21. Which Tommy James and the Shondells song, originally released in 1964, took over two years to reach the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100?
From Quiz Remembering 1966
Answer:
Hanky Panky
"Hanky Panky" was written by the songwriting team of Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich for their group The Raindrops, who needed a B-side to their single "That Boy John". Tommy James and the Shondells recorded their version in Niles, Michigan and released it on local label Snaps Record. The song did well in Michigan, Indiana and Illinois, but without national distribution, it quickly faded away and the band broke-up. In 1965 a disc jockey in Pittsburgh began playing the Shondell's version of "Hanky Panky" and the single became popular in the area. James traveled to Pittsburgh and hired a band to become the new Shondells, since he could not get the original members back together. After some TV appearances and local club dates, James went to New York and sold the master of "Hanky Panky" to Roulette Records. The label immediately released the single and it went on to top The Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks in July of 1966.