Tommy James’ road to Norsk Hostfest began when a nightclub DJ in Pittsburgh discovered a two-year-old record by “The Shondells” and played it at his weekend dances. The crowd response was so overwhelmingly positive that radio deejays started spinning it and an enterprising record distributor bootlegged it, selling 80,000 copies in 10 days. By May 1966 “Hanky Panky” was the No. 1 record in Pittsburgh and Tommy James was a local sensation.

The Shondells promptly followed “Hanky Panky” with two more million-selling singles – “Say I Am (What I Am)” and “It’s Only Love” and the Hanky Panky album, which went gold just four weeks after its release.

All this success garnered James a number of invitations to perform, including the first Woodstock Festival in 1969, but he turned down the invitation. “I did a lot of kicking myself in the rear end. It was quite a mistake,” said James. He was in Hawaii when James was asked to perform at the farm in upstate New York. James’ response to the invitation was a sarcastic “oh yeah, that sounds tempting.” “If we’re not there, start without me,” James said to the promoters. “That’s been one of the big flubs of my career.”

With three hits under his belt, James brought in producers Bo Gentry and Ritchie Cordell who, over the next two years, produced seven more back-to-back smash singles: “I Think We’re Alone Now”, “Mirage”, “I Like The Way”, “Gettin’ Together”, “Out Of The Blue”, “Get Out Now”, and the party rock rave-up “Mony Mony.” The Gentry/Cordell/James team also produced three platinum albums.

In 1968, James and the Shondells became one of the first acts to experiment with music videos, creating a mini-film around “Mony Mony” for theatrical showings, 13 years before MTV hit the airwaves.

Clearly ahead of his time, James offers some insight to bands that want to make it in the business. “I believe today that the smartest thing a band can do today is record and write,” said James. “Go to a publisher instead of a record label. The reason is it’s where the action is today. Record companies aren’t really developing talent today. The money is in the publishing. Get as many songs recorded as you can. Once you have the publishing, then you go to a record company.”

After spending three months on the road that year with Vice President Hubert Humphrey’s presidential campaign, James and company took over the creative reins of their career by writing and producing their next record, the groundbreaking “Crimson and Clover” single and the accompanying album. Released in early 1969, it went multi-platinum, and spawned two more monster hits for the group: “Do Something To Me” and “Crystal Blue Persuasion.” A fourth song from the LP, “Sugar On Sunday,” rose high on the charts in a cover version by The Clique.

The Shondells followed up the Crimson and Clover album with Cellophane Symphony, which featured the newly developed Moog Synthesizer and included yet another Top Ten single, “Sweet Cherry Wine.”

Tommy James and the Shondells were on a roll! Not only did the total sales of “Sweet Cherry Wine” and the band’s other three hits in 1969 top those of the Beatles that year, their second volume of greatest hits – The Best Of Tommy James and the Shondells (featuring “Ball of Fire”) also appeared, and ultimately sold over 10 million copies.

Meanwhile James’ songs had become pop culture classics and were being covered by everyone from punk rockers to country icons. In 1987, Tiffany and Billy Idol’s versions of “I Think We’re Alone Now” and “Mony Mony” respectively battled for the top spot on the pop chart for a solid month, each eventually going No. 1. It was the first time in music history that two cover versions of songs by the same artist went No. 1 back-to-back.

Hundreds of cover recordings and live performances of his songs by Bruce Springsteen, Prince, Dolly Parton, Santana, R.E.M., Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, Billy Idol, Tom Jones, The Killers among others. “Prince did a magnificent cover of Crimson and Clover,” said James.

This thrilling tale of Tommy’s career and his tumultuous relationship with the “Godfather” of the music industry, Morris Levy, is on its way to becoming a major motion picture. “The whole situation at Roulette was so toxic in so many ways, but it worked,” said James. “I had to leave the ownership of the songs that I wrote.” That said, James still gives credit to the late music industry executive. “If it wasn’t for Morris Levy, there wouldn’t be a Tommy James.”

The project is helmed by producer Barbara De Fina, whose credits include “Goodfellas,” “Casino,” “Cape Fear,” “Color of Money,” “The Grifters,” “The Age of Innocence,” and “Hugo.” With a top Hollywood screenwriter now on board, James’ story has taken a critical step forward in the always-lengthy film development process. While he has a clear idea of how the soundtrack for the movie will be put together, James isn’t sure who he would want to play himself. “I really am the worst to ask, I’m too close to it to see it,” said James. “I’ll have to let the grown ups figure that one out. Whoever they get will have to play guitar as bad as I do.”

James now has his own label, Aura Records, circumventing the issues he had in the past. “The corporations are the big mobster now,” said James.

Tommy James and the Shondells are currently recording a new LP with the hopes of releasing it early next year. “We’re undecided if it’s gonna be ‘Alive’ or ‘I’m Alive’,” said James. Aside from an acoustic rendition of “I Think We’re Alone Now,” the rest will be original recordings. “Distant Thunder is a new song that’s gonna be in the movie,” said James.

“I guess it’s better to be too busy than not busy enough,” said James. “This is our 50th year and it’s hard to believe that it’s been that long. It was always the music first. I’ve been so blessed to do the job I’m doing. I’ve never wanted to do anythings else.”

Catch Tommy James and the Shondells in the Great Hall of the Vikings on Oct. 1 at 1 p.m.