Tommy James And The Shondells

Tommy James and the Shondells was a rock and roll group, initially formed in 1964 as The Shondells. Their first single, "Hanky Panky" (1966) (originally by The Raindrops), was a national number one hit. Shortly afterwards the original group split and Tommy James (b. April 29, 1947) formed a new group of the same name in 1967. A number of hits followed, including I Think We're Alone Now (1967) (later a hit for Tiffany), Crystal Blue Persuasion, Sweet Cherry Wine, Crimson and Clover (1969) and Mony Mony (1968), written by James and inspired by the sign for Mutual Of New York that hung outside his office. After recording 24 gold singles and nine platinum albums, the latter group split in 1969, after which James achieved limited solo success. The group has since reunited, touring in a series of 1960s nostalgia concerts with Steppenwolf.