Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Draggin' the Line by Tommy James

Welcome to Rock the Rocktober Week at The Lost Soul of Rock and Roll. The song of the day for October 16, 2012 is 'Draggin' The Line' by Tommy James. This song was released in 1970 and made its way to the #4 spot on the US Billboard charts.

The story of Tommy James' career in the music industry is very interesting and I highly recommend his biography, Me, the Mob, and The Music so you can understand the incredible roller coaster ride James experienced as an artist. As the lead singer for Tommy James and The Shondells and as a solo artist, James has two number one hits and a bunch of top 40 hits to his name. Although he had a great deal of success during the 1960s as an act for Roulette Records, it is believed he had $30 to $40 million in royalties stolen by Morris Levy, the owner of Roulette Records.

'Draggin' The Line' is one of my favorite songs from the Tommy James catalog. The song has been rumored to be about James' drug use, but has never been confirmed. I used to teach a class about the history of rock and roll, and Tommy James was a guest speaker. He was really cool and shared some great stories about his days touring with The Shondells. As a fan of Tommy James' music, I find it puzzling that he has never been added to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Take a listen to 'Draggin' the Line' and enjoy.

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