Tommy James & The Shondells

Tommy James and the Shondells were a popular 1960s American rock and roll group. They had two number one singles in the U.S. -- "Hanky Panky (1963) and "Crimson and Clover" (1968) -- but also re

Tommy James and the Shondells were a popular 1960s American rock and roll group. They had two number one singles in the U.S. -- "Hanky Panky (1963) and "Crimson and Clover" (1968) -- but also released five other top ten hits such as "I Think We're Alone Now," "Mony Mony," and "Crystal Blue Persuasion."

The band initially formed in 1959 as Tom and the Tornadoes, with the then only 12-year-old Tommy James as lead singer. In 1963, he renamed the band The Shondells, after one of James's idols, guitarist Troy Shondell. Later in 1963, they recorded the Jeff Barry/Ellie Greenwich song "Hanky Panky" (originally a B-side by The Raindrops). James' version sold respectably in Michigan, Indiana and Illinois, but the record label, Snap Records, had no national distribution. The single thus failed to chart, and the Shondells disbanded thereafter.