Icon Fetch Tony Peters

Tommy James has sold over 100 million records, and his impressive string of hits continue to live on in movies, TV shows and commercials - "Hanky Panky," "Mony, Mony," "I Think We're Alone Now," "Crimson & Clover," "Crystal Blue Persuasion," and many more.  His excellent autobiography, "Me, the Mob and the Music" is one of the greatest music books ever written, and is in preproduction to be turned into a major Hollywood movie and Broadway musical.

James was our very first guest on Icon Fetch back in April of 2010.  In our new conversation, he gives us updates on the movie, book and musical.  Plus, he talks about unearthing his very first recording, "Long Pony Tail," that even predates "Hanky Panky" by two years.  He also discusses recently recording songs by the Beatles and Supremes.

He also discusses his weekly radio show, "Gettin' Together with Tommy James" on Sirius/XM.

Tommy James is currently on the road - tour dates and more information can be found at tommyjames.com 

Marshall Chess has a long history in the blues.  His father, Leonard, was one of the co-founders of Chess Records, the influential record label responsible for exposing the music of artists like Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, and Sonny Boy Williamson to larger audience.  Marshall produced the trailblazing Electric Mud from Muddy Waters, and the Howlin’ Wolf Album, both were attempts to reinterpret the blues to then current psychedelic rock era.  He was the first president of Rolling Stones Records, and worked on several films, including Cadillac Records, which was based on his family’s record label. 

Now comes New Moves - The Chess Project, several decades in the making.  Once again, Marshall is reinterpreting the music his family helped nurture, this time for the modern age.  With Keith LeBlanc producing, they’ve assembled a top-notch collection of musicians, reimagining songs by Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, Little Walter and more. 

Marshall also has a YouTube Channel celebrating the Chess history, and a podcast, where he tells many of the great stories of his life. 

Tom Rush pretty much pioneered the folk movement of the early Sixties, issuing his debut album in 1962.  He’s also credited with putting compositions by Joni Mitchell, Jackson Browne and James Taylor on album for the first time, with his LP The Circle Game in 1968.  We talked with Tom back in 2018 when he issued his album Voices. 

Well, he’s back with his first new record in five years out called Gardens Old, Flowers New.  He talks about how he unearthed one of the songs on the new album from a live recording from 50 years ago. Also, how he wrote a song for his daughter when she was young (now she's grown up), and how he never intended that one to be on an album. He also talks about Rockport Sundays, a program he started during Covid, where he invites many of his musical friends to play and tell stories.

Memphis musician Van Duren was the subject of a recent documentary called Waiting: the Van Duren Story, available to rent at most streaming services.  Omnivore Recordings released an excellent summation of Duren’s career in the form of the documentary soundtrack, then issued his first two solo albums in 2020. 

Next up is Cartwheeling: Live in Memphis, showcasing Duren and his underrated band, Good Question, recorded in an intimate setting amongst friends and family back in 1992.
Duren talks about events leading to the concert and why the tapes lay dormant for over 30 years. There's a lot of humor in many of the songs.  He also reveals why they chose to cover "Got To Get You Into My Life."

Duren also tells a great story about having Ringo Starr show up at one of his gigs.

The Cowsills are the original family band - formed in 1965, they hit pay dirt with their smash, “The Rain, the Park and Other Things” in 1967. Other hits followed, including “Indian Lake,” “We Can Fly” and “Hair.” They even were the basis for the hit TV show The Partridge Family.

After some time apart, the group reformed in the early 90’s and has been playing and recording ever since. They’ve been a fixture on the Happy Together tour for almost a decade, and they just released a brand new album called Rhythm of the World last year.

Now, comes A Christmas Offering from the Cowsills. Two of the songs date back to 1992, “Christmastime (Song For Marissa)” and “Some Good Years.” These two songs are joined with a brand-new, acapella version of “Winter Wonderland” - and the EP is now available digitally from Omnivore Recordings.

We chat with Susan Cowsill about how Christmas is the favorite holiday of the Cowsill family, the origins of these "lost" holiday tunes, and the prospects of new Cowsill material in 2024.

In her early twenties, Canadian-born Sue Foley trekked down to Austin, Texas and quickly immersed herself in the fertile blues scene there. Since then, she’s released 15 albums, garnered tons of awards, including Traditional Blues Female Artist from the Blues Foundation - an award she’s taken home three years now.

Her latest record is a homecoming of sorts - Live in Austin Volume One takes her back to her roots, recorded at the legendary Continental Club, now out on Guitar Woman Records.

We talk about how she went high quality for the recording of this live album, digging back into her roots for some of the songs she chose, and the prospects of a Volume Two coming soon.