Tommy Tutone
Encyclopedia
Tommy Tutone is a New Wave band
, best known for its 1982 hit "867-5309/Jenny
", which peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100
. Although it is usually referred to as a San Francisco band, it was actually based in Willits, California
, at the time that "Jenny" was released. The song became so popular that people in the United States
to this day dial this telephone number
and ask for Jenny as a prank. Regarding the famous number, "We had people threatening to sue us. It was the Buffalo
Chief of Police
's daughter's number in New York
," said frontman Tommy Heath
. Although the band is frequently remembered as a one-hit wonder
, it had another top-40 hit on the Hot 100 with "Angel Say No" in 1980, predating "Jenny" by a couple of years.
A common misconception is that Tommy Tutone is the name of the lead singer; it is actually the name of the band. Tommy Heath
is the lead singer. The name of the band developed from its original name, Tommy and the Tu-tones, to merely Tommy Tutone.
founded the band in 1978, with Heath acting as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist, also playing keyboards
on occasion; Keller playing lead guitar
and supporting vocals. Bassist
Jon Lyons (original name Jonathan Lyons Terlep) who replaced original bassist Terry Nails (Steve Jones, Ozzy Osbourne) was later replaced by Greg Sutton, Pete Costello, and Jimmy James. Mona Gnader, a member of Sammy Hagar's Waborita band, played with the band as well. Original drummer
Mickey Shine (Clover and drummer on the first Elvis Costello
album) was replaced by Victor Carberry who in turn was replaced with Jerry Angel. Joe Lamond played drums in the mid to late eighties. John Cowsill
of The Cowsills
played drums (and sang) on "867-5309/Jenny
." From 2001 onward, the band has consisted of Heath, James, Greg Georgeson (guitar), Andy Gauthier (drums), and occasionally Costello.
Tommy Heath became a computer analyst and moved to Portland, Oregon
where he worked for a startup called Cornerstone Revolutions, though he currently resides in Santa Rosa, California
. In 2007, the band signed a recording contract
with Spectra Records. In 2009, Tommy played Nashville and met with Phil Summers. As of 2010, Tommy has relocated to Tennessee. He is working on new music and his band continues to tour the country.
Jim Keller went on to become the director of Philip Glass's publishing company, Dunvagen Music Publishers. He still performs in New York City.
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
, best known for its 1982 hit "867-5309/Jenny
867-5309/Jenny
"867-5309/Jenny" is a song written by Alex Call and Jim Keller and performed by Tommy Tutone that was released on the album Tommy Tutone 2, on the Columbia Records label. It peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number one on the Billboard Top Tracks chart in 1982...
", which peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. Although it is usually referred to as a San Francisco band, it was actually based in Willits, California
Willits, California
Willits is a city in Mendocino County, California, United States. Willits is located north-northwest of Ukiah, at an elevation of 1391 feet . The population was 4,888 at the 2010 census, down from 5,073 at the 2000 census. Willits is at the center of Mendocino County and its redwood forests...
, at the time that "Jenny" was released. The song became so popular that people in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to this day dial this telephone number
Telephone number
A telephone number or phone number is a sequence of digits used to call from one telephone line to another in a public switched telephone network. When telephone numbers were invented, they were short — as few as one, two or three digits — and were given orally to a switchboard operator...
and ask for Jenny as a prank. Regarding the famous number, "We had people threatening to sue us. It was the Buffalo
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
Chief of Police
Chief of police
A Chief of Police is the title typically given to the top official in the chain of command of a police department, particularly in North America. Alternate titles for this position include Commissioner, Superintendent, and Chief constable...
's daughter's number in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
," said frontman Tommy Heath
Tommy Heath
Tommy Heath is the lead singer/rhythm guitarist/occasional keyboardist of Tommy Tutone, a 1980s rock band most famous for their top 5 hit, "867-5309/Jenny." A common misconception is that Tommy Tutone is the name of the lead singer; it is the name of the band. The name of the band developed from...
. Although the band is frequently remembered as a one-hit wonder
One-hit wonder
A one-hit wonder is a person or act known mainly for only a single success. The term is most often used to describe music performers with only one hit single.-Characteristics:...
, it had another top-40 hit on the Hot 100 with "Angel Say No" in 1980, predating "Jenny" by a couple of years.
A common misconception is that Tommy Tutone is the name of the lead singer; it is actually the name of the band. Tommy Heath
Tommy Heath
Tommy Heath is the lead singer/rhythm guitarist/occasional keyboardist of Tommy Tutone, a 1980s rock band most famous for their top 5 hit, "867-5309/Jenny." A common misconception is that Tommy Tutone is the name of the lead singer; it is the name of the band. The name of the band developed from...
is the lead singer. The name of the band developed from its original name, Tommy and the Tu-tones, to merely Tommy Tutone.
Foundation
Heath and Jim KellerJim Keller (musician)
Jim Keller is one of the founders, the lead guitarist, and supporting vocalist for the American rock band Tommy Tutone, and was co-writer of that band's most famous single, 867-5309/Jenny. He has used Fender Guitars and as of October 2008, is still "Rocking out heavily and writing songs for...
founded the band in 1978, with Heath acting as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist, also playing keyboards
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
on occasion; Keller playing lead guitar
Lead guitar
Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
and supporting vocals. Bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
Jon Lyons (original name Jonathan Lyons Terlep) who replaced original bassist Terry Nails (Steve Jones, Ozzy Osbourne) was later replaced by Greg Sutton, Pete Costello, and Jimmy James. Mona Gnader, a member of Sammy Hagar's Waborita band, played with the band as well. Original drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
Mickey Shine (Clover and drummer on the first Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
album) was replaced by Victor Carberry who in turn was replaced with Jerry Angel. Joe Lamond played drums in the mid to late eighties. John Cowsill
John Cowsill
John Cowsill is an American musician, best known for his work as a singer and drummer with his siblings' band, The Cowsills. He is currently a drummer and vocalist for the current The Beach Boys touring band, which features original Beach Boys Mike Love and Bruce Johnston...
of The Cowsills
The Cowsills
The Cowsills are an American singing group from Newport, Rhode Island. They specialized in harmonies and the ability to sing and play music at an early age. The band was formed in the spring of 1965 by brothers Bill, Bob, and Barry, then shortly thereafter added John...
played drums (and sang) on "867-5309/Jenny
867-5309/Jenny
"867-5309/Jenny" is a song written by Alex Call and Jim Keller and performed by Tommy Tutone that was released on the album Tommy Tutone 2, on the Columbia Records label. It peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number one on the Billboard Top Tracks chart in 1982...
." From 2001 onward, the band has consisted of Heath, James, Greg Georgeson (guitar), Andy Gauthier (drums), and occasionally Costello.
Tommy Heath became a computer analyst and moved to Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
where he worked for a startup called Cornerstone Revolutions, though he currently resides in Santa Rosa, California
Santa Rosa, California
Santa Rosa is the county seat of Sonoma County, California, United States. The 2010 census reported a population of 167,815. Santa Rosa is the largest city in California's Wine Country and fifth largest city in the San Francisco Bay Area, after San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland, and Fremont and 26th...
. In 2007, the band signed a recording contract
Recording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...
with Spectra Records. In 2009, Tommy played Nashville and met with Phil Summers. As of 2010, Tommy has relocated to Tennessee. He is working on new music and his band continues to tour the country.
Jim Keller went on to become the director of Philip Glass's publishing company, Dunvagen Music Publishers. He still performs in New York City.
Studio albums
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions |
|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
CAN Canadian Albums Chart The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS... |
||||||||
| 1980 | Tommy Tutone
|
68 | 82 | ||||||
| 1981 | Tommy Tutone 2 Tommy Tutone 2 Tommy Tutone 2 is the second album of the rock group, Tommy Tutone. It featured the band's biggest hit, "867-5309/Jenny"In October 2006, VH1 listed "867-5309/Jenny" as the 36th greatest song of the 1980s.... |
20 | 44 | ||||||
| 1983 | National Emotion National Emotion National Emotion was Tommy Tutone's third studio album. It was released in 1983 on Columbia Records. The track "Get Around Girl" was released as a single.-Track listing:#Dumb But Pretty#Someday Will Come#Laverne#National Emotion#Get Around Girl... |
179 | — | ||||||
| 1996 | Nervous Love
|
— | — | ||||||
| 1998 | Tutone.rtf
|
— | — | ||||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||||||
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Certifications Music recording sales certification Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,... (sales threshold) |
Album | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
US Main |
CAN Canadian Singles Chart The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays.... |
NZ |
||||||
| 1980 | "Angel Say No" | 38 | — | — | — | Tommy Tutone | |||
| 1981 | "867-5309/Jenny 867-5309/Jenny "867-5309/Jenny" is a song written by Alex Call and Jim Keller and performed by Tommy Tutone that was released on the album Tommy Tutone 2, on the Columbia Records label. It peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number one on the Billboard Top Tracks chart in 1982... " |
4 | 1 | 2 | 32 |
|
Tommy Tutone 2 | ||
| 1983 | "Get Around Girl" | — | — | — | — | National Emotion | |||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | |||||||||