Tommy James coming to Shooting Star

Tommy James is bringing the Shondells to Mahnomen, Minnesota’s Shooting Star Casino Event Center at 8 p.m. on Friday, June 8.

“I am always excited about returning to Shooting Star,” said James. “We have a long history with the state of Minnesota and a lot of great fans in the area.”

This appearance marks the first time the “Mony Mony” singer has been in the North Star State since his appearance at the Hubert H. Humphrey centennial birthday event last May.

“I was honored to be there to talk about my relationship with Vice President Humphrey last year,” James said. “And I can’t wait to bring the band with me and share our music and some more memories.”

James has 23 gold singles, nine platinum albums and over 100 million records sold worldwide.

His songs have been covered by more than 300 artists including Bruce Springsteen, Carlos Santana, R.E.M., Prince, Billy Idol, Joan Jett, Kelly Clarkson, Broken Bells, Dolly Parton, Tom Jones, Cher and the Boston Pops.

His music is in 27 films to date including current TV shows “Men of a Certain Age,” “Criminal Minds,” “In Plain Sight,” and an upcoming episode of “Breaking Bad.”

The best-selling autobiography, “Me, the Mob, and the Music,” tells the story of James’ tumultuous relationship with Morris Levy, the head of Roulette Records, a front for the Genovese crime family in New York. It also provides a unique perspective on the history of popular rock and roll music. The book has earned James high praise from critics and industry insiders and is headed for a major motion picture, which will be produced by Barbara De Fina (“Good Fellas,” “Hugo,” “Casino,” “Cape Fear”).

James’ current catalogue of music was recently distributed worldwide through Angel Air Records in the U.K. Speaking engagements at New York University’s Clive Davis Department of Recorded Music, Rutgers University, William-Patterson University, among others, has generated another fan base with students around the country. James is also writing a comedy with music geared for television. This is one of several future projects for his company, Aura Entertainment.

Tickets for Tommy James’ appearance at the Shooting Star Casino Event Center in Mahnomen, Minn., on June 8 are available at the box office, by calling 800-313-7469 or logging onto starcasino.com/ tickets.aspx.

Tags: diversions, performances