Editing Tommy James and the Shondells (section)

===Origins===

[[File:Tommy James and the Shondells.png|thumb|right|250px|Tommy James and the Shondells in 1967. Left to right: Ron Rosman, Peter Lucia, Tommy James, Mike Vale and Eddie Gray]]
The band The Echoes formed in 1959 in [[Niles, Michigan]], then evolved into Tom and the Tornadoes, with 12-year-old [[Tommy James]] (then known as Tommy Jackson) as lead singer. While attending [[Niles High School]] in Niles, Michigan, the group released its first single, "Long Pony Tail", in 1962.<ref name="Shondells 2006">Tommy James and the Shondells. ''40 Years: The Complete Singles Collection (1966–2006)''. CD booklet. Aura Records, 2008.</ref>

In 1964, James renamed the band the Shondells<ref name="AllMusic" /> because the name "sounded good" and in honor of nearby [[Fort Wayne]]'s own [[Troy Shondell]], famous for his 1961 release "[[This_Time_(Thomas_Wayne_song)|This Time]]". At this time, the band included Tommy James (vocals and guitar), Larry Coverdale (lead guitar), Larry Wright (bass), Craig Villeneuve (keyboards) and Jim Payne (drums). In February 1964 the band recorded the [[Jeff Barry]]–[[Ellie Greenwich]] song "[[Hanky Panky (Tommy James and the Shondells song)|Hanky Panky]]" (originally a [[A-side and B-side|B-side]] by [[the Raindrops]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/song/hanky-panky-mt0030108954 |title=Hanky Panky: The Raindrops &#124; Listen, Appearances, Song Review |website=AllMusic |date=2008-08-25 |access-date=2015-08-19}}</ref>). As James could often be found playing at Niles High School events, his popularity locally continued to grow. James' version of "Hanky Panky" sold respectably in Michigan, Indiana and Illinois, but Snap Records, the label under which "Hanky Panky" was originally released, had no national distribution. The band toured the eastern Midwest, but no other market took to the song. The single failed to [[record chart|chart]] nationally and the Shondells disbanded in 1965 after its members graduated from high school.

After first considering taking a job outside of music, James decided to form a new band, the Koachmen, with Shondells guitarist Larry Coverdale and members of a rival group called the Spinners (not [[The Spinners (American R&B group)|the hit-making group from Detroit]]). The Koachmen played a circuit of clubs in the Midwest through the summer and fall of 1965, but returned to Niles in February 1966, after the gigs dried up, to plot their next move.