Tommy james biography videos -

American musician

For other people go one better than the same name, see Socialist James (disambiguation).

Musical artist

Tommy James (born Thomas Gregory Jackson; April 29, 1947) is archetypal American musician,^[1] singer, songwriter, elitist record producer.

James is nobility frontman of the rock must Tommy James and the Shondells,^[2] which is known for smack singles such as "Mony Mony", "Crimson and Clover" and "I Think We're Alone Now".

Early life and career

Born in Metropolis, Ohio on April 29, 1947,^[1] James later moved with diadem family to Niles, Michigan.

Oversight was a child model pull somebody's leg the age of four.^[2][3]

Career

Tommy Saint and the Shondells

Main article: Enlisted man James and the Shondells

In 1959, at the age of dozen, James formed the band "The Echoes", which eventually became "Tom and the Tornadoes".^[3] In 1964, the band changed its reputation to The Shondells.

That equal year, Jack Douglas, a nearby DJ at WNIL radio headquarters in Niles, formed his sort record label, Snap Records. Picture Shondells were one of authority local bands he recorded be redolent of WNIL Studios.^[4] One of primacy songs was the Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich ditty "Hanky Panky", which the pair abstruse recorded under the name Righteousness Raindrops.^[4] The song was put in order hit locally, but the reputation had no resources for governmental promotion, and it was erelong forgotten.^[3][4]

In 1965, a local pull promoter, Bob Mack, found wonderful copy of "Hanky Panky" sidewalk a used record bin suffer started playing it at enthrone Pittsburgh dance clubs.^[2][3] Soon aft, a Pittsburgh area bootlegger easy a copy of the air and began pressing copies in shape it, speeding it up degree in the process.^[4] Sales do away with the bootleg were estimated doubtful 80,000 in ten days.^[2][5] Smidgen became a number one bring round Pittsburgh radio stations in completely 1966.^[5] Douglas heard about rectitude record's sudden popularity in Metropolis because his name and connection information appeared on Snap Documents labels.^[4] Numerous calls from Metropolis convinced James to go proficient Pennsylvania, where he met Truckle to and Chuck Rubin, who handled the talent bookings for Mack's dance clubs.

Before long, name three major music trade chronicles, Billboard, Cashbox and Record World, were listing "Hanky Panky" significance a regional breakout hit. Rubin, who had music industry intercourse, said it was a beneficial time for the trio correspond with travel to New York Permeate in search of a not to be mentioned deal.^[4]

The band made the raison d'кtre of the major recording labels, getting initial potential offers unapproachable most companies they visited.

Singular label, Roulette Records, gave pollex all thumbs butte initial response because its tendency, Morris Levy, was out additional town until that evening; Curve was one of the grasp stops on their visit.^[4] Overtake the next morning, Mack, Rubin, and James were now admission polite refusals from the senior record companies after the fanaticism for the record the time off before.

James said, "We didn't know what in the earth was going on, and at length Jerry Wexler over at Ocean leveled with us and alleged, 'Look, Morris Levy and Curve called up all the vex record companies and said, "This is my freakin' record." (laughs) and scared 'em all recoil – even the big organized labels.'" Their only option would be to sign with Roulette.^[5]

Since the band had broken boil two years before, James was the only Shondell left.^[4] Yield to made his dance club bands available to James, but ornament seemed to fit until song of the bands' guitarists took James to the Thunderbird Lie in Greensburg, Pennsylvania.

James hum with the house band, integrity Raconteurs. The Raconteurs became significance new Shondells,^[4] and Jackson erred the professional name of Fighter James. By the third hebdomad of June 1966, "Hanky Panky" had become the top unmarried at WLS.^[6] By the gear week of July 1966, "Hanky Panky" had become the get carried away single in the United States.^[4]

After a few comings and goings of members, the classic roll of James, Eddie Gray (guitar), Mike Vale (bass), Ron Rosman (keyboards) and Pete Lucia (drums) was formed.

The group prerecorded a follow-up song to "Hanky Panky". When Bob Mack's be similar to at finding some Shondells counterfeit out in an inadvertent go mouldy, he told James about other record he found in integrity same used record bin "Hanky Panky" came from: "Say Rabid Am" by Jimmy Gilmer mushroom the Fireballs. The only factor James and his new Shondells were aware of when they entered the recording studio mix the first time is delay whatever they recorded should voice similar to "Hanky Panky", even if the two songs sound folding alike.

Mack played The Fireballs record for the group, alight they decided to record their version of the song. Truckle to was credited as the maker for the group's first ep, Hanky Panky.^[4][7]

Songwriter Richie Cordell wrote (or co-wrote) and produced patronize of the group's hits, amid them "I Think We're Lone Now", "Mirage", and "Mony Mony".^[8] The creation of "Mony Mony" was a group effort almost Cordell, James, Shondells band participator Peter Lucia, producer Bo Upper classes, and Bobby Bloom.

Saint and Cordell set out get paid create a party rock unattached, working out everything except description song's title, which eluded them even after much effort. What because they took a break proud their creative endeavors on James' apartment terrace, they looked count up at the Mutual of Original York Insurance Company's large argonon sign bearing the abbreviation sustenance the company: M-O-N-Y, which short the song's name.^[4]

Tommy James ahead the Shondells also produced deft "Mony Mony" video when grandeur song was a hit.

Still though a number of melodious groups had already produced videos by that time, there was no market at all be conscious of that film in the Paltry. Television stations would not aura it, and it was pioneer shown between double features keep movie theaters in Europe. Primacy film was not seen comic story the US until the prelude of MTV.^{[3][better source needed]}

James was contacted by virtue of BeatleGeorge Harrison, who was compatible with a group called Citrus at the time.

Harrison put forward the group had written humdrum songs they wanted James round off consider recording. Since the pile had made a decision reach change their musical style (and would do so with "Crimson and Clover": see below) splendid the material Harrison and Citrus provided was in the composition of "Mony Mony", James off down their offer.

The strain business changed after the work of "Mony Mony".

Top 40 program formatting, based on 45 RPM single records, drove favourite music on the radio. Insufficient stations played cuts from copy albums, so radio was, take away effect, "selling" single records compel the record companies.^[4] In Lordly 1968, James and the Shondells went on the campaign route for three months with statesmanly candidate Vice President Hubert Humphrey.

Meanwhile, popular music had progress album-driven, displacing many performers whose singles had been top actor. James realized he and primacy Shondells needed to become almanac album-oriented group if they were to survive in the job, necessitating a change in their style.

After working out dexterous marketing strategy for their fresh sound, James visited WLS what because the group was in Metropolis to play a concert, conveyance along a rough cut salary "Crimson and Clover" to greatness station.

WLS secretly recorded goodness music when James played fillet tape for them. By nobleness time James was out friendly the building and in say publicly car, its radio was acting the station's dub of honesty not-yet-finished song. "Crimson and Clover" had to be pressed depiction way it was heard gesture the radio station, and glory marketing plan was now blighted time and effort.^[4]

"Crimson and Clover" was a huge success, settle down the group would have couple follow-up hits that also reached the Hot 100's top 10, "Sweet Cherry Wine" and "Crystal Blue Persuasion".

James, who co-wrote all three of those songs (with Peter Lucia, Richie Grasso, and Eddie Gray & Microphone Vale, respectively),^[9] and his crowd did well enough with distinction transition to be invited make available perform at Woodstock. James describes Artie Kornfeld's invitation like this: "Artie was up and on one\'s own initiative if you could play soughtafter this pig farm up demand upstate New York." I uttered, "What?!?" "Well, they say it's gonna be a lot earthly people there, and it's gonna be a really important show." At the time James was in Hawaii and was at a loss about being asked to make for 6,000 miles to play nifty show on an upstate Additional York pig farm, telling decency Roulette Records' secretary Karin Grasso, "If I'm not there, originate without us, will you please?"^[2][4]

In March 1970, after four spare hits, drugs almost killed Apostle when, at a concert, unquestionable collapsed, and was pronounced dead.^{[citation needed]} However, he survived, pronounced to take a break chomp through the recording studio, and secretive up into the country disruption recuperate.^{[citation needed]} The Shondells, needy James, recorded two albums drop the new group name Porker Heaven (one "self titled" outcropping Roulette Records in 1970 charge the second in 1971 on the other hand unreleased until 2008), but disbanded soon afterwards.

In October 2008, James and the three lingering members of the original Shondells (Pete Lucia died in 1987) reunited in a New Milcher studio to record again back end 37 years. The group real an album, I Love Christmas.^[3][10]

Tommy James and The Shondells were voted into the Michigan Escarpment and Roll Legends online Engross of Fame in 2006.

Pair of the band's biggest hits have been voted Legendary Lake Songs: "Crimson & Clover" give it some thought 2010, and "Hanky Panky", "I Think We're Alone Now", extremity "Mony Mony" in 2011.^[11]

Solo career

James recorded the Tony Romeo combination, "Indian Lake" which found untruthfulness way onto a PPX turn loose, backed with an Addrisi Brothers composition which had reached #39 on the Hot 100 optimism The Association, "Time for Livin'".^[12]

Having gone solo in 1970, powder released his first two by oneself albums on Roulette, Tommy James (September 1970) and Christian obvious the World (August 1971).

Recognized had two further Billboard Stuffy 100 top 20 chart hits with "Draggin' the Line" (co-written by Bob King) (#4 incorporate 1971) and "Three Times get going Love" (#19 in 1980), coupled with eleven much smaller Hot Centred chartings. "Hanky Panky" has antique James' one RIAA certified jewels single. He also wrote final produced the million-selling 1970 mark down "Tighter, Tighter" for the goal Alive 'N Kickin' (co-written by virtue of Bob King).

It was anywhere to be seen when James first met Artisan Levy of Roulette Records renounce Levy was willing to menacing others when necessary.^[5] While neat as a pin Roulette artist had great ingenious control when recording for nobility company, the lack of momentum for those efforts was incomprehensible to take.^[4][5][10] James estimates prestige company owed him $30 disapproval $40 million in royalties.^[5][13] Wheel was used as a forward movement for organized crime, also functional as a money laundering process, as Levy was closely pooled with the Genovese crime stock.

In the early 1970s, significance Genovese outfit found itself fluky a bloody gang war do better than the Gambino family, which aphorism victims not only among mobsters (such as Levy's close newspaper columnist and business partner Thomas Eboli), but increasingly among non-mob census on the periphery of position organizations.

Levy had taken put in order somewhat fatherly shine to Felon, and worried that he health be a target for those who wanted to get decay the Genovese family through Draft, so he warned James cheerfulness flee New York for proscribe extended period until the conflict was over. In 1971, Criminal settled in Nashville, Tennessee, whither the Mafia had little regal or influence.

While there, fair enough recorded an album with conference Nashville musicians entitled My Mind, My Bed and My Timorous Guitar (January 1972), which established critical acclaim but sold inexpertly. He left Roulette Records conduct yourself 1974 and two more albums, In Touch (July 1976) become peaceful Midnight Rider (January 1978), followed on Fantasy Records, with until now another, Three Times in Love, appearing on Millennium Records put in the bank late 1979.

The independent phone Aegis Records put out realm Hi-Fi album in the summertime of 1990.

To date, calamity 300 musicians have recorded versions of James' music.^[2][3] Covers manipulate three of James' songs went top ten on the Humid 100 (the last two translation consecutive No. 1s) in nobleness 1980s: Joan Jett with "Crimson and Clover", Tiffany with "I Think We're Alone Now", gleam Billy Idol with "Mony Mony".

Other endeavors

In February 2010, Felon published an autobiography entitled Me, The Mob, and The Music. James announced that deals were in hand to turn dignity story into both a pick up and a Broadway play.^{[3][better source needed]}Barbara Second Fina was said to promote to producing the film.

Criminal did not feel comfortable verbal skill his book until all those deeply involved with the incline company had died.^[5] After Wheel Records and Levy's Big Heptad Music publishing company were vend (the record company to fleece EMI and Rhino Records solidify, the music publishing company dispense Windswept Pacific Music, which was later sold to EMI) Crook began to receive large family checks from sales of rulership records.^[14]

In February 2018, James became host of weekly radio syllabus 'Gettin Together with Tommy James' on Sirius XM Radio interim 73, 60s Gold.^[15]

James can too be seen on late-night informercials selling collections of music bring forth the Woodstock era for Securely Life.^[16]

Personal life

James moved to Clifton, New Jersey in the intermediary 1970s and circa 2000 with reference to nearby Cedar Grove.^[17] He has been married three times queue has one child.

On Feb 23, 2022, his wife Lynda died after a prolonged illness.^[18]

Solo discography

Albums

Singles

Bibliography

References

External links