My interview with Tommy James

I just interviewed Tommy James and thought folks here might be interested in reading it. Great guy to interview and interesting story!

http://www.news-sentinel.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20150528/ENT/150529762/1018/ENTERTAIN

 

Thanks. Always a fan.

 

Nice work, thanks for sharing that.

 

Thanks for sharing. I really enjoyed his autobiography. He really needs to be in the Hall Of Fame!

 

I used to have the "Hanky Panky" 45 as a pre-teen and wore it slick out. Great interview! Thanks!

 

A Tommy James hits collection is a must-own item for rock n' roll fans of all ages.

I saw him play an auto show(!) at Chicago's International Amphitheatre back in the '70s, and he put on a great show, considering the venue. He even did impressions, including Nixon and Hubert Humphrey, IIRC.

 

I just love the Shondells. I think they are the dime-store parallel to the Beach Boys. Same lofty ideas and capabilities but a much lower budget.

 

Even if Tommy's name is not immediately recognized by younger audiences, just about everyone knows the hit songs he's written and recorded such as 'Mony Mony,' 'Crimson and Clover' and 'Crystal Blue Persuasion.' Billy Idol and Joan Jett certainly helped to introduce Tommy's music to a new audience in the 1980s, but I believe that Tommy's well-known original studio recordings of these songs have aged very well in terms of style and production.

 

That's great! Nice writing. Thanks for sharing. I've been a fan since “Draggin' the Line” from 1971.
And hey...I've been to Fort Wayne several times over the years to Piere's - The Midwest's Largest Night Club because my friends band used to always make a stop there while doing their yearly tour across the US. Fort Wayne was always a really nice place to stop.

 

No one did Crimson and Clover better than Tommy.

 

If you listen to the audio of the interview (also on the same link above) Tommy has some fun things to say about mono vs. stereo mixing. I love that he used to work in a record store and is still a big fan of vinyl. I also asked him about writing "Don't Bring Me Down" for The Monkees - couldn't resist. His book and the 40th Anniversary Collection Complete Singles are must owns!!! The singles collection has all the mono mixes of the hits which are great!

 

If only that collection had the b-sides. I think he did a great job of giving people more bang for their buck. Many of the flips I like more or as much as the a-side.

 

Mr. Jackson is always a great interview and his autobiography is one of the best...ever!