Me, the Mob, and the Music: One Helluva Ride with Tommy James & The Shondells

I agree with almost all the assessments in the other reviews. It's a highly enjoyable and quick read, being just over 200 pages with rather large printing. But there's not a wasted moment in there -- every story and incident relates in one way or another to the theme of a simple rock and roller getting caught up in a world of the Mob, money, drugs, and life on the road. Tommy is refreshingly candid in these matters, and doesn't paint himself as any kind of God. He made a lot of mistakes, admits them, and never tries to blame things on anyone else, even when he had a right to in many instances. I mean, if I was going to get hit on the head with a bunch of baseball bats, I might not always do the "right" thing or the "smart" thing either!My one criticism of the book is that Tommy wraps up the last part of his career (post-1970 to the present) much too quickly. As a long-time fan of his music, I am aware of all the marvelous work he's done since his glory days, and he's truly one of the pop performing/recording/songwriting legends of the last 50 years, but he spends almost no time on any of this. Those who've followed his career closely know that he's just about the only pop/rock artist from that era still writing brilliant music today, and performing it with the authenticity of his early recordings. Almost no mention of his superb work since the hit-making machine that was Tommy James and the Shondells stopped, and a few titles that I can think of on the spot are "Give It All," "Angels and Strangers," "In Slow Emotion," "Go," "Ordinary Girl," "You're So Easy to Love," "Runnin' Out on Love," "Annie Come Knockin'," the incredible "Distant Thunder," and even his 1995 remake of "I Think We're Alone Now" (from his BIG CITY album), that turns this bubblegum-sounding hit into a contemporary power pop masterpiece.Maybe these last 40 years haven't been as memorable to James as the hit-making years were, but they've been every bit as creative, and I would have welcomed hearing stories about his life over the last few decades and what he thinks of this music, which I consider to be even better than much of what he churned out during the early part of his career. While I know the book was meant to focus on the "Mob Years," and it did so perfectly, Tommy's ability to keep his music relevant throughout the years was unfortunately slighted in the process. At least we have his CDs and albums to provide substantial proof of that.

We had been to one of Tommy James concerts. He spoke of his life in the music industry. This book told all. I gave it to a music teacher who loves it.

Since the beginning of recorded music, record companies have been cheating their artists out of royalties, none have been so blatant as Morris Levy owner of Roulette Records. Tommy James was the biggest selling artist on Roulette. He had 23 gold singles and nine gold and platinum records. He never saw a dime until Rhino Records reissued his catalog years later. Tommy to this day says there would be no Tommy James (real last name Jackson) without Morris. He was a tireless promoter who left Tommy to his own creative devices to make the records he wanted to make. No creative interference = no royalties. As an outsider looking in, it seems like Tommy's success stemmed from the way business was done at Roulette. Tommy mentions that he dealt directly with Morris and the label staff was very small. Things got done immediately. He didn't have days of meetings and decisions by committee which may have watered down his creative juices and delayed recordings. He let him record with the players he wanted and write with the writers he wanted. He would of course make sure that he got a piece, if not all of the publishing.Morris was tied in with the Genovese crime family and it's the underlying, hushed reason why Morris got what he wanted, including Tommy James signed to his label, keeping the publishing when it wasn't his and never paying royalties. Morris is a main character in Tommy James' candid biography. It covers his life in the music business. The tales of Morris alone are worth the read. He started off by running concessions and coat checks at famous NY clubs and then transformed that into buying the clubs. He owned Birdland.For me, the little facts that pop up here and there were of great interest.- Whitey Ford (yes the Yankee HOF pitcher) was a co-owner of a recording studio called Broadway Sound that had one of the first Moog synthesizes, which James uses.-The first band Linda Eastman McCartney photographed was TJ and The Shondells-A Flamenco guitar can be found on Crystal Blue Persuasion-Hubert Humphrey wrote the liner notes for the Crimson and Clover album. (I still have the single, but did not buy the album. It turns out that I was not alone in thinking the lyrics were Christmas is Over. The single was released in November. The timing was there.)-Crimson and Clover had to be released in it's rough mix version. The story is classic.-Hanky Panky, James' first single was found by a DJ in Pittsburgh who proceeded to press his own copies and release it after it started getting local airplay. He sold 80,000 copies on his own label without James' blessing.-Trade magazines such as Cash Box and Billboard all reported sales and airplay differently. Before Soundscan, a label could manipulate the charts to some extent.-Shelly Winters was a drunkJames seemed to be ok with Morris guiding his career. He hated that he had to grovel to get money to pay his musicians, but there was a level of safety in knowing Morris would take care of everything. Morris would send him off with a $10,000 check after some office visits. Tommy does not shy away from his drug and infidelity problems (married at 17 with a son on the way-early in the book we lose track of these two, only to hear about his divorce or infrequent visits).Me, The Mob and The Music is a quick, interesting read. You don't have to be a Tommy James fan to enjoy this book. The stories will pull you in.

Loved Tommy’s story of his life in music. The book is a fun read and while it’s not very well written, I enjoyed it greatly!

There is nothing like some of these iconic songs from(at least from my point of view) our youth.The business had discovered the youth market! And how to market to them this stuff stuck like glue in my young ears! Crimson and clover will never give up its place in my head. The birth of bubble gum rock with its right or wrong motivation behind it ! Was powerful stuff and remains so!

Inside/behind the scenes of the creation of Tommy James & the Shondells.

Very enjoyable read so far, having reached page 60. Having played rock and roll since the age of 13, Tommy finally had a chance at the big time after his recording of "Hanky Panky" caught the ear of Morris Levy, at Roulette Records. Other companies had expressed an interest but were apparently "warned off" by Levy, although Tommy did not know that at the time. He recalls meeting Levy when he was just 19, when 2 men appeared and said they had to discuss something. They went outside the office but Tommy overheard them discussing giving a beating to a bootlegger. An interesting read for anyone interested in the less savoury aspect of the American music industry.

So much I never knew about this man. An absolute must-read for any rock ‘n’ roll fans out there 👍🏽

Tommy James wrote Me, the Mob, and the Music: One Helluva Ride with Tommy James & the Shondells in 2011 with Martin Fitzpatrick. The artist who is so famous for the hits, "Hanky Panky," "I Think We’re Alone Now" and "Crimson And Clover" was really called Thomas Jackson until his mob backed record company made him change it. Until then, the loveable Midwestern garage rock musician had a relatively simple life of playing gigs and drinking beer, despite becoming a father as a 17 year old high school senior. He did work at a record store, which got him a useful insight on the retailing and wholesale side of the music business. After a delayed reaction, his cover of "Hanky Panky" got him noticed by the New York music industry. Unfortunately, by the time James arrived in the Big Apple, the infamous music boss Morris Levy made sure that no other record company would sign him. Morris had a simple business plan; make the musician write a lot of hits, milk the catalog to the max, keep all the royalties, let the musician survive on touring and intimidate any lawyers seeking to remediate the status quo. Nevertheless, Tommy James claims he felt truly loved by his new “Family" all while forgetting his old one in the prairies as soon as he was enthralled by the bright lights in the big city. He recounts the complex process of generating the hits together with a group of songwriters and the tension and stress only bearable with pills and booze. James insinuates that the hit TV series The Sopranos was inspired by the family backing Roulette Records, with Morris as the model for the character Hesh. Morris was even the brains behind those horrible K-Tel Compilations. By the mid-1970s, Tommy’s star was gently fading, but his fortunes improved greatly with the death of Morris. The necessary sale of Roulette to a major finally unblocked the flow of royalties. Tommy also tells you his involvement with politics in the late 1960s as well as his recovery from substance abuse. He appears to have settled into making music in Las Vegas, where he found the peace and quiet to relate his incredible story after the death of all the most unsavoury protagonists. The early band members are described with the most depth. The replacements tend to become more and more one dimensional, while the mobsters are in category of their own. The writing style is very enthusiastic and fast paced. It’s as if James never lost any of his youthful enthusiasm.

This book really lets the reader inside the corrupt and ruthless culture of the music business in the sixties.