Biography of Tommy James & the Shondells

From the infectious garage-pop of their first chart-topping smash, "Hanky Panky," to the epic psychedelia of later hits like "Crimson and Clover," Tommy James and the Shondells remained one of the most successful American rock bands of the late 1960s, adapting to the constant changes in consumer tastes with an ease and dexterity matched by few of their contemporaries. James was born Thomas Jackson in Dayton, OH on April 29, 1947; a onetime child model, he taught himself to play guitar at the age of nine, forming the earliest incarnation of the Shondells in 1960 following his family's relocation to Niles, MI. Four years later the group cut the Jeff Barry/Ellie Greenwich composition "Hanky Panky" for the tiny local label Snap; in late 1965, the single became a massive radio hit in Pittsburgh, resulting in a deal with Roulette, which reissued the recording in 1966. "Hanky Panky" topped the national pop charts that summer; for the album of the same name, James assembled a new Shondells lineup featuring guitarist Eddie Gray, keyboardist Ronald Rosman, bassist Michael Vale, and drummer Peter Lucia, returning to the Top 40 twice more that year with "Say I Am (What I Am)" and "It's Only Love."Tommy James and the Shondells resurfaced in the Top Five in 1967 with "I Think We're Alone Now," its polished pop gloss a major step away from the primitive sound of "Hanky Panky"; two months later, "Mirage" hit the Top Ten as well, with two more Top 40 entries, "I Like the Way" and "Gettin' Together," following during the summer. After the buoyant "Mony Mony" hit number three in the spring of 1968, James assumed complete control of the group's recordings to create his masterpiece, the haunting "Crimson and Clover"; though the record's psychedelic majesty heralded a 180-degree shift away from the Shondells' past pop hits, it nevertheless sold a staggering five million copies on its way to topping the charts for two weeks. The stunning "Crystal Blue Persuasion" fell just shy of the number one spot in mid-1969, and -- combined with the success of other hits like "Sweet Cherry Wine," "Ball of Fire," and "She" -- during the final two years of the decade, the Shondells sold more 45 rpm singles than any other pop group. However, James split from the Shondells in 1970; the group members assumed the name Hog Heaven, issuing a self-titled LP on Roulette before disappearing from view. An exhausted James, meanwhile, retired to his upstate New York farm for several months before returning to action, writing and producing Alive and Kicking's hit "Tighter and Tighter" before igniting his solo career with the 1971 smash "Draggin' the Line." Following the Top 40 hit, "I'm Comin' Home," however, his long chart run ended, and later solo albums like 1971's My Head, My Bed and My Red Guitar, 1976's In Touch, and 1977's Midnight Rider appeared to negligible interest. In early 1980, however, James made an unexpected return to the Top 20 with "Three Times in Love." Although no other chart entries were forthcoming, he continued touring regularly in the decades to follow; in 1987, teen sensation Tiffany's cover of James' "I Think We're Alone Now" topped the U.S. pop charts, knocked off its perch after two weeks by Billy Idol's rendition of "Mony Mony." ~ Jason Ankeny