Up-Close with Tommy James

Written By Mike Greenblatt

It’s been some year for longtime hitmaker Tommy James. His book—Me, The Mob And The Music—is being made into a mini-series. (Dude’s lucky to be alive.) His life was turned upside-down by his longtime manager Carol Ross when the two got married. In a career that has seen him inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame by Stevie Van Zandt, score 23 gold albums (nine platinum), sell 100 million records, be heard 21 million times on the radio, have his songs covered by Billy Idol, Joan Jett, Prince, Green Day’s Billy Joe Armstrong, Bruce Springsteen, Kelly Clarkson, Tom Jones, Cher, R.E.M. and The Boston Pops, and featured in 60 Hollywood movies and 53 TV shows, he says he’s just getting started.

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Mike Greenblatt

MIKE GREENBLATT has been writing for Goldmine magazine and New Jersey's Aquarian Weekly for more than 35 years. His writing subjects fill the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

He's interviewed Joe Cocker, Graham Nash, David Crosby, Carlos Santana, Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, Johnny Cash, and members of The Rolling Stones and The Beatles. He was 18 when he attended Woodstock in 1969.

In addition to writing about music, Greenblatt has worked on publicity campaigns for The Animals, Pat Benatar, Johnny Winter, Tommy James and Richard Branson, among others. He is currently the editor of The Jersey Sound.

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