Singer-songwriter-producer-musician Thomas Gregory Jackson was born
April 29, 1947 in Dayton, Ohio.  In 1958, his family moved to Niles. Michigan,
where Tommy formed his first band, Tom & the Tornadoes.  In 1963,
they were renamed The Shondells in honor of one of Tommy’s musical
idols, Troy Shondell (of “This Time” fame).  That same year, the group
recorded their first single, “Hanky Panky,” in the studios of WNIL radio in
Niles.  13 year old Tommy had found the song on the flip side of
“That Boy John,” a failed 45 by The Raindrops. Released only locally on the
Snap label, The Shondells’ single sold fairly well but was soon
forgotten.  Then, two years later, a Pittsburgh DJ found a copy and played
it as a “station exclusive.”  A bootlegger taped “Hanky Panky” off the air
and reissued it on the Red Fox label.  Tommy didn’t know about that until
after the Red Fox single had already hit #1 in Pittsburgh and sold 80,000
copies!  After he found out, Tommy sold the only copy he had -- a scratched
Snap 45 -- to Roulette Records in New York, which took the track to #1 in
the country in the summer of 1966.
 
Unable to interest the original Shondells into turning pro, Tommy
then hired another band, The Raconteurs, as his new Shondells. 18 more
hits rolled out over the next four years, from “Crimson and Clover”
and “Sweet Cherry Wine” to “Ball Of Fire” and “Crystal Blue Persuasion.“  
Few fans caught on that “I Think We’re Alone Now” and “Mirage” had
the same chord structure, except reversed.  “Mirage” had been inspired
when “I Think We’re Alone Now” was accidentally played backwards!

Song ideas came from all places -- even a peek outside Tommy’s
apartment window at a Mutual of New York billboard that
kept flashing “MONY, MONY.”  Aside from writing the million-selling
“Mony Mony,” James also became quite the studio wiz -- a pioneer
in the use of phasers, vocorders and other electronic gadgetry.  The band
was even invited to play at Woodstock in 1969, but didn’t on the advice
of their agent -- who thought it would be a “career killer.”

Writing and producing the group’s records as well as “Sugar On Sunday”
for The Clique and “Tighter, Tighter” for Alive & Kicking left Tommy James
exhausted.  In 1970, he and The Shondells split, with the group
going on to record unsuccessfully as Hog Heaven.   As a solo artist,
Tommy did considerably better, thanks to hits like “Draggin’ The Line” (1971)
and “Three Times In Love” (1980).  

In 2007, Tommy James and the original Shondells reunited to record once again.

Visit the official Tommy James & the Shondells website here.