Tommy James joins Paul Cashmere for an extraordinary Noise11.com interview, revisiting one of the most fascinating careers in rock history. From his teenage breakthrough Hanky Panky to the groundbreaking Crimson And Clover and Draggin’ The Line, Tommy reflects on six decades of music, mob ties, and milestones.
In this in-depth conversation, Tommy opens up about his 2010 autobiography Me, The Mob And The Music — an explosive account of his years at Roulette Records, a label secretly backed by the Genovese crime family. He reveals how fear, faith, and sheer determination kept him creating hit after hit despite never receiving royalties owed to him.
Tommy also shares how divine inspiration and pure luck led to classics like Mony Mony, how a radio leak turned Crimson And Clover into his biggest record, and how I Think We’re Alone Now taught him the art of hit-making.
The discussion turns reflective as Tommy recalls losing an unreleased collection of songs George Harrison wrote for him, meeting John Lennon during the height of Beatlemania, and witnessing the industry’s seismic shift from singles to albums in the late ‘60s.
With over 110 million records sold and 23 gold singles, Tommy James’ story is both cautionary and triumphant, a remarkable chronicle of survival and success in rock’s wildest era.
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