Something We Can All Agree On
Since politics still divides us, I’ll write about something more pleasant. A topic that sparks debate, but it rarely devolves into shouting. I’m talking about music.
Tommy James is 77 years old, and he is still living his childhood dream. I listen to his radio show each Sunday evening (5-8 pm Eastern) on Sirius XM 60s Gold.
He formed a band at the age of 12, and made his first record, “Hanky Panky” at 17. It was 1964, and it didn’t catch on at first. But in 1966, a Pittsburgh dance club owner found the 45 in a used record bin, played it on the dance floor and the kids went wild. He convinced a local radio station to play it, and it began spreading across the nation.
Soon came “Mony Mony,” “I Think We’re Alone Now,” “Crimson and Clover,” “Draggin’ the Line” and more hits. For six decades, Tommy James’ music has been on the radio, in commercials and movies. Every weekend he’s on stage playing for fans he loves. They return the love, on their feet dancing. They know every word.
On his radio show, Tommy plays the songs we grew up with, but also the lost hits. Growing up in the 1950s, he was influenced by ballads, rockabilly, rhythm and blues, and jazz. “Sirius XM gives me free rein,” he said. “They call me a musicologist, and I’m proud of that. I’m a rock and roller, but I love all kinds of music and the listeners tell me they do too.”
The Michigan native has fond memories of touring southern states as part of multi-act shows in the 1960s, like Chattanooga’s JET-FLI Spectaculars. “What a great time to be alive,” he said. “I was barely out of my teens, and I was on stage with these talented people, and our songs were all over the radio. Neil Diamond became a good friend. He was another young guy who wrote songs for himself and for the Monkees too. None of us knew he would become a global superstar. Remember the Cowsills, the real-life Partridge Family? They were my buddies. We lived in the same building. I was just a kid, and they were even younger than me. We’ve lost a lot of the guys I toured with, so I’m thankful for the ones who are still rocking and rolling. I made some lifelong friends.”
Tommy’s early career is chronicled in his 2011 autobiography “Me, the Mob, and the Music,” still available on Amazon, and soon to be a motion picture. He tells the story of his complicated and often frightening relationship with Morris Levy, the head of Roulette Records, who was widely known as the Godfather of the record business. Tommy James is a true survivor of some turbulent times.
Incredibly, Tommy is not in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, despite his many hits and his 60-plus year career. When I expressed my amazement and disappointment that he had not yet been inducted, he said, “Well it would be unbecoming of me to talk about that.” While I appreciated his class and modesty, I told him I could not be silent on the issue. Tommy has more rock & roll “cred” than quite a few recent inductees. It is an omission that I hope will soon be corrected.
My opinion is echoed by Sirius XM Senior Programming Director Lou Simon, who recruited Tommy for the radio show and said, “I love his stories and the songs he chooses. Tommy is a prince. He is a consummate crafter of words and melody, and he is one of the most genuine men on the planet. His book tells about the light he managed to shed on the industry’s dark side, and his records tell you that life is good.”
On that note, at your next family gathering, when things get a little heated between your conservative uncle and your liberal cousin, find your music source and play “Hanky Panky.” Everybody loves the Hanky Panky. Then perhaps everyone should join hands, close their eyes and listen to “Crystal Blue Persuasion,” with its promise of a new day coming. If there is something we can all agree on, it’s “peace and good, brotherhood,” and Tommy James.
Visit Tommy James’ website for concert dates and more information!
