Tommy James & 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"(1964) (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) and later a hit for Tiffany, Crystal Blue Persuasion, Sweet Cherry Wine, Crimson and Clover(1968) and Mony Mony(1967), written by James and inspired by the sign for Municipality Of New York that hung outside his office. The latter group split in 1969, after which James achieved limited solo success.