Hanky Panky at the Peak

Looking for a little "Hanky-panky?"

Tommy James and The Shondells are coming to Penn's Peak at 8 p.m. Oct. 17, and are bringing along all of their hits, including "Mony Mony," "I Think We're Alone Now," "Crimson and Clover," "Crystal Blue Persuasion," "Draggin' The Line" and of course, "Hanky Panky."

James has sold over 100 million records and has been awarded 23 gold singles, plus nine gold and platinum albums.

Born Thomas Jackson on April 29, 1947, in Dayton, Ohio, his family finally settled in Niles, Michigan, where he made his first stage appearance as a child model when he was 4. In 1959 he formed his first rock band, The Tornadoes, which developed a sizable regional following.

In 1964 a local DJ recorded four sides on them, including an obscure song written by Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich called "Hanky Panky." The group changed its name to "The Shondells" and released it as a single. Although it was a local hit, it didn't break nationally and was soon forgotten.

Two years later a copy of "Hanky Panky" was discovered in a record bin by a Pittsburgh nightclub DJ who played it at his weekend dances. The crowd response was so overwhelmingly positive that radio DJs started spinning it and an enterprising record distributor bootlegged it, selling 80,000 copies in 10 days. By May of 1966 "Hanky Panky" was the number one record in Pittsburgh and Tommy James was a sensation.

A Pittsburgh promoter tracked James down at his home in Niles, told him of the success of "Hanky Panky," and urged him to "come on down." Unable to put the original group back together, James hired a hot Pittsburgh R&B bar band to become the Shondells. Two weeks later he and this new group signed a record deal with Roulette Records in New York. The label, in turn, put their promotion team to work on "Hanky Panky" and made it the summer smash of 1966.

Thus began one of the longest strings of nonstop hits in recording industry history.

Over the years James had one hit after another. Over 300 artists have recorded their rendition of one of his tunes, including Prince, R.E.M., Tom Jones and Cher, or performed one of his songs in concert, including Bruce Springsteen, Kelly Clarkson and Santana.

His songs have made their way into movies, television shows and advertisements.

"Crystal Blue Persuasion" scored big-time on the 2013 season finale of "Breaking Bad" and "The Simpsons: Breaking Bad" parody episode.

James' recent autobiography, "Me, The Mob and The Music," became a best-seller for Simon & Schuster, garnered rave reviews from critics and industry insiders, and was chosen by Rolling Stone magazine as one of the 25 greatest rock 'n' roll memoirs of all time.

This tale of James' career and his tumultuous relationship with the "godfather" of the music industry, Morris Levy, is in development as a major motion picture. The project is being helmed by Barbara De Fina, whose production credits include "Hugo," "Casino," "The Age of Innocence," "The Grifters" and "Goodfellas."

James' career is still in high gear. With the signing of a new distribution deal with Allegro, his entire recorded catalog is now available around the world. Airplay on terrestrial, satellite and Internet outlets is strong: a fact acknowledged by BMI this year when it presented him with five "Million Air" awards for 22 million plays of his songs.

On the road, he and his Shondells are still rocking, performing their many timeless hits to sellout crowds across the country.

Classic rock coming up

Blue Öyster Cult with special guest Vanilla Fudge will perform at 8 p.m. Oct. 9.

For over four decades, Blue Öyster Cult has been thrilling fans of intelligent hard rock worldwide with powerful albums loaded with classic songs. The Long Island, New York-based band is revered within the hard rock and heavy metal scene for its pioneering work. Blue Öyster Cult occupies a unique place in rock history because it's one of very few hard rock/heavy metal bands to earn both genuine mainstream critical acclaim as well as commercial success.

The band is often cited as a major influence by other acts such as Metallica. BÖC was listed in VH1's countdown of the greatest hard rock bands of all time.

The intense creative vision of BÖC's original core duo of vocalist/lead guitarist Donald "Buck Dharma" Roeser, and vocalist/rhythm guitarist Eric Bloom are complemented by Richie Castellano on guitar and keyboards, and the longtime rhythm section of bass guitarist Kasim Sulton, and drummer Jules Radino.

To be an influence on the likes of Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, and Van Halen, certainly secures a place in rock 'n' roll history for the legendary Vanilla Fudge.

In the summer of 1967, amongst the "sit-ins," protest marches and "happenings," Vanilla Fudge released a remake of The Supreme's "You Keep Me Hangin' On," scored a top-10 hit and never looked back.

Charting five other tracks on the Billboard Top 100 over the next three years, the band were architects of a new musical style that included psychedelia, rock, soul music and gospel. They were, and are masters of reinterpreting other artists hit songs, and their effect on the late '60s "heavy metal" scene was undeniable.

The powerhouse vocals and keyboard flourishes of virtuoso organist Mark Stein, along with the fluid guitar explosions of Vinnie Martell, all anchored by arguably one of the best rhythm sections in the history of rock music, with the legendary Carmine Appice on drums and Pete Bremy on bass, they create a sound so unique that it cannot be imitated.

Tickets for both concerts are on sale at all Ticketmaster outlets, the Penn's Peak Box Office and Roadies Restaurant and Bar. For more information, go to www.pennspeak.com or call 866-605-7325.