"Tommy Jackson - James' given name - recorded it in a Niles, Michigan, radio studio in 1963 when he was a high school kid. It was a modest local hit, released as Snap #102, a label run by a Midwest DJ, Jack Douglas, spinning out of WNIL. Two years later, he got a call from Pittsburgh DJ Mad Mike Metrovich from WZUM. He wanted the Shondells to play in a concert he was promoting. The bewildered young Tommy (bewildered because the band had broken up 18 months before) checked a bit, and found out that his song had taken off in Pittsburgh. In fact, it had been the Steel City's #1 song for three weeks running. It's said that up to 80,000 copies of the song had been bootlegged in the Steel City by an East Liberty outfit named Red Fox/Fenway. After all, what hot blooded lad didn't want a honey that did the "Hanky Panky", even if only on the dance floor? Tommy rode into town, visited Irwin's Sunset Club and heard a local band, the Rancoteurs. The guys were Joe Kessler, Ron Rosman, George Magura, Mike Vale and Vinnie Pietropaoli.
He liked their sound and pressed them into service as his new Shondells. The result? 1966 saw "Hanky Panky" go number #1 nationally after Roulette bought the master for $10,000 and signed the group. And the Rancoteurs/Shondells went from a club band to owners of a gold record.
As James said: "One night I was playing for 20 drunks in a bar in Michigan, and the next night I'm playing for 10,000 screaming fans in Pittsburgh."
During the 1960’s Mad Mike was a DJ on WZUM in Carnegie. Pa and he hosted packed teen dances around the Pittsburgh area. Looking to unearth interesting tunes, he rummaged from coast to coast through stacks of 45s buried in record store bargain bins and in the back rooms of record distributors. With his keen ear he searched for unique never heard of wild underground records. buy 10,000 overstock records at a penny or two a shot. He introduced his listeners to the punk songs “The Witch” and “Psycho” by the Sonics of Tacoma, "Wooly Bully" and “Little Red Riding Hood” by Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs of Memphis, and “Hanky Panky” by Tommy James. He often did not announce the names of the obscure groups that he played, making it difficult to go out and buy copies. Cleverly he built fan loyalty as his listeners had to keep tuning in or go to his dances to hear those wild songs again. No one else had his records. To keep his songs shrouded in mystery he scratched out or glued comics over the names of the bands on his 45 records. Some songs he played only once. He’d announced "Listen in - you may never hear this song again”." (http://oldmonmusic.blogspot.com)
