Tommy James & the Shondells
Encyclopedia
Tommy James and the Shondells are an American
rock and roll
group
whose period of greatest success came in the late 1960s. They had two No. 1 singles
in the U.S.
— "Hanky Panky" (1966) and "Crimson and Clover
" (1969) — and also charted 12 other Top 40 hits, including five in the top ten: "Crystal Blue Persuasion
", "Mony Mony
", "I Think We're Alone Now", "Sweet Cherry Wine
", and "Mirage
".
, first as the Echoes, then under the name Tom and the Tornadoes, with Tommy James
(then known as Tommy Jackson), then only 12, as lead singer. In 1964 James re-named the band The Shondells because the name "sounded good." At this time, the Shondells were composed of Tommy James (vocals and guitar), Larry Coverdale (lead guitar), Larry Wright (bass), Craig Villeneuve (keyboards) and Jim Payne (drums). Later that year, the band recorded
the Jeff Barry
/Ellie Greenwich
song "Hanky Panky" (originally a B-side
by The Raindrops
). Released by a local label, Snap Records, James's version sold respectably in the South Bend, Indiana
, market of Michigan
, Indiana
and Illinois
, but Snap Records had no national distribution. Although the band toured the eastern Midwest, no other market took to the song. The single failed to chart
nationally, and The Shondells disbanded in 1965 after graduating from high school.
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 the hit-making group from Detroit). The Koachmen played a Midwestern circuit of clubs through the summer and fall of 1965 but returned to Niles in February 1966, after the gigs dried up, to plot their next move.
In 1966 a Pittsburgh radio station
unearthed the forgotten single and touted it as an "exclusive". Listener response encouraged the station to play it regularly. Another Pittsburgh disc jockey
played his copy of the single at various dance parties, and demand soared. Bootleggers responded by printing up 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 to come and perform the song. James attempted to contact his fellow Shondells. But they had all moved away, joined the service or gotten married and left the music business altogether.
In April 1966 James went by himself to make promotional appearances for the Pittsburgh radio station in nightclub
s and on local television
. "I had no group, and I had to put one together really fast," recalled James. "I was in a Pittsburgh 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." James recruited a Pittsburgh quintet called The Raconteurs – composed of Joe Kessler (guitar), Ron Rosman (keyboards), George Magura (saxophone), Mike Vale (bass), and Vinnie Pietropaoli (drums) – to become the new Shondells.
With a touring group to promote the single, James went to New York City
, where he sold the master
of "Hanky Panky" to Roulette Records
, at which time he changed his last name to James. With national promotion, the single became a No. 1 hit in July 1966. Before long, Kessler and Pietropaoli were forced to leave after a dispute when planned monies were not paid to them by Roulette. They were replaced by Eddie Gray and Peter Lucia; Magura departed as well.
At first, Tommy James and His Shondells played straightforward shambolic rock and roll
, but soon became involved in the budding bubblegum music
movement. Songwriter
Ritchie Cordell gave them the No. 4 hit "I Think We're Alone Now" and the No. 10 hit "Mirage
" in 1967. In 1968, James had a No. 3 hit with "Mony Mony
". Co-written by James, Cordell, Cordell's writing partner Bo Gentry, and Bobby Bloom, "Mony Mony" reached No. 3 in the US and was a British No. 1 in 1968. The title was inspired by a sign for Mutual Of New York that hung outside James' apartment window. He followed it with the song "Do Something to Me". However, James was labeled as a bubble-gum rock artist, which he hated. Therefore, he changed his style to psychedelic rock
.
From 1968, the group began writing their own songs, with James and Lucia penning the psychedelic classic "Crimson and Clover
". The song was recorded and mixed by Bruce Staple, with James tackling vocal duties and playing all instruments
, and featured the then unusual use of electronic gadgetry such as vocoder
s and phasers. Later in 1968, the group toured with Vice President Hubert Humphrey
during his presidential campaign. Humphrey showed his appreciation by writing the liner notes for the Crimson and Clover
album.
Further hits included "Sweet Cherry Wine
", "Crystal Blue Persuasion
", and "Ball of Fire", all from 1969. They also produced "Sugar on Sunday", later covered
by The Clique
. As the band embraced the sounds of psychedelia, they were invited to perform at the Woodstock concert but declined.
The group continued until 1970. At a concert in Birmingham, Alabama
in March of that year, an exhausted James collapsed after coming off stage from a reaction to drugs and was actually pronounced dead. He recovered and decided to move to the country to recuperate. His four band-mates carried on for a short while under the name of "Hog Heaven" but disbanded soon afterwards.
In a 1970 side project, James wrote and produced
the No. 7 hit single "Tighter, Tighter" for the group Alive N Kickin'
. James launched a solo
career in 1971 that yielded two notable hits over a 10-year span, "Draggin' the Line" (1971) and "Three Times In Love" (1980).
During the 1980s, the group's songbook produced major hits for three other artists
: Joan Jett & The Blackhearts' version of "Crimson And Clover" (No. 7 in 1982), Tiffany's
"I Think We're Alone Now" and Billy Idol
's "Mony Mony" (back-to-back No. 1 singles in November 1987). Other Shondells covers have been performed by acts as disparate as psychobilly ravers The Cramps
, new wave
singer Lene Lovich
, country music veteran Dolly Parton
and the Boston Pops orchestra.
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
.
In 2006, Tommy James and the Shondells were inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame. In 2008 they were inducted into the Hit Parade Hall of Fame.
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 and Clover
LP.
", "Crimson and Clover
", "Sweet Cherry Wine
", and "Crystal Blue Persuasion
".
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
group
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
whose period of greatest success came in the late 1960s. They had two No. 1 singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
— "Hanky Panky" (1966) and "Crimson and Clover
Crimson and Clover
"Crimson and Clover" is a 1968 song by American rock band Tommy James and the Shondells. Written by the duo of Tommy James and drummer Peter Lucia Jr., it was intended as a change in direction of the group's sound and composition....
" (1969) — and also charted 12 other Top 40 hits, including five in the top ten: "Crystal Blue Persuasion
Crystal Blue Persuasion
"Crystal Blue Persuasion" is a 1969 song originally recorded by Tommy James and the Shondells and composed by Eddie Gray, Tommy James and Mike Vale....
", "Mony Mony
Mony Mony
"Mony Mony" is a 1968 single by Tommy James & the Shondells, that reached #1 in the UK charts.-History:"Mony Mony" was credited to Tommy James, Bo Gentry, Ritchie Cordell, and Bobby Bloom. The hook in the song is said to have been inspired by James' view of a MONY sign atop the Mutual of New York...
", "I Think We're Alone Now", "Sweet Cherry Wine
Sweet Cherry Wine
"Sweet Cherry Wine" is a song by Tommy James and the Shondells from their 1969 album Cellophane Symphony. The song hit number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 and hit number six on the Canadian charts...
", and "Mirage
Mirage (song)
"Mirage" is a song by Tommy James and the Shondells released in 1967 on the album, I Think We're Alone Now. The song debuted on the Hot 100 on Tommy's 20th birthday, eventually reaching No. 10 there and No. 2 on the Canadian charts....
".
History
The band formed in 1959 in Niles, MichiganNiles, Michigan
Niles is a city in Berrien and Cass counties in the U.S. state of Michigan, near South Bend, Indiana. The population was 11,600 at the 2010 census. It is the greater populated of two principal cities of and included in the Niles-Benton Harbor, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a...
, first as the Echoes, then under the name Tom and the Tornadoes, with Tommy James
Tommy James
Tommy James is an American pop-rock musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer, best known as leader of the 1960s rock band Tommy James and the Shondells.-Early life and career:...
(then known as Tommy Jackson), then only 12, as lead singer. In 1964 James re-named the band The Shondells because the name "sounded good." At this time, the Shondells were composed of Tommy James (vocals and guitar), Larry Coverdale (lead guitar), Larry Wright (bass), Craig Villeneuve (keyboards) and Jim Payne (drums). Later that year, the band recorded
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
the Jeff Barry
Jeff Barry
Jeff Barry is an American pop music songwriter, singer, and record producer.-Early career:...
/Ellie Greenwich
Ellie Greenwich
Eleanor Louise "Ellie" Greenwich was an American pop music singer, songwriter, and record producer. She wrote or co-wrote "Be My Baby", "Christmas ", "Da Doo Ron Ron", "Leader of the Pack", "Do Wah Diddy Diddy", and "River Deep, Mountain High", among many others...
song "Hanky Panky" (originally a B-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
by The Raindrops
The Raindrops
The Raindrops were an American pop group from New York, associated with the Brill Building style of 1960s pop. The group existed from 1963 to 1965 and consisted of Ellie Greenwich and Jeff Barry, both of whom worked as writer/producers for numerous other acts before, during and after their tenure...
). Released by a local label, Snap Records, James's version sold respectably in the South Bend, Indiana
South Bend, Indiana
The city of South Bend is the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, on the St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total of 101,168 residents; its Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 316,663...
, market of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
and Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, but Snap Records had no national distribution. Although the band toured the eastern Midwest, no other market took to the song. The single failed to chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
nationally, and The Shondells disbanded in 1965 after graduating from high school.
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 the hit-making group from Detroit). The Koachmen played a Midwestern circuit of clubs through the summer and fall of 1965 but returned to Niles in February 1966, after the gigs dried up, to plot their next move.
In 1966 a Pittsburgh radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
unearthed the forgotten single and touted it as an "exclusive". Listener response encouraged the station to play it regularly. Another Pittsburgh disc jockey
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
played his copy of the single at various dance parties, and demand soared. Bootleggers responded by printing up 80,000 black market copies of the recording, which were sold in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
stores.
James first learned of all this activity in April 1966 after getting a telephone
Telephone
The telephone , colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other...
call from Pittsburgh disc jockey "Mad Mike" Metro to come and perform the song. James attempted to contact his fellow Shondells. But they had all moved away, joined the service or gotten married and left the music business altogether.
In April 1966 James went by himself to make promotional appearances for the Pittsburgh radio station in nightclub
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
s and on local television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
. "I had no group, and I had to put one together really fast," recalled James. "I was in a Pittsburgh 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." James recruited a Pittsburgh quintet called The Raconteurs – composed of Joe Kessler (guitar), Ron Rosman (keyboards), George Magura (saxophone), Mike Vale (bass), and Vinnie Pietropaoli (drums) – to become the new Shondells.
With a touring group to promote the single, James went to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, where he sold the master
Master recording
A multitrack recording master tape, disk or computer files on which productions are developed for later mixing, is known as the multi-track master, while the tape, disk or computer files holding a mix is called a mixed master.It is standard practice to make a copy of a master recording, known as...
of "Hanky Panky" to Roulette Records
Roulette Records
Roulette Records is an American record label, which was founded in late 1956, by George Goldner, Joe Kolsky, Morris Levy and Phil Khals, with creative control given to producers and songwriters Hugo Peretti and Luigi Creatore. Levy was appointed as director...
, at which time he changed his last name to James. With national promotion, the single became a No. 1 hit in July 1966. Before long, Kessler and Pietropaoli were forced to leave after a dispute when planned monies were not paid to them by Roulette. They were replaced by Eddie Gray and Peter Lucia; Magura departed as well.
At first, Tommy James and His Shondells played straightforward shambolic rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
, but soon became involved in the budding bubblegum music
Bubblegum pop
Bubblegum pop is a genre of pop music with an upbeat sound contrived and marketed to appeal to pre-teens and teenagers, produced in an assembly-line process, driven by producers, often using unknown singers.Bubblegum's classic period ran from 1967 to 1972...
movement. Songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
Ritchie Cordell gave them the No. 4 hit "I Think We're Alone Now" and the No. 10 hit "Mirage
Mirage (song)
"Mirage" is a song by Tommy James and the Shondells released in 1967 on the album, I Think We're Alone Now. The song debuted on the Hot 100 on Tommy's 20th birthday, eventually reaching No. 10 there and No. 2 on the Canadian charts....
" in 1967. In 1968, James had a No. 3 hit with "Mony Mony
Mony Mony
"Mony Mony" is a 1968 single by Tommy James & the Shondells, that reached #1 in the UK charts.-History:"Mony Mony" was credited to Tommy James, Bo Gentry, Ritchie Cordell, and Bobby Bloom. The hook in the song is said to have been inspired by James' view of a MONY sign atop the Mutual of New York...
". Co-written by James, Cordell, Cordell's writing partner Bo Gentry, and Bobby Bloom, "Mony Mony" reached No. 3 in the US and was a British No. 1 in 1968. The title was inspired by a sign for Mutual Of New York that hung outside James' apartment window. He followed it with the song "Do Something to Me". However, James was labeled as a bubble-gum rock artist, which he hated. Therefore, he changed his style to psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues rock bands in United States and the United Kingdom...
.
From 1968, the group began writing their own songs, with James and Lucia penning the psychedelic classic "Crimson and Clover
Crimson and Clover
"Crimson and Clover" is a 1968 song by American rock band Tommy James and the Shondells. Written by the duo of Tommy James and drummer Peter Lucia Jr., it was intended as a change in direction of the group's sound and composition....
". The song was recorded and mixed by Bruce Staple, with James tackling vocal duties and playing all instruments
Musical instrument
A musical instrument is a device created or adapted for the purpose of making musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can serve as a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. The history of musical instruments dates back to the...
, and featured the then unusual use of electronic gadgetry such as vocoder
Vocoder
A vocoder is an analysis/synthesis system, mostly used for speech. In the encoder, the input is passed through a multiband filter, each band is passed through an envelope follower, and the control signals from the envelope followers are communicated to the decoder...
s and phasers. Later in 1968, the group toured with Vice President Hubert Humphrey
Hubert Humphrey
Hubert Horatio Humphrey, Jr. , served under President Lyndon B. Johnson as the 38th Vice President of the United States. Humphrey twice served as a United States Senator from Minnesota, and served as Democratic Majority Whip. He was a founder of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party and...
during his presidential campaign. Humphrey showed his appreciation by writing the liner notes for the Crimson and Clover
Crimson and Clover (album)
Crimson & Clover is a 1968 hit album by Tommy James and the Shondells, which featured the No. 1 "Crimson and Clover" as well as the number two hit "Crystal Blue Persuasion"...
album.
Further hits included "Sweet Cherry Wine
Sweet Cherry Wine
"Sweet Cherry Wine" is a song by Tommy James and the Shondells from their 1969 album Cellophane Symphony. The song hit number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 and hit number six on the Canadian charts...
", "Crystal Blue Persuasion
Crystal Blue Persuasion
"Crystal Blue Persuasion" is a 1969 song originally recorded by Tommy James and the Shondells and composed by Eddie Gray, Tommy James and Mike Vale....
", and "Ball of Fire", all from 1969. They also produced "Sugar on Sunday", later covered
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
by The Clique
The Clique (Texas band)
The Clique are a late 1960s U.S. sunshine pop band from Beaumont, Texas, 90 miles east of Houston.The group was centered around record producer/songwriter Gary Zekley, who often employed session musicians...
. As the band embraced the sounds of psychedelia, they were invited to perform at the Woodstock concert but declined.
The group continued until 1970. At a concert in Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
in March of that year, an exhausted James collapsed after coming off stage from a reaction to drugs and was actually pronounced dead. He recovered and decided to move to the country to recuperate. His four band-mates carried on for a short while under the name of "Hog Heaven" but disbanded soon afterwards.
In a 1970 side project, James wrote and produced
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
the No. 7 hit single "Tighter, Tighter" for the group Alive N Kickin'
Alive N Kickin'
Alive N Kickin’ is a Brooklyn band, led by singers Pepe Cardona and Sandy Toder, known mainly for their 1970 hit single "Tighter, Tighter" which reached #7 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart...
. James launched a solo
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
career in 1971 that yielded two notable hits over a 10-year span, "Draggin' the Line" (1971) and "Three Times In Love" (1980).
During the 1980s, the group's songbook produced major hits for three other artists
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
: Joan Jett & The Blackhearts' version of "Crimson And Clover" (No. 7 in 1982), Tiffany's
Tiffany (singer)
Tiffany Renee Darwish , known popularly as Tiffany, is an American singer and former teen icon. She is most notable for her 1987 cover version of "I Think We're Alone Now", originally recorded by Tommy James and the Shondells in 1967. Released as the second single from her eponymous album, Tiffany,...
"I Think We're Alone Now" and Billy Idol
Billy Idol
William Michael Albert Broad , better known by his stage name Billy Idol, is an English rock musician. A member of the Bromley Contingent of Sex Pistols fans, Idol first achieved fame in the punk rock era as a member of the band Generation X...
's "Mony Mony" (back-to-back No. 1 singles in November 1987). Other Shondells covers have been performed by acts as disparate as psychobilly ravers The Cramps
The Cramps
The Cramps were an American rock band, formed in 1976 and active until 2009. The band split after the death of lead singer Lux Interior. Their line-up rotated much over their existence, with the husband and wife duo of Interior and lead guitarist Poison Ivy the only permanent members...
, new wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
singer Lene Lovich
Lene Lovich
Lene Lovich is an American singer based in England, who first gained attention as part of the New Wave music scene of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Her most popular hit single was "Lucky Number", first released in 1979.-Early years:...
, country music veteran Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer-songwriter, author, multi-instrumentalist, actress and philanthropist, best known for her work in country music. Dolly Parton has appeared in movies like 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias and Straight Talk...
and the Boston Pops orchestra.
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
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village, , , , .in New York often simply called "the Village", is a largely residential neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City. A large majority of the district is home to upper middle class families...
nightclub appearance was filmed and released as Tommy James & the Shondells: Live! At The Bitter End
The Bitter End
The Bitter End is a nightclub in New York City's Greenwich Village. It opened its doors in 1961 at 147 Bleecker Street under the auspices of owner Fred Weintraub. The club changed its name to The Other End during the 1970s...
.
In 2006, Tommy James and the Shondells were inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame. In 2008 they were inducted into the Hit Parade Hall of Fame.
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
Don Fardon
Don Fardon is an English pop singer.-Career:His biggest success was to be his cover version of John D. Loudermilk's "Indian Reservation" . The global sales were estimated at over one million copies...
after his version had been used in a Vodafone
Vodafone
Vodafone Group Plc is a global telecommunications company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest mobile telecommunications company measured by revenues and the world's second-largest measured by subscribers , with around 341 million proportionate subscribers as of...
commercial. The song originally appeared on the Crimson and Clover
Crimson and Clover
"Crimson and Clover" is a 1968 song by American rock band Tommy James and the Shondells. Written by the duo of Tommy James and drummer Peter Lucia Jr., it was intended as a change in direction of the group's sound and composition....
LP.
Million sellers
They amassed six million-selling gold records: "Hanky Panky", "I Think We're Alone Now", "Mony MonyMony Mony
"Mony Mony" is a 1968 single by Tommy James & the Shondells, that reached #1 in the UK charts.-History:"Mony Mony" was credited to Tommy James, Bo Gentry, Ritchie Cordell, and Bobby Bloom. The hook in the song is said to have been inspired by James' view of a MONY sign atop the Mutual of New York...
", "Crimson and Clover
Crimson and Clover
"Crimson and Clover" is a 1968 song by American rock band Tommy James and the Shondells. Written by the duo of Tommy James and drummer Peter Lucia Jr., it was intended as a change in direction of the group's sound and composition....
", "Sweet Cherry Wine
Sweet Cherry Wine
"Sweet Cherry Wine" is a song by Tommy James and the Shondells from their 1969 album Cellophane Symphony. The song hit number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 and hit number six on the Canadian charts...
", and "Crystal Blue Persuasion
Crystal Blue Persuasion
"Crystal Blue Persuasion" is a 1969 song originally recorded by Tommy James and the Shondells and composed by Eddie Gray, Tommy James and Mike Vale....
".
Albums
- 1966 Hanky Panky (#46) -- Roulette R (Mono)/SR (Stereo) -25336
- 1966 It's Only Love -- Roulette R/SR-25344
- 1967 I Think We're Alone Now (#74) -- Roulette R/SR-25353
-
- Original pressings feature a black album cover with yellow footprints, later replaced with a photo of the group
- 1967 Something Special!:The Best Of Tommy James & the Shondells (#174) -- Roulette R/SR-25355
- Reissued in 1968 as Roulette SR-42005
- 1967 Gettin' Together -- Roulette R/SR-25357
- 1968 Mony MonyMony Mony (album)- Track listing :#"Mony Mony"#"Do unto Me"#" Taken"#"Night Time "#"Run Away With Me"#"Somebody Cares"#"Get Out Now"#"I Can't Go Back To Denver"#"Some Kind of Love"#"Ginger Bread Man"#"One Two Three and I Fell"...
(#193) -- Roulette SR-42012 - 1968 Crimson & Clover (#8) -- Roulette SR-42023
- 1969 Cellophane Symphony (#141) -- Roulette SR-42030
- 1969 The Best of Tommy James and the Shondells (#21) -- Roulette SR-42040
- 1970 Travelin (#91) -- Roulette SR-42044
- 1983 Short Sharp Shots (10" PRT Records)
- Original pressings feature a black album cover with yellow footprints, later replaced with a photo of the group
Singles
- 1964: "Hanky Panky" / "Thunderbolt" -- Snap 102
- 1965: "Hanky Panky" / "Thunderbolt" -- Red Fox 110
- 1966: "Hanky Panky" (#1 U.S.) (#38 UKUK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
) (#1 CAN) / "Thunderbolt" -- Roulette 4686 - 1966: "Say I Am (What I Am)" (#21) (#12 CAN) / "Lots of Pretty Girls" -- Roulette 4695
- 1966: "It's Only Love" (#31) (#10 CAN) / "Don't Let My Love Pass You By" (replaced with "Ya! Ya!" on later pressings) -- Roulette 4710
- 1967: "I Think We're Alone Now" (#4) (#6 CAN) / "Gone, Gone, Gone" -- Roulette 4720
- 1967: "MirageMirage (song)"Mirage" is a song by Tommy James and the Shondells released in 1967 on the album, I Think We're Alone Now. The song debuted on the Hot 100 on Tommy's 20th birthday, eventually reaching No. 10 there and No. 2 on the Canadian charts....
" (#10) (#2 CAN) / "Run Run Baby Run" -- Roulette 4736 - 1967: "I Like the Way" (#25) (#21 CAN) / "Baby I Can't Take It No More" -- Roulette 4756
- 1967: "Gettin' Together" (#18) (#24 CAN) / "Real Girl" -- Roulette 4762
- 1967: "Out of the Blue" (#43) (#35 CAN) / "Love's Closing In On Me" -- Roulette 4775
- 1968: "Get Out Now" (#48) (#37 CAN) / "Wish It Were You" -- Roulette 7000
- 1968: "Mony MonyMony Mony"Mony Mony" is a 1968 single by Tommy James & the Shondells, that reached #1 in the UK charts.-History:"Mony Mony" was credited to Tommy James, Bo Gentry, Ritchie Cordell, and Bobby Bloom. The hook in the song is said to have been inspired by James' view of a MONY sign atop the Mutual of New York...
" (#3) (#1 UK) (#3 CAN) / "One Two Three And I Fell" -- Roulette 7008 - 1968: "Somebody Cares" (#53) (#40 CAN) / "Do Unto Me" -- Roulette 7016
- 1968: "Do Something to Me" (#38) (#16 CAN) / "Gingerbread Man" -- Roulette 7024
- 1968: "Crimson and CloverCrimson and Clover"Crimson and Clover" is a 1968 song by American rock band Tommy James and the Shondells. Written by the duo of Tommy James and drummer Peter Lucia Jr., it was intended as a change in direction of the group's sound and composition....
" (#1) (#1 CAN) / "I'm Taken" (promotional copies only), "Some Kind Of Love" (commercial copies) -- Roulette 7028 - 1969: "Sweet Cherry WineSweet Cherry Wine"Sweet Cherry Wine" is a song by Tommy James and the Shondells from their 1969 album Cellophane Symphony. The song hit number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 and hit number six on the Canadian charts...
" (#7) (#6 CAN) / "Breakaway" -- Roulette 7039 - 1969: "Crystal Blue PersuasionCrystal Blue Persuasion"Crystal Blue Persuasion" is a 1969 song originally recorded by Tommy James and the Shondells and composed by Eddie Gray, Tommy James and Mike Vale....
" (#2) (#1 CAN) / "I'm Alive" -- Roulette 7050 - 1969: "Ball of Fire" (#19) (#8 CAN) / "Makin' Good Time" -- Roulette 7060
- 1969: "She" (#23) (#15 CAN) / "Loved One" -- Roulette 7066
- 1970: "Gotta Get Back to You" (#45) (#16 CAN) / "Red Rover" -- Roulette 7071
- 1970: "Come to Me" (#47) (#46 CAN) / "Talkin' and Signifying" -- Roulette 7076
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 9781439128657