Troy Shondell
Encyclopedia
Troy Shondell is an American
vocalist, who achieved a modicum of fame and recognition in the early 1960s. He became a transatlantic one-hit wonder, by releasing a single
that made the record chart
s in both the US
and the UK
. The song, "This Time" (or sometimes billed as "This Time (We're Really Breaking Up)" sold over one million records, earning gold disc
status. Indeed, in a single year, sales rose to more than three million copies.
and Indiana University
. He wrote
his first song at age 14, which was recorded
by Little Anthony & The Imperials
. Shondell also learned to play five musical instrument
s. His professional music career started whilst he was still a teenager
. Mercury Records
released his first single
, "My Hero," from The Chocolate Soldier
, which he recorded in 1958 under his real name of Gary Shelton.
He followed the next year with "Kissin' At the Drive In," a rockabilly
song that went on to become a drive-in theater
standard. Shondell seemed to be on his way, at least in the Midwest
. Chicago
's Brass Rail, a major nightclub
that usually hosted jazz
and blues
acts, brought him in for its first foray into rock and roll
. The successful gig stretched to 16 weeks. In 1959, Mark Records released "The Trance" and "Goodbye Little Darlin'". These sold well in the Midwest and a few other areas, but neither made it into the Top 40 of the national Billboard
record chart
. The same year, the singer opened shows on a tour called Shower of Stars for such headliners as Chuck Berry
, The Impalas
, Frankie Ford
, Frankie Avalon
, and The Skyliners
.
The singer cited his father as a major influence, along with Little Richard
, Elvis Presley
, and Buddy Holly
. A song Shondell wrote about his father's death in 1960 from a heart attack
, "Still Loving You," became a country
hit when it was recorded by Bob Luman
. Shondell's father's demise caused a stutter in his career, and he briefly returned to help run the family business.
In April 1961, he recorded "This Time". The record
was released during the last week in June on the tiny Gaye label. It was picked up by the small Los Angeles Goldcrest label, and sold ten thousand copies during the first week. Six weeks after being released and played in Chicago, Shondell flew to Los Angeles
and signed with Liberty Records
. It finally hit the Billboard charts the first week of September, and landed in the Top 10 four weeks later, peaking at number six, and staying in the charts for a total of sixteen weeks. The track reached #22 in the UK Singles Chart
at the end of that year.
"Tears From An Angel" was his follow-up recording, released in March 1962. No further chart action was forthcoming, and Shondell quietly slipped away from the music industry the following year (despite his 3rd single, "Na-Ne-No" was produced by Phil Spector
). However, in 1963, Tommy Jackson changed the name of his high school band from Tom and the Tornados to the Shondells in honor of Troy Shondell (one of his musical idols). Jackson became Tommy James and international fame followed for the act.
In 1968 Shondell became a songwriter for Acuff-Rose Music
in Nashville
, Tennessee
and the first recording artist for TRX Records, a branch of Hickory Records
for whom Shondell made some popular discs
until 1969 when he went into the music publishing field. In October 1969, Shondell was apppointed as Assistant Regional Director for ASCAP's Southern Regional Office in Nashville.
In 2001, Shondell was still performing at nostalgia shows and other events. From his home in Nashville, he also composes and produces. Along with Jimmy Clanton
, Ronnie Dove
, and the now deceased Ray Peterson
, Shondell was a member of the Masters of Rock 'n' Roll.
On October 2, 2007, Shondell traveled to Collins
, Mississippi
, to deliver the musical tribute to his fallen rock and roll colleague, Dale Houston
, who had reached #1 in 1963 with "I'm Leaving It Up to You
."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
vocalist, who achieved a modicum of fame and recognition in the early 1960s. He became a transatlantic one-hit wonder, by releasing a single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
that made the record chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
s in both the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The song, "This Time" (or sometimes billed as "This Time (We're Really Breaking Up)" sold over one million records, earning gold disc
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
status. Indeed, in a single year, sales rose to more than three million copies.
Biography
Shondell was born and raised in Indiana and was educated at Valparaiso UniversityValparaiso University
Valparaiso University, known colloquially as Valpo, is a regionally accredited private university located in the city of Valparaiso in the U.S. state of Indiana. Founded in 1859, it consists of five undergraduate colleges, a graduate school, a nursing school and a law school...
and Indiana University
Indiana University
Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...
. He wrote
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
his first song at age 14, which was recorded
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
by Little Anthony & The Imperials
Little Anthony & The Imperials
Little Anthony and the Imperials is a rhythm and blues/soul/doo-wop vocal group from New York, first active in the 1950s. Lead singer Jerome Anthony "Little Anthony" Gourdine was noted for his high-pitched falsetto voice, influenced by Jimmy Scott...
. Shondell also learned to play five musical instrument
Musical instrument
A musical instrument is a device created or adapted for the purpose of making musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can serve as a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. The history of musical instruments dates back to the...
s. His professional music career started whilst he was still a teenager
Adolescence
Adolescence is a transitional stage of physical and mental human development generally occurring between puberty and legal adulthood , but largely characterized as beginning and ending with the teenage stage...
. Mercury Records
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
released his first single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, "My Hero," from The Chocolate Soldier
The Chocolate Soldier
The Chocolate Soldier is an operetta composed in 1908 by Oscar Straus based on George Bernard Shaw's 1894 play, Arms and the Man...
, which he recorded in 1958 under his real name of Gary Shelton.
He followed the next year with "Kissin' At the Drive In," a rockabilly
Rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...
song that went on to become a drive-in theater
Drive-in theater
A drive-in theater is a form of cinema structure consisting of a large outdoor screen, a projection booth, a concession stand and a large parking area for automobiles. Within this enclosed area, customers can view movies from the privacy and comfort of their cars.The screen can be as simple as a...
standard. Shondell seemed to be on his way, at least in the Midwest
Midwestern United States
The Midwestern United States is one of the four U.S. geographic regions defined by the United States Census Bureau, providing an official definition of the American Midwest....
. Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
's Brass Rail, a major nightclub
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
that usually hosted jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
acts, brought him in for its first foray into rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
. The successful gig stretched to 16 weeks. In 1959, Mark Records released "The Trance" and "Goodbye Little Darlin'". These sold well in the Midwest and a few other areas, but neither made it into the Top 40 of the national Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
record chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
. The same year, the singer opened shows on a tour called Shower of Stars for such headliners as Chuck Berry
Chuck Berry
Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such as "Maybellene" , "Roll Over Beethoven" , "Rock and Roll Music" and "Johnny B...
, The Impalas
The Impalas
The Impalas were an American doo-wop group in the late 1950s, best known for their hit, "Sorry ".The group formed in 1958 in Brooklyn, New York, and was composed of lead singer Joe "Speedo" Frazier , Richard Wagner, Lenny Renda, and Tony Carlucci...
, Frankie Ford
Frankie Ford
Frankie Ford is an American rock and roll and rhythm and blues singer.He is the adopted son of Vincent and Anna Guzzo, who named him Francis Guzzo. He was born in Gretna, Louisiana, across the Mississippi River from New Orleans, where he still lives...
, Frankie Avalon
Frankie Avalon
Frankie Avalon is an American actor, singer, playwright, and former teen idol.-Career:By the time he was 12, Avalon was on U.S. television playing his trumpet. As a teenager he played with Bobby Rydell in Rocco and the Saints...
, and The Skyliners
The Skyliners
The Skyliners are an American doo-wop group from Pittsburgh fronted by Jimmy Beaumont. The original lineup also included Wally Lester, Jack Taylor, Joe Verscharen, Louis M. Tutino and Janet Vogel...
.
The singer cited his father as a major influence, along with Little Richard
Little Richard
Richard Wayne Penniman , known by the stage name Little Richard, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, recording artist, and actor, considered key in the transition from rhythm and blues to rock and roll in the 1950s. He was also the first artist to put the funk in the rock and roll beat and...
, Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
, and Buddy Holly
Buddy Holly
Charles Hardin Holley , known professionally as Buddy Holly, was an American singer-songwriter and a pioneer of rock and roll...
. A song Shondell wrote about his father's death in 1960 from a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
, "Still Loving You," became a country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
hit when it was recorded by Bob Luman
Bob Luman
Bob Luman was an American country and rockabilly singer.-Early life and career:...
. Shondell's father's demise caused a stutter in his career, and he briefly returned to help run the family business.
In April 1961, he recorded "This Time". The record
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
was released during the last week in June on the tiny Gaye label. It was picked up by the small Los Angeles Goldcrest label, and sold ten thousand copies during the first week. Six weeks after being released and played in Chicago, Shondell flew to Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
and signed with Liberty Records
Liberty Records
Liberty Records was a United States-based record label. It was started by chairman Simon Waronker in 1955 with Al Bennett as president and Theodore Keep as chief engineer. It was reactivated in 2001 in the United Kingdom and had two previous revivals.-1950s:...
. It finally hit the Billboard charts the first week of September, and landed in the Top 10 four weeks later, peaking at number six, and staying in the charts for a total of sixteen weeks. The track reached #22 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
at the end of that year.
"Tears From An Angel" was his follow-up recording, released in March 1962. No further chart action was forthcoming, and Shondell quietly slipped away from the music industry the following year (despite his 3rd single, "Na-Ne-No" was produced by Phil Spector
Phil Spector
Phillip Harvey "Phil" Spector is an American record producer and songwriter, later known for his conviction in the murder of actress Lana Clarkson....
). However, in 1963, Tommy Jackson changed the name of his high school band from Tom and the Tornados to the Shondells in honor of Troy Shondell (one of his musical idols). Jackson became Tommy James and international fame followed for the act.
In 1968 Shondell became a songwriter for Acuff-Rose Music
Acuff-Rose Music
Acuff-Rose Music was an American music publishing firm formed by Roy Acuff and Fred Rose in Nashville, Tennessee. Acuff-Rose's honest behavior towards their writers set them apart from other music publishing firms at the time and lead them to fame throughout the 50's, 60's, 70's.-History:Acuff-Rose...
in Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
and the first recording artist for TRX Records, a branch of Hickory Records
Hickory Records
Hickory Records is a United States record label founded by Acuff-Rose Music in 1954 which operated the label up to 1979. Present owner Sony/ATV Music Publishing revived the label in 2007. Originally based in Nashville, functioning as an independent label throughout its history, it has had several...
for whom Shondell made some popular discs
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
until 1969 when he went into the music publishing field. In October 1969, Shondell was apppointed as Assistant Regional Director for ASCAP's Southern Regional Office in Nashville.
In 2001, Shondell was still performing at nostalgia shows and other events. From his home in Nashville, he also composes and produces. Along with Jimmy Clanton
Jimmy Clanton
Jimmy Clanton is an American singer who became known as the "swamp pop R&B teenage idol". His band recorded a hit song "Just A Dream" which Clanton had written in 1958 for the Ace Records label. It reached number four on the Billboard chart and sold a million copies...
, Ronnie Dove
Ronnie Dove
Ronnie Dove is an American pop and country musician.Born in Herndon, VA, Ronnie began his singing career in the clubs of Baltimore. He formed a group, The Belltones, and they played Baltimore and the East Coast for four years...
, and the now deceased Ray Peterson
Ray Peterson
Ray Peterson was an American pop music singer who was best remembered for singing "Tell Laura I Love Her" and "Corrine, Corrina" in the 1960s.-Career:...
, Shondell was a member of the Masters of Rock 'n' Roll.
On October 2, 2007, Shondell traveled to Collins
Collins, Mississippi
Collins is a city in Covington County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 2,761 at the 2005 census. It is the county seat of Covington County....
, Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, to deliver the musical tribute to his fallen rock and roll colleague, Dale Houston
Dale Houston
Dale Houston was an American singer who, along with his performing partner, Grace Broussard, got to the top of the Billboard chart as Dale & Grace with two rock and roll hits. The first was the gold record one million seller "I'm Leaving It Up to You" in 1963. "Stop and Think It Over" reached #8...
, who had reached #1 in 1963 with "I'm Leaving It Up to You
I'm Leaving It Up to You
"I'm Leaving It All Up to You" is a song first put out by the Don & Dewey duo in 1957 andwritten by Dewey Terry and Donald Harris, the members of that duo. It was popularized by Dale and Grace, becoming a number-one hit for the duo in the United States on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks in late...
."
See also
- List of people from Fort Wayne, Indiana
- List of 1960s one-hit wonders in the United States