Poll: What is your pick for the COOLEST BASS LINE from a song released in the Rock era? Also, use my code PROFESSOROFROCK to get $5 off your delicious, high protein Magic Spoon cereal by clicking this link: sponsr.is/magicspoon_professorofrock_0524

IMO, Tommy James & The Shondells' "Crystal Blue Persuasion" could not be a more perfect song. Pure genius.

I used to work with a man who said that Tommy James, who later became a Christian, spoke at his church. James said that later in life, he realized that he should be glad he didn't get that money, because he wasn't old enough to handle it and it would have ruined his life, if not outright killed him.

As a sixty eight year old boomer I can honestly say Tommy and the Shondells were a really fun part of the backing track of my life. I so happy that in this short bit of the interview he seems happy and content. Take care all.

What a great interview with Tommy James 👍🏻 Being 70 years old, that was my youth. Thank so much ❤

In the early 80's at the Channel in Boston, I saw him, sought his autograph. I got my pen jostled from my hand while he was walking past me in the crowd. TJ stopped, pointed to the pen on the ground, and signed a promo poster for me. I got it to this day...tY TJ for being gracious all these years.

The Psychedelic ' Crimson and Clover ' had a profound impact on the neuro wiring of my young brain 🧠

As a kid with older siblings who were teens... I got to hear a lot of music in the 60s. Crimson and Clover was the first record (45) I ever bought with my own money. I still have it.

Tommy played a gig at my High School auditorium around ‘75. Screaming Jay Hawkins opened for him.

How could you have lived through the late sixties and seventies and not remember Tommy. man I’m talking great songs that just brings the good times back

"Draggin' the line" is such a good song I still remember hearing it on the radio, as far back as 1972, I believe.

The interesting thing about Tommy James is that his moniker Tommy James and the Shondells sounds like a throwback to a 50s group. However, he was playing the most freak out psychedelic music of the late 60s.

My wife and I got to see Tommy James about 3 weeks ago in Lancaster PA. It was one of the best concerts I've ever seen in my life and I'm almost 70. All I can say is thank you very much Tommy James and if you come back I will be there too God willing.

If you lived in the 70’s but don’t remember any of it, you’ll love this channel😎

Being a 62 y.o. boomer, Tommy James & The Shondells didn't come across my music radar until later in life. I was too young to pay attention to them when they were in the spotlight and when I got older and discovered music it was Pink Floyd, Steve Miller, Rush, Fleetwood Mac, etc. As I've gotten older, I've enjoyed 'discovering new old music' from back then. Tommy James certainly wrote and performed some outstanding songs!

Great interview with Tommy! WOW! I was a teenager then and had no idea about the mob!! That blew me away!! Thank you and to Tommy....."still love ya dude!!!"

I worked a few years as a telecom lineman and I dragged in a few lines, but never put the song with it. Climbing on a frozen pole will turn you against the job. Glad Tommy was able to get his farm and live there to recover. Glad he never had the mob actually attack him.

My little sister used to squeal on me when I was a 12 year old if I Think we’re Alone Now came on. “Don’s listening to that song again!!” As if you could get away from it. She was afraid I’d impregnate the whole state or something. Even at age 12 and younger, without realizing what I was doing, I was studying the music around me. Not knowing why. I loved the bass or guitar sound. I didn’t play yet but I had to ponder why it sounded that way. The dynamics in that song profoundly impacted me. And it made me happy. Thanks, Tommy.

IMHO, Tommy James is so underrated and overlooked. The 1960s was such a jam-packed decade decade for music. I feel people my age and younger often overlook Tommy James & The Shondell. As a teenager in the 1990s, I was fortunate enough to have 3 of the best friends I could ever hope for. We couldn't get enough of Tommy James & The Shondell and '60s music in general. My friends and I expanded our love of classic acts from the 1970s and beyond, but it all started with Tommy James & The Shondell.

Child of the 70s here (born in 63). So I remember "dragging the line." And of course, during the 80s, I rediscovered his earlier hits/remakes from Billy Idol, Bananarama, and even reluctantly Tiffany, etc. Just wow, on the baby back ribs, I thought that was going to be the jingle just before ya mentioned it!!! The record industry is so corrupt, and it's amazing how many artists still have not been fully paid for their royalties......

I'm not the biggest fan of covers, but R.E.M.'s version of "Draggin' the Line" really captures the Tommy James essence perfectly.

Why is this man not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame...he is a musical genuis and a great person...love his Sirius show..!

When I was an O.T.R. truck driver,this song would amp me up every morning, every time I needed a boost to get my day started. Love the jam, love Tommy.

My friends comment that I know a lot about music. I respond, “I listen to Professor of Rock.”

Congrats on the 1 million Subs Professor, you deserve it for your hard work brother.🙌👏🙏

So glad to see Tommy, and that he is still alive and well. I have always been a fan of Tommy James and the Shondells. At 63 I grew up on all the great music of that era, later massively dug the alternative/punk rock era. I was so very lucky, the rich education of so much great music.

Holy hell! Tommy Shondell had far more amazing songs than I ever knew! Great stuff!

I've known Tommy for decades. We did our first tour with him, and Sam the Sham back in 67. We both cut in Allegro Studio's in NY....and man can I relate to getting the "dry shaft" from Laurie Records and our producer. Anyway, Tommy is an awesome talent and all around good guy. He's doing much better now with the book and gigis. Love the guy. Thanks for doing a story on him. God bless ya

Went to see Tommy James and The Shondells at their show at the Medina Entertainment Center, Medina, MN. Great show!!!! Vocals and Instruments were spot on Perfect!!!! Draggin the Line is one of my all-time favorite tunes. Tommy, Thank you for the come back tour!!!!

Being in high school at the time of his hits, I liked them all but "I Think We're Alone Now" and "Crimson and Clover" are awesome and fun songs and my favorites. Tommy seems like a super nice guy. Thanks for the interesting show, again, Prof!!

I saw Tommy James perform last year in Royal Oak, MI. Incredible!

I Love Tommy James and the Shondells. I listened to them when I was a kid and am now 66 years old and I love listening to them more than ever. thank you for the great presentation.

I graduated in '71, I vividly remember them. I'm so glad I heard some excellent music! I was 10 yrs.old when the beatles came out. I'm still a rocker at 71! In my opinion the 70's had the best music rver recorded.

Here’s a story you probably haven’t heard. Tommy lived in the same NYC apartment building as the Cowsills. When their father Bud was on one of his violent tirades, the Cowsills would often go hide and hangout in Tommy’s place.

My first three cassette tapes were Deep Purple - Machine Head, Yes - Fragile, and Tommy James and the Shondells - Greatest Hits! Tommy was an unbelievable talent.

In 1969 Crimson & Clover was part of a 'Now Sounds' in-flight program I was listening to on head phones in a DC-8. It blew my mind so I bought the single, and the album, and became a #1 Tommy James fan. From 1969 to 71 when Draggin The Line went up the Top 40 I probably listened to TJ albums more than I did the Beatles. Christian Of The World is still a favorite.

You always ask what our memory of hearing a song for the first time. I heard this song for the first time yesterday driving around listening to a 60s station because of Professor of Rock. I caught the tree hugging line and wondered if it was the first use of the saying. You are keeping the exploration of music alive. Thank you!

Growing up in the '80s, my Mom introduced me to A LOT of artists from the '50s & '60s. For about the first 15 years of hearing it, I thought he was singing "Lemon Meringue"🤔😆

This is why I love your channel Adam. I was in elementary school in the late 60s, early 70s and loved Tommy and the Shondells but had no idea that Tommy had a solo career. But as each song came on, I said oh, yeah! and was able to sing every line lol.

you can never give up. like the great Randy Meisner said. when there is nothing left to believe in put me on a highway and show me a sign and take it to the limit one more time. keep on trying and never lose the dream.wow RIP.

I love Tommy James and the Shondells! I drove to work today with Mony Mony cover by Billy Idol 😊 I hope the Magic Spoon Cereal has prizes in the box.

This gave me goosebumps…. My dad just showed me one of their songs yesterday 😭 Crimson and Clover and I’ve never heard of them until yesterday

As a kid growing up in small town Sask I always loved his music. But as the years went by I slowly forgot about them until you played bits and pieces today. Thanks for the memory and thanks to Tommy James!!

Tommy was one of my heroes. He lived in Niles Michigan, a short jaunt from here. Great guy and did it on his own. Incredible song writer, listen to him often

I haven't even watched the video yet but I KNOW this is about Tommy James and his dealings with Morris "Hesh Rabkin" Levy. I read his book. Had to go to the folks who printed the paper record labels to figure out how many were shipped. TJ is a legend.

Lol, sometimes when I've had a hard day, I say "Yabba Dabba Doo!" when I clock out to go home. 😁

In 1975 I was the soundman/roadie for a local Long Island band. We used to rent our Hammond organ and PA to Tommy when he played out on Long Island. I was doing the sound for our band when a guy comes up to me and asks if I can put the tremelo into the monitors. It was Tommy. He had a big bushy head of hair. I didn't recognize him.

Draggin The Line was one of my all time favorites from the summer of 1971 and hearing it instantly takes me back. I was just a kid and that year was the first year I had my very own radio and it was truly a revelation.

I had no idea what he went through. Wow.

“Tommy James and the Shondells released nine platinum albums and 23 gold singles between 1965 and 1970”. WHAT??? That’s INSANE. And how have I never known that before???

Awesome episode Professor! Tommy James has always been one of my favorites! Awesome story! Things I never knew about him, and especially awesome you got to interview him!👍

A movie about Tommy would be amazing, the story of this fantastic song writer and music creator and the craziness behind the scenes could be a great film. Hug a tree is a culture iconic phrase I never knew it was Tommy's too. To think he mixed this by himself after people liked it. One of the greatest creators of music in my life time. Thanks for this episode, my favorite song by him, great episode

❤🎉 Had a friend see Tommy James over 25 times. Great songs from his catalog. Shame he had to deal with the mob. Music is a funny business. 🤷 Thanks Professor! And yes I do remember Hanna-Barbera. I think.

Of course his single was divinely inspired just like every single idea anyone has. When I was younger I usually went for the melody & the beat of a song. I did not pay attention to lyrics & even the creators names. I never connected Dragging the Line w/ Tommy James. Thank you for the lesson.

Love this song for the first moment, I heard it and Professor. This is one of your best interviews and history lesson ever. Thank you so much.

I was on the Flower Power cruise back in March and Tommy was our first band too see. He gets sea sick so they had to get him on and then off right away. He still sings great! Lot of great bands were there. I would love too see you on the 2026 Flower Power cruise! You would be great and very welcomed!

I never understood those lyrics. Never woulda guessed that My dog Sam eats purple flowers was what he was saying.

Such a great story Professor!! Need to go back and listen to some Tommy today!🤘🔥

Grew up listening to Tommy James and the Shondells, love ALL their hits!! My older sister had several of their singles and their Greatest Hits on 8 Track! I played that 8 track often while getting ready for school in the morning.

The musical landscape is littered with the hopes and dreams of musicians who have have given all to their craft only to be stolen from them by unbridled greed of label executives. Please do a video of the business of this industry then and now. Love your work!!

I'm trying to think but only a few come to mind, where an artist had so many big hits that also became big hits for other artists

Chili’s should just admit they stole the riff and cords of Dragging The Line and just pay da man! 😮

Adam, are you somehow peeking at my setlist? That's so cool, we just added draggin the line a couple months ago, that's the third song this week you have featured....thanks for the insight into Tommy James, your perspective is very much appreciated

So many great hits that have survived the test of time! Can't stop a well crafted, well performed song!

Crystal Blue Persuasion pretty much exemplify the psychedelic mood of the late 60’s and early 70’s. My personal favorite TJ song. Although Draggin’ and Crimson are great also.

Crazy to me that despite missing out on millions of royalties he still embraces Roulette. And yes they definitely stole that jingle!

Crimson and Clover was the first record (45) I ever bought. I would sing the chorus while flipping my finger over (and over) my lips as I sang the words, "Crimson and Clover, over and over..." to get the tremolo effect. Lol. Kids.

I remember his songs were EVERYWHERE. I loved them and have never tired of hearing them. He looks absolutely great!! So glad to see he's still alive and kicking! Blessings to you.

damn they were AWESOME!! There’s no such thing as listin ta too much Tommy James “over & over”

nice . I was 15yo in ' 68 . legend , ( Chrystal blue persuasion. )

One of the great things about your channel is that you make us listen to songs from our past with new ears. I was a kid in the 60s and 70s so of course i knew of TJ and the S, and knew all the songs you just talked about. However, they were just kind of part of the soundtrack of those years to me. Thaanks to you i have now REA,LLY listened to them again and realized how great they are! Thank you!

When I was about 7 years old, one day my father took me with him while he ran errands. We stopped at a mob bar in Cicero and the bartender poured me a kiddie cocktail and gave me a handful of dimes for the jukebox. I played Hanky Panky ten times in a row lol. True story although I didn't know it was a mob bar at the time.

Crimson and Clover is one of those songs that just spirits me away to the time I first heard it. Wonderful creative music … all Tommy’s tracks.

Roulette Records put out some great hits.

Crystal Blue Persuasion is on the ‘bucket 10’ list that has been placed in my wife’s hands if and when a celebration of life service is needed. I’ve surfed on 3 different continents and that song captures the magic of early morning waves and at dusk..simply beautiful….thank you for show casing TJ.

Draggin the Line was on one of our K-tel albums in the early 70's and I remember it being one of the more creative tunes on the disc that also made me feel good and had me singing along from the first play - Tommy James is awesome - what a fabulous catalogue! Great to see and hear him - thanks Prof :)

Just so that you may know, a 'dragline' is a shovel and 'dragging the line' is the work of shoveling something - dirt, asphalt, whatever.

Back in the summer of 1989 I had a job as a pyrotechnition. Coolest job ever! Traveling the country setting up and blowing off fireworks for major events. We did a show in Denver at the Mile High Stadium and Tommy James and the Shondels were one of the acts. I was backstage and up close and they were awesome! Later in the evening I met him at the bar in the hotel and drank with him. He was super nice and he told me and my friends stories about touring. I'll never forget that.

The line “My dog Sam eats purple flowers” always stuck with me as a kid. Still my favorite line in the song.

I remember hearing this song on a radio as a kid and did like it a lot. Crystal Blue was my favorite of theirs though

Hard to pick Tommy's best song but I lean towards Mony Mony. I like I Think We're Alone Now but I prefer Tiffany's version.

Tommy hooked me with "Hanky Panky" been a life long fan ever since. Great show, thanks a bunch.💗

The year that Chili’s commercial came out, there were a number of other commercial jingles ripping off other songs from that era. I distinctly remember hearing songs by the Association and the Cowsills being borrowed with altered lyrics. It’s hard to believe they got away with it.

Back in the Saddle Again Naturally

Luuuuv the Shirt

We loved his concert with Peter Noone (Herman’s Hermits) in San Antonio, Texas a few years ago. My son was the only child at the show. Tommy later wrote a quick note for my son on his Facebook page that he should continue playing guitar. My son was about 12 years old at the time. My son now occasionally leads for the worship band at our church. He still remembers Tommy’s encouraging words and is one of his favorite artists (and on his way to having his own guitar collection).

I literally played this song for my son yesterday for the first time talking about how cool the 70s music was😮

When I was a kid, I always heard it as "End of the line". The story is very interesting, and somewhat terrifying.

Another amazing interview Professor!! Your ability to score these fantastic talks with such legends, and how eclectic in the music genres they've been,is simply astounding! Thank you for this one! Listen to how good of a vocalist Tommy was,and songwriting equally as good. I respect people like him from such a creative ,beautiful era of music. 😊❤

I fell in love with the music of Tommy James and the Shondells after being introduced to it through my older cousins! Although I never knew that REM did a cover of Dragging the Line, Billy Idol's version of Mony, Mony, and Tiffany's rendition of I Think We're Alone Now, were amazing!

Love Tommy and all his songs and was thrillled when I found out he also wrote Tighter and Tighter for Alive and Kickin'. This video could have gone down a lot of rabbit holes. Not mentioned was that Bruce Sudano was the co-founder and keys player in A&K, and he, from what I've read, became Tommy's protege, where he learned to write and record with Tommy at Allegro Studios. Sudano's worked with a load of big names including Michael Jackson, Dolly Parton, Reba, and of course, his future wife, Donna Summer. Their second daughter, Amanda, is part of the great duo JohnnySwim who have a great catalog of music, as well. Very cool stuff.

TJ did such great songs. They hold up today!.. Hey Professor, how about Paul Revere and the Raiders? They had almost as many hits as TJ&TS. Gotta interview Mark Lyndsay while he's still with us!!

I worked with a band member for nearly ten years- in an auto factory! I was told who he was after the plant closed and was quite astonished; it was confirmed when I dug out an old record album, and there he was!

As someone who has been described with it for most of my life, I love hearing about the possible origins of "tree hugger". Thanks, Adam!

I will say that he is one of my favorite artists you have interviewed...love hearing him talk about everything.

Tommy James is one of those cats who could sit on a bench and write a song about what waz going on around him even if nothing was going on. Extremely gifted.

I saw Tommy James & the Shondells in concert at the local exhibition grandstand show back in the mid seventies in Alberta, Canada. Excellent singer & show imo.

Their greatest hits album was the 1st present I gave my older sister as a child. I can remember listening to it over and over. Just an amazing piece of work. His voice is somewhat mysterious and truly psychedelic rock. So much fun to hear the POF show his appreciation for the stuff of my youth. I am sure all of you feel the same.

This song is another that is a perfect song. It brings back memories of sitting in the dark by one of the speakers of the console stereo I actually won at the Blackfoot Fair!! I was in Elementary School & back then one could put your name in the box at any age & win prizes and coupons for dollars off of any product from a furniture store. The stereo had red cloth behind the speakers & was pretty!! Great show! 🤠

Thank you for interviewing Tommy, he’s an amazing artist. Your interviews are the best!