Tommy told me at his second Ed Sullivan appearance in 1969 or 1970, after he sang “ball of fire”, Ed Sullivan got on the podium to talk with him and nearly fell off. Tommy saved the day by grabbing the back of his jacket to prevent Ed from falling off the podium live on TV
@@michaelrochester48 - I believe it was June of 1970 when they performed the amazing songs, "Ball of Fire" & "I'm Alive". With any luck, this channel will show those videos as well because the set was colorful & psychedelic.
Tommy James was a brilliant and humble guy. Mony Mony had it all...the voice, the melody and the arrangement I'm so glad this rendition from the Ed Sullivan show is available on RU-vid. ❤
A song about an insurance company! Tommy James was stuck for a title of a new song he had written with Ritchie Cordell. Stepping outside, he saw a sign atop the Mutual of New York Insurance Company building which spelled out MONY in red letters. The only song named after a stock symbol 😊.
The UK was a great place to be in the 60s wasn't it? My childhood was in Derbyshire, but this song has the same effect on me - it takes me right back to those innocent, carefree days of the 60s when the sun always seemed to be shining!
Criminally underrated artists. Turned down Woodstock to relax in Hawaii. Crimson and Clover & Cellphane Symphony are as good as anything that came out in 1969. Give them a listen if you haven't heard them.
I’ve read Tommy James autobiography, and to me it seemed like he turned it down because he didn’t think a concert in Upstate NY sounded appealing when he was in the midst of a Hawaii vacation. I’m sure he would’ve went and done his show if he’d known the impact that Woodstock would have in history.
One of the things I remember most was dreaming of having one of those beautiful guitars. Mine was from Sears. And I had to beg mom for it. Great old days. Wouldn’t mind going back a time or two!!
Seemed like almost all of that was pre-recorded audio. I didn't see any audio cables plugged into the electric guitar and bass, and saw no microphone or audio cables hooked up to the keyboard. @1:18 you hear piano break, but nobody is playing keyboards at that time. Unlike this video, most other musical performances on the Ed Sullivan Show featured live audio.
He did lip syncing on Dick Clark's show also. I'm not sure if it was Dick Clark's show, but I'm pretty sure it was. He was doing "Draggin the Line", he played an acoustic guitar when clearly the opening of the song is with an electric bass and/or an electric guitar. Either way it wasn't done with an acoustic anything.
Tommy James and The Shondells Mony Mony (Key of A) 427 Hz Tuned ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤ ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤ ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤ ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤ Tommy James I Should Be a Huge Fan of You and I'll Send 40 Red Hearts for You
I found one thing somewhat strange. Ed comes on introducing the group having the number one song in the country "Crimson and Clover" and then the play "Mony Mony". It seems strange he wouldn't have them sing "Crimson and Clover". Usually that's what he does. My guess and its just a guess, is that Ed wasn't very fond of the song "Crimson and Clover" as it sounds very psychedelic. Something Ed would more than likely veto. He was notorious for having groups change words to songs because of what they implied. So my guess is, he couldn't change "Crimson and Clover" enough to satisfy his filter so he vetoed the song completely, and had them play, "Mony Mony". Just a guess but I bet I'm not far off.
You release Crimson and Clover and then you release THIS? JFC! Who is doing the writing in this band? Is it really Tommy James, or is he scouting songs from writers. Wow.
How could TOMMY & THE SHONDELLS not be in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame along with Gary Puckett & The Union Gap, The Grassroots. Johnny Rivers, Neil Sedaka while they make Iggy Pop a member. Rock & Roll Hall Of Shame is what it is. A Total Joke.
From Wikipedia: In 1963, Tommy Jackson changed the name of his high school band from "Tom and the Tornados" to "The Shondells" in honor of one of his musical idols, Troy Shondell. Jackson rechristened himself “Tommy James.” Shondell had a huge hit in 1961 with “This Time,” but he never had another chart success.
@@robertwebb3546 - Whoa! Thanks, one of those “Gotta Google that someday”...but I knew it would never happen! So many stories like this about people and places I grew up with but never asked! Iron Butterfly’s 1960’s hit “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” was supposed to be "In The Garden Of Eden." but drummer Ron Bushy wrote it down as "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" because he couldn't understand what vocalist Doug Ingle was singing. Their record company was OK with the title because it it sounded exotic with an Eastern spiritual quality which was big at the time, with The Beatles going to India and The Rolling Stones experimenting with Indian instruments. Well, I never discover anything first so YOU probably already knew that!
@@christopherp.hitchens3902 Christopher, early in my career, I pitched an idea to my boss, who was the head of HR. I had no HR background; I’m a writer who ended up in corporate communications. I suggested that instead of allowing people to take their week of vacation early in the first year of their employment, the days should be prorated. Jerry laughed and said, “Robert, that’s accrual.” I thought I’d stumbled upon something innovative, but it was a well established concept. Because Jerry was a good man and a good boss, he encouraged me to always explore ideas…but research it to see if it’s a new idea or just new to me. You’re intriguing af, btw, definitely more so than Iron Butterfly. 🙂
