With all this sudden, unexpected free time on his hands, Tommy James has just recorded a brand new single … which his manager Carol Ross sent us to share with our readers. (Another Forgotten Hits first!) Sounds like Tommy has been having some fun in the studio, cutting a few remakes of some of his ‘60’s favorites.
Carol tells us:
The legendary Tommy James, known for timeless hits such as “Crimson and Clover,” announces the release of an infectious cover of “Hey Sah-Lo-Ney,” an exciting rocker originally released in 1965 by Brill Building songwriter Mickey Lee Lane.
“This track would have been the perfect follow up to ‘Mony Mony’ back in the day!” says James, who shares his great love and knowledge of rock ‘n’ roll history as a star DJ on SiriusXM’s 60s on 6 channel.
“Hey Sah-Lo-Ney” was popularized during the Northern Soul movement out of England in the ‘70s, which celebrated American eclectic Black music with a heavy beat and fast tempo. “I love that fans created their own genre, along with the amazing dancing happening in the clubs during that era,” says James. “They didn’t want the funk and disco coming out of the U.S. at that time, so they sought out classic, obscure, and underappreciated R&B ... music that still sounds fantastic today.”
“Hey Sah-Lo-Ney” was popularized during the Northern Soul movement out of England in the ‘70s, which celebrated American eclectic Black music with a heavy beat and fast tempo. “I love that fans created their own genre, along with the amazing dancing happening in the clubs during that era,” says James. “They didn’t want the funk and disco coming out of the U.S. at that time, so they sought out classic, obscure, and underappreciated R&B ... music that still sounds fantastic today.”
Hitmaker Tommy James was a big fan of his fellow rock stars in the 1960s. On his new single “Cinnamon/Sunshine,” he pays homage to two longtime favorites with a cover medley of Neil Young’s “Cinnamon Girl” and Cream’s “Sunshine of Your Love.”
“I’ve been wanting to glue these two songs together for a long time,” says James. “The riffs work together hand-in-glove. They’re the same tempo and key - yet totally different songs!” In this bright and tight mashup of Neil Young’s enduring 1970 love song
and Cream’s haunting Top 5 hit from ‘67, James showcases his enduring
skills as a singer and producer. Both of these tracks are now currently available at all digital outlets worldwide via Aura Entertainment / The Orchard, as well as through Tommy's website. (See link below)
Tommy James is celebrated not only as a singer and songwriter with his band The Shondells in the 1960s, but also as an innovative producer of smashes “Crimson and Clover,” “Mony Mony,” and “Crystal Blue Persuasion,” with many millions sold in his fifty years of making music. In this bright and tight mashup of Neil Young’s enduring 1970 love song and Cream’s haunting Top 5 hit from ‘67, James showcases his enduring skills as a singer and producer.
With his band The Shondells, Tommy James goes down in history as one of the biggest artists of the 1960s, exploding onto the scene with “Hanky Panky” in 1966 and releasing the seminal album Crimson and Clover in 1969. A bio-pic of his best-selling, highly acclaimed autobiography Me, The Mob, and The Music, which tells harrowing tales of the mobster label head of Roulette Records, is currently in production ... and he continues to perform nationwide with The Shondells for sold-out crowds all over America. Tommy can also be heard weekly on Gettin’ Together with Tommy James, Sundays 5 – 8 pm Eastern on SiriusXM Channel 6.
- Carol Ross
This is SO cool to be able to sneak peek Jim Peterik’s new track last week and now Tommy James’ new single today. Thanks, Carol! (kk)
