Tommy Tutone is an American

power pop Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, an energetic performance, and ch ...

band Band or BAND may refer to: Places *Bánd, a village in Hungary * Band, Iran, a village in Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Band, Mureș, a commune in Romania * Band-e Majid Khan, a village in Bukan County, West Azerbaijan Province, ...

, known for its 1981 hit "

867-5309/Jenny "867-5309/Jenny" is a 1981 song written by Alex Call and Jim Keller and performed by Tommy Tutone that was released on the album '' Tommy Tutone 2'', on the Columbia Records label. It peaked at No. 4 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in May ...

", which peaked at #4 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Though some people consider the band to be a

one-hit wonder A one-hit wonder or viral hit is any entity that achieves mainstream popularity, often for only one piece of work, and becomes known among the general public solely for that momentary success. The term is most commonly used in regard to music p ...

, it did reach the Top 40 the year before with "Angel Say No".

History

Tommy Heath and Jim Keller founded the band in 1978 along with bassist Terry Nails (Steve Jones, Ozzy Osbourne), with Heath acting as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist, also playing keyboards on occasion; Keller played lead guitar and Terry Nails playing

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

and providing supporting vocals. Heath and Keller were the only constant members of Tommy Tutone during the band's heyday, and the lineup featured a rotating membership of

bassist A bassist (also known as a bass player or bass guitarist) is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass (upright bass, contrabass, wood bass), bass guitar (electric bass, acoustic bass), synthbass, keyboard bass or a low br ...

s and

drummer A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drums. Most contemporary western bands that play rock, pop, jazz, or R&B music include a drummer for purposes including timekeeping and embellishing the musical timbre. The drummer' ...

s. Bassist Jon Lyons (original name Jonathan Lyons Terlep), who performed on "867-5309", replaced original bassist and founding member Terry Nails. However, Lyons was soon replaced by Greg Sutton, later Pete Costello, and more recently Jimmy James. Mona Gnader, the bassist in Sammy Hagar's Waborita band, played with the band as well. Original drummer Kenny Johnson of

Chris Isaak Christopher Joseph Isaak (born June 26, 1956) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and occasional actor. He is widely known for his breakthrough hit and signature song "Wicked Game", as well as other songs such as "Blue Hotel", " Baby D ...

's band was replaced by Mickey Shine (

Clover Clover or trefoil are common names for plants of the genus ''Trifolium'' (from Latin ''tres'' 'three' + ''folium'' 'leaf'), consisting of about 300 species of flowering plants in the legume or pea family Fabaceae originating in Europe. The genus h ...

and drummer on the first

Elvis Costello Declan Patrick MacManus OBE (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer-songwriter and record producer. He has won multiple awards in his career, including a Grammy Award in 2020, and has twice been nomi ...

album) was replaced by Victor Carberry for the band's second album. Carberry was in turn replaced with Jerry Angel.

John Cowsill John Cowsill (born March 2, 1956) is an American musician, best known for his work as a singer and drummer with his siblings' band The Cowsills. He has been a drummer and vocalist for The Beach Boys touring band, which featured original Beach Boy ...

The Cowsills The Cowsills are an American singing group from Newport, Rhode Island, six siblings noted for performing professionally and singing harmonies at an early age, later with their mother. The band was formed in early 1965 by brothers Bill, Bob, and ...

played percussion (and sang) on "

". From 2001-2010, the band consisted of Heath, James, Greg Georgeson (guitar), Andy Gauthier (drums). Tommy Heath became a computer analyst and software engineer and moved to Portland, Oregon. In 2007, the band signed a recording contract with Spectra Records. In 2017, with the addition of Steve Fister ( Steppenwolf, Lita Ford) on guitar, Jimmy James switched to drums and the band released the single "My Little Red Book". Jim Keller went on to become the director of Philip Glass's publishing company, Dunvagen Music Publishers. He still performs in New York City. In 2019, the band released their first studio album since 1998, ''Beautiful Ending''.

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

References

External links

* *
Official Tutone Facebook page

Interview 2014: Rocker Magazine "Tommy Tutone: More Than A Number"
{{Authority control Rock music groups from California American power pop groups American pop rock music groups Musical groups established in 1978 Columbia Records artists People from Willits, California