We're all about the history of rock & roll at BoomtownAmerica.com!
Every week, we present “ROCK REMEMBERED,” a deep dive into the hidden history of rock & roll, the stories behind the artists and songs that changed the world. Join host, “Boomtown Bill” Cross each Wednesday at 7 pm (Eastern) with an encore broadcast on Saturday at noon (Eastern).
Join us this Wednesday as we explore "ommercial Jingles That Became Hit Songs!"
At the age of 22 in 1969, Tommy James had a string of 14 TOP 40 hits and was riding high. By 1972 at the age of 25, he was washed up.
What happened to one of the 1960’s most prolific rockers?
In the first place, Tommy James (born Thomas Jackson) hit recording pay dirt almost by accident.
Tommy and his first band, the Shondells, were a local sensation in the Niles, Michigan area. They recorded a Jeff Barry-Ellie Greenwich tune called “Hanky Panky” for a small label owned by Niles DJ Jack Douglas. The record got some local airplay and promptly sank from sight. The Shondells, like most young bands in the mid-sixties, broke up and went their separate ways.
In the meantime, a Pittsburgh dance promoter named Bob Mack found a copy of “Hank Panky” in a used record bin at a store and started playing it at dances and sock hops in the Pittsburgh area. The song caught on with the Pittsburgh kids and a local record bootlegger started pressing copies on his own. When he sold 80,000 copies in the space of a few weeks, the major labels took notice.
Tommy James along with Douglas, Mack and Mack’s partner, Chuck Rubin, traveled to New York. At first, all the major labels seemed interested. Then, they suddenly backed away. It appears that the head of Roulette Records, Morris Levy, had actually threatened the other labels. Roulette was rumored to be a front for the mob and nobody wanted to mess with Levy. So Tommy James signed with the label.
After recruiting a Pennsylvania band, the Raconteurs, as the new Shondells, Tommy James cranked out an impressive string of hits over the next 4 years:
- Say I Am
- It’s Only Love
- I Think We’re Alone Now
- Mirage
- I Like the Way
- Getting’ Together
- Mony Mony (James claims the name came from a Mutual of New York MONY billboard he saw when he was recording the song)
- Do Something to Me
- Crimson and Clover
- Sweet Cherry Wine
- Crystal Blue Persuasion
- Ball of Fire
- She
By 1969, James could clearly see that the focus of the music business was shifting from pop singles to longer, more complex albums.
Unfortunately, James tried hard but could never make the transition. He turned down an invitation to play at Woodstock, failing to understand how significant that concert would be. The Shondells broke up.
After two minor hits as a solo artist (“Draggin’ the Line” and “Three Ties in Love”) and one as co-writer and producer (“Tighter & Tighter” for Alive ‘n’ Kickin’), experiencing some drug problems, and tired of the pressures of the music scene, he left Roulette Records in 1974.
James spent some time recording in Nashville and made an album in 2008 with the surviving members of the Shondells.
James racked up 23 gold singles, 9 gold and platinum albums. His early hits have been covered by over 300 other musicians.
His autobiography Me, the Mob and the Music, was published in 2010. In it, James claims that Roulette still owes him $30 to $40 million in royalties that were never paid. He also details how strong a hold organized crime had on the music business during that time.
James currently lives in Cedar Grove, New Jersey.
You can find his official website at TommyJames.com.
If you’re looking for a fantasy film that’s well off the beaten path, give Night Tide (1961) a view. Often marketed as a “horror” film (its original distributor was American International, the same people who gave you all those Vincent Price – Edgar Allen Poe adaptations), this little gem is nothing of the sort. It’s a haunting, dream-like study of love and obsession.
Filmed in black & white and starring Dennis Hopper in his first major role, the story involves a sailor who has taken to hanging around a seedy amusement pier in southern California during his summer shore leave. There he meets and falls in love with a beautiful young woman, played by Laura Lawson, who makes her living as a mermaid in one of the pier’s sideshow attractions.
But as Hopper gets to know the woman, he discovers that she believes she really may be an actual mermaid, a descendant of the mythological sirens who lured men to their destruction. She has a father figure of sorts, an old sailor who owns the mermaid attraction and she’s also haunted by a very mysterious older woman, who may or may not be another of the fabled sirens.
As the movie progresses, Hopper definitely seems to be in some sort of danger, but he can’t stay away from Lawson, who previous suitors have all come to a bad end.
The film was one of the first independent productions shot in America. Written and directed by Curtis Huntington, the script was purchased by Roger Corman (director of the aforementioned Price-Poe classics) in 1956, but didn’t go in front of the cameras until 1960. The film did make Time Magazine’s Ten Best list in 1961 but couldn’t initially solve distribution problems caused by Huntington’s use of a non-union crew.
Night Tide finally received a wide release in 1963, but failed to generate much cash at the box office. That was probably because the garish marketing campaign set viewers up for a gory horror fest and not the ultra-atmospheric, moody fantasy the film actually is. Once seen, it is not easily forgotten.
Writer/director Huntington went on to a fairly successful career as a TV director, handling episodes of Charlie’s Angels, Wonder Woman, Dynasty, Baretta and others.
The film itself was designated for preservation by the Motion Picture Academy (the Oscars folks) in 2007. It’s widely available on DVD and Blu-Ray and, in our opinion, well-worth seeing.
Simplicity in itself, graham cracker, slab of chocolate, and a marshmallow: Toast lightly (usually over a campfire or grill) and enjoy! But who had the bright idea to combine these elements into a tasty treat and who came up with the name?
Alas, no one knows because s’mores have been around for over 100 years. As far back as we can trace it, there is a recipe for this confection, then known as a graham cracker sandwich in a Campfire Marshmallow cookbook from the early 1920s, but the cookbook doesn’t claim it to be an original recipe, meaning it had probably been around for a few years before.
It appears with the name “Some Mores” in a 1927 book, Tramping and Trailing with the Girl Scouts. By 1938, scouting books for both Boy and Girl Scouts had shortened the name to “s’mores.” But this confection really didn’t take off until the Baby Boomers reached scouting age in the 1950s. Scores of scouts, plus an explosion in summer camps for kids during those years resulted in the simple recipe for s’mores coming home to backyard barbecues across the U.S. and Canada.
Recipes for s’mores crossed over to mainstream cookbooks when Betty Crocker first included the recipe in their 1957 edition. This treat remained a homemade confection until Hershey’s introduced their S’more candy bar in 2003. But can you really compare any store-bought s’more to the glorious sticky, sweet experience of toasting your own?
BTW - mark your calendars because August 10th is National S’mores Day!
Fad diets come and fad diets go. Experts say ignore the fads. A simple dietary change of eating more legumes (beans, peanuts, etc.), nuts, whole grains, fruits and veggies while cutting back on red meat and processed foods can extend life expectancy.
Think it’s too late to start? Nonsense. Changing to an optimal diet even as late as age 80 can have a positive impact on your longevity.