Tommy James and the Shondells

The music of Tommy James is played continuously, everyday, in every country in the world, and has been for over a generation. His songs have become so ingrained in modern culture, it's difficult to go for more than a couple of days without hearing one of them on the radio, TV, in films, or one of the 300 plus cover versions of his songs by other artists. He has sold, to date, over 100 million records and has been awarded 23 gold singles and 9 gold and platinum albums. He was born Thomas Jackson on April 29, 1947 in Dayton, Ohio, and has been performing since he formed his first rock band, "The Tornadoes," at the age of 12. In 1964 a local DJ asked Tommy and the group to sign with his new regional label, "Snap Records". One of the 4 sides they recorded was an obscure song written by Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich called "Hanky Panky". The group changed their name to "The Shondells" and released it as a single. It was an instant local hit but didn't break nationally and was soon forgotten.

Two years later, the record was found in an obscure record bin by a Pittsburgh nightclub DJ who played it at his weekend dances. The response was so overwhelming that the local radio stations began to play it and the local record distributor began to bootleg copies of the song. Within months, HANKY PANKY was the number one record in Pittsburgh and Tommy James was a sensation. Within weeks he and the Shondells signed a record deal with Roulette Records in New York. HANKY PANKY became the biggest hit of the summer of '66, the album went gold a mere four weeks after its release, and thus began one of the longest strings of non-stop hits in recording industry history.

Tommy next added producers Bo Gentry and Ritchie Cordell to the team who, over the next two years, produced 7 more back-to-back gold singles including: I THINK WE'RE ALONE NOW, MIRAGE, I LIKE THE WAY, GETTIN' TOGETHER, OUT OF THE BLUE, GET OUT NOW, and the party rock icon MONY MONY. During this era Tommy James and The Shondells were also one of the first acts to experiment with the music videos genre, more than thirteen years before MTV.

By the end of '68, TJ and company began writing and producing their own records. Their first project, released in early 1969, was the unforgettable CRIMSON AND CLOVER album which, in addition to going multi-platinum, spawned three more monster hits for the group: DO SOMETHING TO ME, CRIMSON AND CLOVER, and CRYSTAL BLUE PERSUASION. A fourth song on the LP, SUGAR ON SUNDAY, was recorded by The Clique and also went top ten. This was followed by the CELLOPHANE SYMPHONY album, including another smash hit, SWEET CHERRY WINE. Their second volume of greatest hits t was released that same year and featured the smash hit BALL OF FIRE. The LP has sold, to date, over 10 million copies.

In 1970 the group released another million selling LP, TRAVELIN', an innovative theme album viewed by many as their best work. It contained two gold singles: SHE and GOTTA GET BACK TO YOU, but would end up as the last album Tommy would make with The Shondells. After the break-up, Tommy continued with a solo career, and over the next four years scored an additional 12 chart singles including: COME TO ME, BALL AND CHAIN, I'M COMIN' HOME and DRAGGIN' THE LINE. Tommy also produced three top 40 albums during that time: "TOMMY JAMES", "CHRISTIAN OF THE WORLD", and "MY HEAD, MY BED AND MY RED GUITAR".

In 1974 Tommy left Roulette Records and over the next three years, recorded two albums for San Francisco based Fantasy Records: IN TOUCH and MIDNIGHT RIDER. In 1980, Tommy signed with Millennium Records, and scored three more chart singles including the million selling THREE TIMES IN LOVE. By the mid 80's, Tommy's songs, now considered classics, were being covered all over the world by everyone from punk rockers like Joan Jett and the Blackhearts to symphony orchestras like The Boston Pops. At one point in 1987, Tiffany and Billy Idol, with their versions of I THINK WE'RE ALONE NOW and MONY MONY, fought it out for the top spot on the charts for a solid month, each eventually going number one. It was the first time in music history that two cover versions of songs by the same artist went number one back-to-back.

By the 90's Tommy's music had become a stable of countless movie soundtracks, including the blockbusters Forrest Gump and the Austin Power series, and moving into the 21st century he has been busier than ever performing to sell out crowds across the country and working on a number of new projects. He recently signed with Sony BMG for the release of his "Live at the Bitter End" CD and DVD; has formed his own record company AURA RECORDS to promote both his classic and new material; and scored three top five AC hits from his studio album HOLD THE FIRE. He is also working on his autobiography: CRIMSON & CLOVER, is producing a 40-year retrospective CD package, and in 2008 will release an anticipated Christmas album, with a new single, IT'S CHRISTMAS AGAIN, featuring the original Shondells: Mike Vale, Eddie Gray, and Ronnie Rossman.

Tommy James has left an indelible mark on his industry and his generation with credits and longevity as an artist, songwriter, and performer that few have equaled. With the ever increasing popularity of his music, there seems to be no end in sight.