Who, of all people, walks into the Thunderbird Lounge with his manager but Tommy James, said Vale. [7] "I had no group, and I had to put one together really fast," recalled James. 4.5K views 4 years ago After the release of "Hanky Panky", Tommy James had to find a new group to be called The Shondells. Eddie Gray and Mike Vale, are back at it. When you listen to our songs you will hear the voices and instruments of Pete, Eddie, Ron and myself. James had been summoned to Pittsburgh from his hometown of Niles, Mich., to promote and perform the song. Vale was a co-writer for many of the Shondells hits, but the Tommy Jones team has largely erased the members of the Raconteurs from the bands history. [5] He followed it with "Do Something to Me". Two years later, Rhino Records issued the Shondells' Anthology. Their first appearance as a band was on Clark Races television variety show. This page was last edited on 29 April 2023, at 16:04. After a few more hits, the Shondells enjoyed a best-selling LP in 1970 with The Best of Tommy James and the Shondells. In 1967 Kessler and Pietropaoli were forced to leave after a dispute when planned monies were not remitted to them by Roulette, a label closely associated with organized crime, and whose head, Morris Levy, was the inspiration for the Herman "Hesh" Rabkin character on The Sopranos. [9] In early 1967 songwriter Ritchie Cordell gave them the No. View credits, reviews, tracks and shop for the 1970 Vinyl release of "The Best Of Tommy James & The Shondells" on Discogs. Were at an age now where the last thing we want to do is be running around the country for our own enjoyment and run into something thats going to take us away from the families that were trying to be more involved with.. 95.7fm WELT is a non-commercial, listener-sponsored, member-controlled community radio station licensed by the FCC to broadcast within Allen County. "[8], With a touring group to promote the single, James went to New York City, where he sold the master of "Hanky Panky" to Roulette Records, at which time he changed his last name to James. Top, left to right: Eddie Gray, Ron Rosman and Peter Lucia. Ad. The catchy tune was suddenly getting on Pittsburgh radio, and it was on its way to becoming the No. Written-By - Ed Gray*, Mike Vale, Tommy James. [10] From late 1968, the group began writing their own songs, with James and Lucia penning the psychedelic-tinged classic "Crimson and Clover", which was recorded and mixed by Bruce Staple, with James tackling vocal duties and playing many of the instruments himself, and featured the creative use of studio effects such as delay and tremolo.[11]. More images. The band followed the Mony Mony album with the most successful record of their career. Real Name: Edward James Zgorecki Aliases: Edward James Zgorecki In Groups: Hog Heaven, The Crystal Blue Band, Tommy James & The Shondells Variations: Viewing All | Eddie Gray E Gram, E. Gray, E. M. Gray, E.Gray, Ed Gray, Ed Grey, Ed J. Tommy James & The Shondells - The Best Of Tommy James & The Shondells. 1 singles in the U.S., "Hanky Panky" (July 1966) and "Crimson and Clover" (February 1969), and also charted twelve other top 40 hits, including five in the hot 100's top ten: "I Think We're Alone Now . I was flattered but I said, Ive got to talk it over with the guys., The next morning, Im on my way to a day job that I had and I turned on the radio, and, sure enough, I put it on KQV, and Chuck Brinkman was the jock at the time. Tommy James and the Shondells in 1970 4:01: A3: Mony, Mony. He completed his engineering studies and started his own company called Stellar Precision Components in Jeannette, which services the nuclear and aerospace industries. Read Full Biography Overview Biography Discography Songs Credits Awards Related Share on facebook twitter tumblr Album Discography full condensed blue highlight denotes album pick In March 2011 the Tommy James song "I'm Alive" (co-written with Peter Lucia) became a top 20 hit in the Netherlands for UK singer Don Fardon after his version had been used in a Vodafone commercial. [15] On January 6, 1987, original drummer Peter P. Lucia Jr. died of a heart attack while playing golf at the age of 39. Mike Vale, Ron Rosman, Eddie Gray -- Former original members of Tommy James and The Shondells November 11, 2014 at 4:53 pm EST Mike Vale, Ron Rosman and Eddie Gray, former original members. The Monkees did a different song of the same title. Barcode (Text): 0 94637 88412 6Barcode (Scanned): 094637884126 . Gray, Gray Artist [a614489] Edit Artist 1,439 For Sale Vinyl and CD Discography 73 Credits View credits, reviews, tracks and shop for the 1970 Vinyl release of "The Best Of Tommy James & The Shondells" on Discogs. The LP, featuring liner notes by Democratic Presidential candidate Hubert Humphrey, yielded the top-10 "Sweet Cherry Wine" and the #2 smash "Crystal Blue Persuasion.". Mike Vale can vividly recall the details of the night his life changed dramatically in January 1966. and M.A. James needed to find a band quickly to be the new Shondells. View credits, reviews, tracks and shop for the 1969 Vinyl release of "The Best Of Tommy James & The Shondells" on Discogs. As dreamlike as the experience of being a nationally known rock star was, there were aspects of it that must have seemed nightmarish. In the mid-1980s, Tommy James began touring in oldies packages with other acts from the 1960s sometimes billed as Tommy James & the Shondells, although he is the group's only original member. Tommy James & The Shondells - Crimson And Clover (LIVE) 4:41; Tommy James and The Shondells - Crimson and Clover. It was at a Raconteurs show at the Thunderbird Cafe in Greensburg that they were approached by James and Mack about becoming the new Shondells. In early 1966, a rock n' roll song called "Hanky Panky" went to the top of the charts in Pittsburgh after a Steel City dance promoter and DJ named Bob Mack gave it a spin. Eddie Gray played guitar for me then, and he came up with that little riff. Vale said the pandemic definitely factored into the groups decision to call it a day. Deep in the Roots. The tune went to No. Billboard Mainstream Music Charts. Gray on label B1 credits add Bob King on label, who does not appear on cover credit Traci died of Lupus, which led Mike Sr. to start a benefit golf tournament to raise money for the Lupus Foundation that for 15 years included a jam session with his many musician friends. It was not only the result of Tommy being a good musician and singer. 1 song in the United States. Billboard Hot 100. (Photo by Bobby Bank/WireImage) Embed PURCHASE A LICENSE Standard editorial rights Custom rights Were a couple of coal miners kids from Pennsylvania. It was frightening.. It was the second single released from the album. They always give the highest spot to the bass player, he joked. Do Eric benet and Lisa bonet have a child together? 45 years have past since Mike Vale, Ron Rosman and Eddie Gray, original members of the group have shared a concert stage. Written-By - Ed Gray*, Mike Vale, Tommy James. Free shipping for many products! 6, I Said, She Said, Ah Cid: The Exploito Psych World of Alshire Records 1967-1971, Billboard Karaoke: Top 10 Box Set, Vol. Seiten: The song is also featured in the movie The Expendables 2 (2012), while Barney (Sylvester Stallone) is flying his plane. 1 hit in July 1966. In 2012 "Crystal Blue Persuasion" was used in the eighth episode of Season 5 of Breaking Bad, "Gliding Over All", during a montage depicting the process involved to bring main character Walter White's methamphetamine operation and its signature blue crystal meth to an international level. As to why us..and why now, it's simple! In 1966, the band released Hanky Panky and Its Only Love. 1, All Time Greatest Hits: Live at the Bitter End, Greatest Hits of the '60s, Vol. I picked up a guitar which I couldnt play at all because Im a bass man, chuckled Vale. Thank God, the stars have recently aligned in a way to bring us back together.Although The Shondells did get together with Tommy James in 2011 briefly to help write and record a Christmas album, the group will be touring without TJ who continues to perform with his own group of musicians.Mike, Ed and Ron, along with fellow Shondell, Peter Lucia, who has since passed away, were often guests on TV's most popular shows of the day like "The Ed Sullivan Show"(twice), "American Bandstand" (3 times), "The Dating Game", "Joey Bishop" and many more. In Greensburg, PA at the Thunderbird Lounge he found The Raconteurs.. What happened to Eddie Grey of Tommy James and the shondells? "The fact is that while we have all remained very active musically, the twists and turns within our individual lives have kept it from happening until now. The Heptones. The song was played during the pool scene in the TV movie Growing Up Brady, and was in the pilot episode of The Wonder Years. Those werent the stations we paid much attention to being the rhythm and blues act that we were, said Mack. Small $175.00 Medium $375.00 Large [13] His four bandmates carried on for a short while under the name Hog Heaven, recording two albums (one "self-titled" on Roulette Records in March 1971 and the second recorded in 1971, but unreleased until 2008), and landing one Hot 100 hit, "Happy," at number 98, but disbanded soon afterwards. ), the group nevertheless kept on plugging with a raft of bright, hooky rockers that charted solidly but never seemed to reach as high as they deserved. At the Bitter End (2000)", "Michigan Rock and Roll Legends - TOMMY JAMES AND THE SHONDELLS", "TOMMY JAMES & THE SHONDELLS - full Official Chart History", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tommy_James_and_the_Shondells&oldid=1152332494. Billy Idol covered it in the 80s and had a big hit with it also. 1 in the country, and he plays Hanky Panky., I made a U-turn in the middle of a four-lane highway and went back home and called all the guys in The Raconteurs and told them, This is a window of opportunity, and we should jump through it. . Eminem's first hit was "My Name Is," which introduced his alter ego, Slim Shady. Want to spend the night on the Gettysburg Battlefield? "The group's reunion tour will begin around April 1st of the coming year in or around Pittsburgh at a site to be announced after the first of the year.For information regarding the group or its upcoming itinerary please email mvucish@aol.com. . Vales bandmates, guitarist Eddie Gray, keyboard player Ron Rosman and drummer Pete Lucia, were concerned because they were still in college, but they decided to take a year off and go to New York with Tommy James. Born Feb. 27, 1948, in Scottdale, Pa., Gray joined the Shondells in 1965, in Pittsburgh, where Michigan-based James had moved the band when a local DJ picked up his song "Hanky Panky." The Shondells [US1] Tommy James and The Shondells Tommy James & The Shondells Real name Thomas Gregory Jackson Born April 29, 1947 Country United States . 1 singles in November 1987). In 2008 Tommy James and The Shondells were inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame.[16]. This station is part of Cox Media Group Television. However, James was labeled as a bubblegum pop artist, which he hated. Tommy James And The Shondells song Get Out Now, was the lead off single from their legendary Mony Mony album. Ad. wpxi.com The Shondells Mike Vale, Ron Rosman and Eddie Gray Former original members of Tommy James And The Shondells will be rockin' the Parade this year when they perform "Mony Mony" and more! A Greenwich Village nightclub appearance was filmed and released as Tommy James & the Shondells: Live! Bubblegum is generally traced to the success of the 1968 Fruitgum Company hit "Simon Says". The song was originally released in 1964 and then re-released in 1966 and reached the number one position on the Billboard Hot 100. The record was released in 1969. The group still gets together from time to time for special video/TV events and nostalgia shows. Email news@wesa.fm. Three original members from Tommy James and the Shondells have gotten back together as The Crystal Blue Band.One member, Ron Rosman, was born and rais . 2023 Cox Media Group. Tommy James and the Shondells is an American rock band formed in Niles, Michigan, in 1964. . degrees from Stony Brook University along with New York State Public School Education Certifications in Music and Social Studies. James first learned of all this activity in April 1966 after getting a telephone call from Pittsburgh disc jockey "Mad Mike" Metro(vich) asking him to come and perform the song. Like so many bands in the 1960s such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Kinks etc,etc, Tommy James and the Shondells released multiple albums a year. Tommy James & The Shondells "Crimson & Clover" on The Ed Sullivan Show on January 26, 1969. With national promotion, the single became a No. James' version of "Hanky Panky" sold respectably in Michigan, Indiana and Illinois, but Snap Records, the label under which "Hanky Panky" was originally released, had no national distribution. They also produced "Sugar on Sunday", later covered by the Clique. At The Bitter End. NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 18: Eddie Gray of the original Shondells attends the "Me, The Mob & The Music: One Helluva Ride with Tommy James & The Shondells" book release party at Gibson Guitar Studios on November 18, 2009 in New York City. Subscribe now to never miss an update: https://ume.lnk.to/EdSulli. www.tommyjames.com/tours.php. The single failed to chart nationally and the Shondells disbanded in 1965 after its members graduated from high school. We didnt know it would go this long, said Vale. In our book it scores 10s on every level from lyrics to melody to musicianship to production. The Shondells then issued their first LP, named after their hit single, and had two more top-40 hits with "What I Am" and "It's Only Love. In 1966, TommyJames and the Shondellsreleased their first official album entitled Hanky Panky. We took a long ride, and it was very successful, said Vale. That leaves Rhino's excellent single-disc Anthology as the best Tommy James for the money, with 40 Years: The Complete Singles Collection (1966-2006) being content to open up the career of these hitmakers beyond their '60s prime. The new group, Hog Heaven, recorded an album but wasnt nearly as successful as the Shondells had been. 4:01: A3: Mony, Mony. So, lets thank God for the time and go forward and spend the rest of our days with our family and friends.. Learn how your comment data is processed. A4 credits Tommy James, Mike Vale & Bob King on cover vs. Tommy James-Mike Vale-Jeff Katz-Jerry Kasenetz-Ritchie Cordell on label A5 is titled Talkin' & Signifyin' on cover vs. Talkin' And Signifyin' on label B1 credits Eddie Grey on cover vs. Ed J. More Images. After first considering taking a job outside of music, James decided to form a new band, the Koachmen, with Shondells guitarist Larry Coverdale and members of a rival group called the Spinners (not the hit-making group from Detroit). Over the 2 year period from 1968 through 1969 were the largest selling Singles act in the world!At the peak of their careers however, The Shondells went off in one direction and James another. At a concert in Birmingham, Alabama in March of 1970, an exhausted James collapsed after coming off stage from a reaction to drugs and was pronounced dead. Ed Gray found success as lead guitarist for the hitmaking '60s pop group Tommy James and the Shondells. They were replaced by Eddie Gray (guitar) and Peter Lucia (drums); Magura departed as well.[7]. Ron Rosman has remained very active recording and performing Gospel Music including his latest album, "My Offering". The following year, the Shondells toughened their shimmering, jaunty, light-pop sound considerably. The song reached the number four position on the Billboard Hot 100. According to members Mike Vale and Ron Rosman, the band used bar gigs as their way of paying for schooling at St. Vincent College. Other health issues, including a triple bypass, helped make up Vales mind. detroit youth programs jobs,

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