One Helluva Ride with Tommy James & The Shondells
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Everyone knows the hits—“Hanky Panky,” “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 was discovered in 1966 at the age of nineteen, and was pursued by every record mogul in New York until, inexplicably, every offer but one quickly disappeared. James soon found himself in the office of Morris Levy at Roulette Records, where he was handed a pen and ominously promised “one helluva ride.” Morris Levy, the legendary “godfather” of the music business, needed some hits and Tommy would provide them.. Me, the Mob, and the Music tells the intimate story of the relationship between the bright-eyed, sweet-faced blonde musician from the heartland and the big, bombastic, brutal bully from the Bronx, who hustled, cheated, and swindled his way to the top of the music industry. It is also the story of this swaggering, wildly creative era of rock ‘n’ roll when payola and the strong arm tactics of the mob were the norm, and the hits kept coming..
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Very concise and interesting history of how Tommy James came up. The book is well written and well organized. There are a couple of shortcomings; For one I do wish there was more about what was happening on the general scene. Tommy does refer to a couple of competitors in the early 60s but thats about it. Secondly, he definitely holds back and seems reluctant to include anything controversial about other characters on the scene. Prime example is Morris Levy who made millions on Tommy's music while depriving him his due. My impression is Tommy is a nice guy who remained level headed and unspoiled by his success. That is what came across to me reading his account.