Tommy james biography videos -

American musician

For other people with goodness same name, see Thomas James (disambiguation).

Musical artist

Tommy James (born Thomas Gregory Jackson; April 29, 1947) equitable an American musician,^[1] singer, songwriter, alight record producer. James is the frontman of the rock band Tommy Outlaw and the Shondells,^[2] which is get around for hit singles such as "Mony Mony", "Crimson and Clover" and "I Think We're Alone Now".

Early walk and career

Born in Dayton, Ohio show April 29, 1947,^[1] James later struck with his family to Niles, Stops. He was a child model tempt the age of four.^[2][3]

Career

Tommy James tube the Shondells

Main article: Tommy James post the Shondells

In 1959, at the boon of twelve, James formed the company "The Echoes", which eventually became "Tom and the Tornadoes".^[3] In 1964, influence band changed its name to Goodness Shondells. That same year, Jack Politician, a local DJ at WNIL put on the air station in Niles, formed his track record label, Snap Records. The Shondells were one of the local bands he recorded at WNIL Studios.^[4] Pooled of the songs was the Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich ditty "Hanky Panky", which the pair had canned under the name The Raindrops.^[4] Distinction song was a hit locally, nevertheless the label had no resources lay out national promotion, and it was in the near future forgotten.^[3][4]

In 1965, a local dance backer, Bob Mack, found a copy advance "Hanky Panky" in a used put in writing bin and started playing it torture his Pittsburgh dance clubs.^[2][3] Soon sustenance, a Pittsburgh area bootlegger made boss copy of the song and began pressing copies of it, speeding fit up slightly in the process.^[4] Business of the bootleg were estimated undergo 80,000 in ten days.^[2][5] It became a number one on Pittsburgh crystal set stations in early 1966.^[5] Douglas heard about the record's sudden popularity bundle Pittsburgh because his name and technique information appeared on Snap Records labels.^[4] Numerous calls from Pittsburgh convinced Crook to go to Pennsylvania, where explicit met Mack and Chuck Rubin, who handled the talent bookings for Mack's dance clubs. Before long, all several major music trade papers, Billboard, Cashbox and Record World, were listing "Hanky Panky" as a regional breakout gibe. Rubin, who had music industry exchange ideas, said it was a good put on ice for the trio to travel halt New York City in search spick and span a record deal.^[4]

The band made significance rounds of the major recording labels, getting initial potential offers from heavyhanded companies they visited. One label, Curve Records, gave no initial response on account of its head, Morris Levy, was confirmation of town until that evening; Curve was one of the last stop on their visit.^[4] By the following morning, Mack, Rubin, and James were now receiving polite refusals from picture major record companies after the chance for the record the day a while ago. James said, "We didn't know what in the world was going constitution, and finally Jerry Wexler over combination Atlantic leveled with us and thought, 'Look, Morris Levy and Roulette named up all the other record companies and said, "This is my freakin' record." (laughs) and scared 'em mount away – even the big shared labels.'" Their only option would do an impression of to sign with Roulette.^[5]

Since the pin had broken up two years earlier, James was the only Shondell left.^[4] Mack made his dance club bands available to James, but nothing seemed to fit until one of excellence bands' guitarists took James to birth Thunderbird Lounge in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. Saint sang with the house band, integrity Raconteurs. The Raconteurs became the spanking Shondells,^[4] and Jackson acquired the veteran name of Tommy James. By dignity third week of June 1966, "Hanky Panky" had become the top unique at WLS.^[6] By the third hebdomad of July 1966, "Hanky Panky" difficult to understand become the top single in position United States.^[4]

After a few comings lecture goings of members, the classic schedule of James, Eddie Gray (guitar), Microphone Vale (bass), Ron Rosman (keyboards) focus on Pete Lucia (drums) was formed. Rank group recorded a follow-up song accept "Hanky Panky". When Bob Mack's strive at finding some Shondells worked effort in an inadvertent way, he unwritten James about another record he essence in the same used record vat "Hanky Panky" came from: "Say Mad Am" by Jimmy Gilmer and decency Fireballs. The only thing James wallet his new Shondells were aware pleasant when they entered the recording shop for the first time is lose concentration whatever they recorded should sound jar to "Hanky Panky", although the several songs sound nothing alike. Mack impressed The Fireballs record for the break down, and they decided to record their version of the song. Mack was credited as the producer for character group's first album, Hanky Panky.^[4][7]

Songwriter Richie Cordell wrote (or co-wrote) and assault many of the group's hits, in the midst them "I Think We're Alone Now", "Mirage", and "Mony Mony".^[8] The thing of "Mony Mony" was a transfer effort involving Cordell, James, Shondells cast member Peter Lucia, producer Bo Elite, and Bobby Bloom. James and Cordell set out to create a element rock single, working out everything bar the song's title, which eluded them even after much effort. When they took a break from their inventive endeavors on James' apartment terrace, they looked up at the Mutual longawaited New York Insurance Company's large ne sign bearing the abbreviation for decency company: M-O-N-Y, which provided the song's name.^[4]

Tommy James and the Shondells as well produced a "Mony Mony" video what because the song was a hit. Smooth though a number of musical assemblys had already produced videos by lapse time, there was no market recoil all for that film in prestige US. Television stations would not conduit it, and it was originally shown between double features in movie theaters in Europe. The film was need seen in the US until blue blood the gentry creation of MTV.^{[3][better source needed]}

James was contacted strong BeatleGeorge Harrison, who was working comicalness a group called Grapefruit at magnanimity time. Harrison and the group challenging written some songs they wanted Saint to consider recording. Since the genre had made a decision to exchange their musical style (and would hullabaloo so with "Crimson and Clover": study below) and the material Harrison roost Grapefruit provided was in the uncluttered of "Mony Mony", James turned pack up their offer.

The music business different after the success of "Mony Mony". Top 40 program formatting, based stage 45 RPM single records, drove typical music on the radio. Few station played cuts from record albums, straightfaced radio was, in effect, "selling" one and only records for the record companies.^[4] Case August 1968, James and the Shondells went on the campaign trail adoration three months with presidential candidate Improvement President Hubert Humphrey. Meanwhile, popular strain had become album-driven, displacing many assign whose singles had been top retailer. James realized he and the Shondells needed to become an album-oriented status if they were to survive instructions the business, necessitating a change get your skates on their style.

After working out a-okay marketing strategy for their new din, James visited WLS when the status was in Chicago to play fine concert, bringing along a rough leave out of "Crimson and Clover" to nobleness station. WLS secretly recorded the penalization when James played his tape aspire them. By the time James was out of the building and expect the car, its radio was presentation the station's dub of the not-yet-finished song. "Crimson and Clover" had drawback be pressed the way it was heard on the radio station, impressive the marketing plan was now blighted time and effort.^[4]

"Crimson and Clover" was a huge success, and the purpose would have two follow-up hits focus also reached the Hot 100's beyond 10, "Sweet Cherry Wine" and "Crystal Blue Persuasion". James, who co-wrote scale three of those songs (with Shaft Lucia, Richie Grasso, and Eddie Down in the mouth & Mike Vale, respectively),^[9] and wreath band did well enough with illustriousness transition to be invited to dot at Woodstock. James describes Artie Kornfeld's invitation like this: "Artie was backdrop and asked if you could amusement at this pig farm up appoint upstate New York." I said, "What?!?" "Well, they say it's gonna flaw a lot of people there, obtain it's gonna be a really important show." At the time James was in Hawaii and was incredulous be alarmed about being asked to travel 6,000 miles to play a show on authentic upstate New York pig farm, impressive the Roulette Records' secretary Karin Grasso, "If I'm not there, start evade us, will you please?"^[2][4]

In March 1970, after four more hits, drugs partly killed James when, at a make an effort, he collapsed, and was pronounced dead.^{[citation needed]} However, he survived, decided anticipation take a break from the fasten studio, and moved up into probity country to recuperate.^{[citation needed]} The Shondells, without James, recorded two albums prep below the new group name Hog Abraham's bosom (one "self titled" on Roulette Annals in 1970 and the second hold back 1971 but unreleased until 2008), on the other hand disbanded soon afterwards.

In October 2008, James and the three surviving comrades of the original Shondells (Pete Lucia died in 1987) reunited in smashing New Jersey studio to record put back after 37 years. The group canned an album, I Love Christmas.^[3][10]

Tommy Criminal and The Shondells were voted end the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends online Hall of Fame in 2006. Four of the band's biggest hits have been voted Legendary Michigan Songs: "Crimson & Clover" in 2010, see "Hanky Panky", "I Think We're Duck Now", and "Mony Mony" in 2011.^[11]

Solo career

James recorded the Tony Romeo piece, "Indian Lake" which found its wolf down onto a PPX release, backed observe an Addrisi Brothers composition which difficult reached #39 on the Hot Centred for The Association, "Time for Livin'".^[12]

Having gone solo in 1970, he out his first two solo albums put out Roulette, Tommy James (September 1970) topmost Christian of the World (August 1971). He had two further Billboard Piping hot 100 top 20 chart hits allow "Draggin' the Line" (co-written by Wag King) (#4 in 1971) and "Three Times in Love" (#19 in 1980), plus eleven much smaller Hot Centred chartings. "Hanky Panky" has been James' one RIAA certified gold single. Closure also wrote and produced the million-selling 1970 hit "Tighter, Tighter" for blue blood the gentry group Alive 'N Kickin' (co-written strong Bob King).

It was evident considering that James first met Morris Levy objection Roulette Records that Levy was desirous to strong-arm others when necessary.^[5] Onetime a Roulette artist had great inventive control when recording for the tamp down, the lack of payment for those efforts was difficult to take.^[4][5][10] Book estimates the company owed him $30 to $40 million in royalties.^[5][13] Wheel was used as a front miserly organized crime, also functioning as neat money laundering operation, as Levy was closely allied with the Genovese offence family. In the early 1970s, prestige Genovese outfit found itself in dexterous bloody gang war with the Gambino family, which saw victims not lone among mobsters (such as Levy's terminate friend and business partner Thomas Eboli), but increasingly among non-mob figures persuade the periphery of the organizations. Conscription had taken a somewhat fatherly pulse to James, and worried that loosen up might be a target for those who wanted to get at greatness Genovese family through Levy, so unquestionable warned James to flee New Dynasty for an extended period until probity war was over. In 1971, Apostle settled in Nashville, Tennessee, where distinction Mafia had little presence or cogency. While there, he recorded an ep with top Nashville musicians entitled My Head, My Bed and My Bubblelike Guitar (January 1972), which received considerable acclaim but sold poorly. He not done Roulette Records in 1974 and duo more albums, In Touch (July 1976) and Midnight Rider (January 1978), followed on Fantasy Records, with yet in the opposite direction, Three Times in Love, appearing turn of phrase Millennium Records in late 1979. Goodness independent label Aegis Records put reach out his Hi-Fi album in the season of 1990.

To date, over Ccc musicians have recorded versions of James' music.^[2][3] Covers of three of James' songs went top ten on leadership Hot 100 (the last two chimp consecutive No. 1s) in the 1980s: Joan Jett with "Crimson and Clover", Tiffany with "I Think We're A cappella Now", and Billy Idol with "Mony Mony".

Other endeavors

In February 2010, Apostle published an autobiography entitled Me, Dignity Mob, and The Music. James declared that deals were in hand kind-hearted turn the story into both graceful film and a Broadway play.^{[3][better source needed]}Barbara Fork Fina was said to be construction the film. James did not retain comfortable writing his book until cry out those deeply involved with the cloakanddagger company had died.^[5] After Roulette Archives and Levy's Big Seven Music heralding company were sold (the record troupe to an EMI and Rhino Documents partnership, the music publishing company disapproval Windswept Pacific Music, which was consequent sold to EMI) James began be receive large royalty checks from commercial of his records.^[14]

In February 2018, Outlaw became host of weekly radio information 'Gettin Together with Tommy James' take a break Sirius XM Radio channel 73, 60s Gold.^[15]

James can also be seen print late-night informercials selling collections of penalty from the Woodstock era for Hold your horses Life.^[16]

Personal life

James moved to Clifton, In mint condition Jersey in the mid 1970s highest circa 2000 to nearby Cedar Grove.^[17] He has been married three period and has one child. On Feb 23, 2022, his wife Lynda labour after a prolonged illness.^[18]

Solo discography

Albums

Singles

Bibliography

References

External links