Saturday, February 13, 2010

Me, the Mob, and the Music: One Helluva Ride with Tommy James & The Shondells

by Tommy James
Everyone knows the hits -- "Mony Mony," "I Think We're Alone Now," "Crimson and Clover," "Crystal Blue Persuasion." They are nuggets of rock and pop history. However, few know the unlikely story of how these hits came to be. Tommy James had been performing locally, in Michigan, in rock bands since the age of 12. Prompted to record a few songs by a local DJ in 1964, Tommy chose an obscurity titled "Hanky Panky," which became a minor local hit that came and went....