Suddenly, Tammy!
Encyclopedia
Suddenly, Tammy! was an indie pop
band from Lancaster, Pennsylvania
. Notable for its guitarless, piano-centric lineup, the band released a self-titled album
in 1993 on spinART Records
and a second album, We Get There When We Do on Warner Bros. Records
in 1995. A third album, Comet, was recorded in 1996, but Warners subsequently dropped the band and the album was shelved. (It was released digitally in 2010.) Shortly thereafter, the group disbanded.
began making music as kids in their Lancaster, Pennsylvania, home. Their father was a jazz drummer and their mother a vocalist. Beth took up piano, percussion and vocals, while Jay became a drummer. A high school friend, Ken Heitmueller, joined on bass and the trio formed Suddenly, Tammy!, recording two EPs, Spokesmodel and El Presidente, in their basement studio. Both EPs were well-received, especially by College Music Journal, who featured the trio on their cover in 1992. Beth Sorrentino's voice served as centerpiece for the band's tight arrangements. SpinART released the band's full-length debut in 1993. The self-titled album earned Suddenly, Tammy! a number of tour slots paired with major acts (e.g., Warren Zevon
, Melissa Etheridge
, Matthew Sweet
, Jeff Buckley
, Ben Folds
Five, The Cranberries
), and eventually got them signed to Warner Bros. in 1994.
The band recorded with producer Warne Livesey (Midnight Oil
; Julian Cope
; Jesus Jones
) and released We Get There When We Do in 1995, and an EP, Shut Up! It's Christmas. More polished and consistent than their debut, We Get There ... ranged from propulsive hard rock to ballads. The group completed a third album, Comet, in 1996. However, in what amounted to a "Christmas massacre," Warners shed a number of bands from its artist roster in the final weeks of 1996, and Suddenly, Tammy! was dropped. Comet was shelved, and shortly thereafter, the trio disbanded. Singer/songwriter Beth Sorrentino
subsequently released some solo recordings under her own name, and she continues to write and record new material.
The previously uncirculated Comet had its first public release (in digital format) in Summer 2010.
Indie pop
Indie pop is a genre of alternative rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid 1980s, with its roots in the Scottish post-punk bands on the Postcard Records label in the early '80s, such as Orange Juice, Josef K and Aztec Camera, and the dominant UK independent band of the mid...
band from Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Lancaster is a city in the south-central part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is the county seat of Lancaster County and one of the older inland cities in the United States, . With a population of 59,322, it ranks eighth in population among Pennsylvania's cities...
. Notable for its guitarless, piano-centric lineup, the band released a self-titled album
Suddenly, Tammy! (album)
-Track listing:#"Stacey's Trip"#"Plant Me"#"The Way Up"#"Intro To Babee" [Hidden Track]#"Babee"#"No Respect Girl"#"Can't Decide"#"Disease"#"Lamp"#"Intro To How He" [Hidden Track]#"How He"#"Instrumental"#"Fearless"#"Ryan"#"Mt. Rushmore"...
in 1993 on spinART Records
SpinART Records
spinART Records is a now-defunct New York City-based independent record label that released recordings by artists such as The Apples in Stereo, Clem Snide, Frank Black and Michael Penn....
and a second album, We Get There When We Do on Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
in 1995. A third album, Comet, was recorded in 1996, but Warners subsequently dropped the band and the album was shelved. (It was released digitally in 2010.) Shortly thereafter, the group disbanded.
Biography
Siblings Jay and Beth SorrentinoBeth Sorrentino
Beth Sorrentino is an American pianist and singer-songwriter from Lancaster, Pennsylvania.-Suddenly, Tammy!:In the early 1990s, Sorrentino, her brother Jay , and high school friend Ken Heitmueller formed the music trio Suddenly, Tammy!...
began making music as kids in their Lancaster, Pennsylvania, home. Their father was a jazz drummer and their mother a vocalist. Beth took up piano, percussion and vocals, while Jay became a drummer. A high school friend, Ken Heitmueller, joined on bass and the trio formed Suddenly, Tammy!, recording two EPs, Spokesmodel and El Presidente, in their basement studio. Both EPs were well-received, especially by College Music Journal, who featured the trio on their cover in 1992. Beth Sorrentino's voice served as centerpiece for the band's tight arrangements. SpinART released the band's full-length debut in 1993. The self-titled album earned Suddenly, Tammy! a number of tour slots paired with major acts (e.g., Warren Zevon
Warren Zevon
Warren William Zevon was an American rock singer-songwriter and musician noted for including his sometimes sardonic opinions of life in his musical lyrics, composing songs that were sometimes humorous and often had political or historical themes.Zevon's work has often been praised by well-known...
, Melissa Etheridge
Melissa Etheridge
Melissa Lou Etheridge is an American rock singer-songwriter and musician.Etheridge is known for her mixture of confessional lyrics, pop-based folk-rock, and raspy, smoky vocals...
, Matthew Sweet
Matthew Sweet
Sidney Matthew Sweet is an American alternative rock/power pop musician. He was part of the burgeoning Athens, Georgia music scene in the early and mid-1980s before gaining commercial success during the early 1990s...
, Jeff Buckley
Jeff Buckley
Jeffrey Scott "Jeff" Buckley , raised as Scotty Moorhead, was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He was the son of Tim Buckley, also a musician...
, Ben Folds
Ben Folds
Benjamin Scott "Ben" Folds is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and television personality. From 1995-2000, Folds was the frontman and pianist of the alternative rock band Ben Folds Five. Since the group disbanded, Folds has performed as a solo artist and has toured all over the world...
Five, The Cranberries
The Cranberries
The Cranberries are an Irish rock band formed in Limerick in 1989 under the name The Cranberry Saw Us, later changed by vocalist Dolores O'Riordan. The band currently consists of O'Riordan, guitarist Noel Hogan, bassist Mike Hogan and drummer Fergal Lawler...
), and eventually got them signed to Warner Bros. in 1994.
The band recorded with producer Warne Livesey (Midnight Oil
Midnight Oil
Midnight Oil , were an Australian rock band from Sydney originally performing as Farm from 1972 with drummer Rob Hirst, bass guitarist Andrew James and keyboard player/lead guitarist Jim Moginie...
; Julian Cope
Julian Cope
Julian Cope is a British rock musician, author, antiquary, musicologist, poet and cultural commentator...
; Jesus Jones
Jesus Jones
Jesus Jones are a British rock band. The Wiltshire-based group, formed in late 1988, recorded and performed in the late 1980s, throughout the 1990s, and into the 2000s. They are best remembered for their track, "Right Here, Right Now", an international hit and subsequently globally appropriated for...
) and released We Get There When We Do in 1995, and an EP, Shut Up! It's Christmas. More polished and consistent than their debut, We Get There ... ranged from propulsive hard rock to ballads. The group completed a third album, Comet, in 1996. However, in what amounted to a "Christmas massacre," Warners shed a number of bands from its artist roster in the final weeks of 1996, and Suddenly, Tammy! was dropped. Comet was shelved, and shortly thereafter, the trio disbanded. Singer/songwriter Beth Sorrentino
Beth Sorrentino
Beth Sorrentino is an American pianist and singer-songwriter from Lancaster, Pennsylvania.-Suddenly, Tammy!:In the early 1990s, Sorrentino, her brother Jay , and high school friend Ken Heitmueller formed the music trio Suddenly, Tammy!...
subsequently released some solo recordings under her own name, and she continues to write and record new material.
The previously uncirculated Comet had its first public release (in digital format) in Summer 2010.
Band members
- Beth SorrentinoBeth SorrentinoBeth Sorrentino is an American pianist and singer-songwriter from Lancaster, Pennsylvania.-Suddenly, Tammy!:In the early 1990s, Sorrentino, her brother Jay , and high school friend Ken Heitmueller formed the music trio Suddenly, Tammy!...
— vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal... - Ken Heitmueller — bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... - Jay Sorrentino — drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
Albums
- Suddenly, Tammy!Suddenly, Tammy! (album)-Track listing:#"Stacey's Trip"#"Plant Me"#"The Way Up"#"Intro To Babee" [Hidden Track]#"Babee"#"No Respect Girl"#"Can't Decide"#"Disease"#"Lamp"#"Intro To How He" [Hidden Track]#"How He"#"Instrumental"#"Fearless"#"Ryan"#"Mt. Rushmore"...
(1993) — SpinART RecordsSpinART RecordsspinART Records is a now-defunct New York City-based independent record label that released recordings by artists such as The Apples in Stereo, Clem Snide, Frank Black and Michael Penn.... - We Get There When We Do (1995) — Warner Bros. RecordsWarner Bros. RecordsWarner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
- Comet (1996) — Warner Bros. RecordsWarner Bros. RecordsWarner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
(not released by label; released independently in digital format 2010)