chart. |
Singles
- Tom and the Tornadoes
Year | Title | Record Label | B-side |
---|---|---|---|
1962 | "Judy" | Northway Sound Records | "Long Pony Tail" |
The Shondells
Year | Title | Record Label | B-side |
---|---|---|---|
1964 | "Hanky Panky" | Snap Records | "Thunderbolt" |
1966 | "Hanky Panky" | Red Fox Records | "Thunderbolt" |
- Tommy James and the Shondells
Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Record Label | B-side From same album as A-side except where indicated |
Album | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [22] |
US A/C [23] |
US R&B [24] |
UK
[25] | |||||
1966 | "Hanky Panky" | 1 | — | 39 | 38 | Roulette Records | "Thunderbolt" (Non-LP track) | Hanky Panky |
"Say I Am (What I Am)" | 21 | — | — | — | "Lots of Pretty Girls" | |||
"It's Only Love" | 31 | — | — | — | "Ya! Ya!" | It's Only Love | ||
1967 | "I Think We're Alone Now" | 4 | — | — | — | "Gone, Gone, Gone" | I Think We're Alone Now | |
"Mirage" | 10 | — | — | — | "Run, Run, Baby, Run" | |||
"I Like the Way" | 25 | — | — | — | "(Baby, Baby) I Can't Take It No More" | |||
"Gettin' Together" | 18 | — | — | — | "Real Girl" | Gettin' Together | ||
"Out of the Blue" | 43 | — | — | — | "Love's Closin' in on Me" | Something Special! The Best of Tommy James & the Shondells | ||
1968 | "Get Out Now" | 48 | — | — | — | "Wish It Were You" | Mony Mony | |
"Mony Mony" | 3 | — | — | 1 | "One Two Three and I Fell" | |||
"Somebody Cares" | 53 | — | — | — | "Do Unto Me" | |||
"Do Something to Me" | 38 | — | — | — | "Gingerbread Man" (from Mony Mony) | Crimson & Clover | ||
"Crimson and Clover" | 1 | — | — | — | "Some Kind of Love" (from Mony Mony) | |||
1969 | "Sweet Cherry Wine" | 7 | — | — | — | "Breakaway" (from Crimson and Clover) | Cellophane Symphony | |
"Crystal Blue Persuasion" | 2 | 27 | — | — | "I'm Alive" | Crimson & Clover | ||
"Ball of Fire" | 19 | — | — | — | "Makin' Good Time" (from Cellophane Symphony) | The Best of Tommy James and The Shondells | ||
"She" | 23 | — | — | — | "Loved One" (from Cellophane Symphony) | Travelin' | ||
1970 | "Gotta Get Back to You" | 45 | — | — | — | "Red Rover" | ||
"Come to Me" | 47 | — | — | — | "Talkin' and Signifyin'" (from Travelin') | Tommy James | ||
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. |
Hog Heaven
Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Record Label | B-side |
---|---|---|---|---|
US [26] | ||||
1971 | "Happy" | 98 | Roulette Records | "Prayer" |
Further reading
- James, Tommy (with Martin Fitzpatrick), Me, the Mob, and the Music: One Helluva Ride with Tommy James and the Shondells, New York : Scribner, 2010. ISBN 978-1-4391-2865-7
References
- ^ Viglione, Joe. "Travelin' Review by Joe Viglione". AllMusic. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
- ^ "Tommy James: No time for 'Hanky Panky'". Goldmine. February 12, 2009. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
- ^ Viglione, Joe. "Travelin' Review by Joe Viglione". AllMusic. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
- ^ "Tommy James: No time for 'Hanky Panky'". Goldmine. February 12, 2009. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
- ^ a b Ruhlmann, William. "Crimson & Clover Review". AllMusic. Retrieved June 12, 2023.
Crimson & Clover, the highest-charting album by Tommy James & the Shondells (it made the Top Ten), marked the arrival of the group's psychedelic style
- ISBN 9780743201209.
- ISBN 0-89820-155-1.
- ^ a b Tommy James and the Shondells. 40 Years: The Complete Singles Collection (1966–2006). CD booklet. Aura Records, 2008.
- ^ "Hanky Panky: The Raindrops | Listen, Appearances, Song Review". AllMusic. August 25, 2008. Retrieved August 19, 2015.
- ^ a b Deming, Mark. "Tommy James & the Shondells Biography". AllMusic.
- OCLC 52727714.
- ^ James, Tommy (February 16, 2010). "Me, the Mob, and the Music: One Helluva Ride with Tommy James & The Shondells". Amazon.com. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
- ^ "Tommy James & the Shondells Official Website". Tommyjames.com. Retrieved October 28, 2009.
- ^ Buskin, Richard (June 2010). "Tommy James & The Shondells 'Crimson & Clover' - Classic Tracks". Sound On Sound. SOS Publications Group. Retrieved July 7, 2015.
- ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
- ^ "Djallyn.org". Djallyn.org. Archived from the original on November 22, 2010. Retrieved March 22, 2011.
- ^ "Tighter, Tighter - Alive 'N Kickin' | Listen, Appearances, Song Review". AllMusic. Retrieved August 19, 2015.
- ^ Simpson, Dave (July 30, 2019). "How we made I Think We're Alone Now: Tommy James and Tiffany on their shared hit". The Guardian. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
- ^ Deming, Mark (2009). "Tommy James & the Shondells: Live! At the Bitter End (2000)". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 26, 2009. Retrieved January 2, 2009.
- ^ "Tommy James and the Shondells". Michigan Rock and Roll Legends. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
- ^ a b "Tommy James - Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
- ^ "Tommy James - Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
- ^ "Tommy James - Adult Contemporary". Billboard. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
- ^ "Tommy James - Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
- ^ "TOMMY JAMES & THE SHONDELLS - full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
- ^ "The Hot 100 Chart". Billboard. Retrieved July 19, 2021.