Tommy Hunt (born Charles James Hunt; June 18, 1933) is an American

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

singer Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

, and a 2001

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), sometimes simply referred to as the Rock Hall, is a museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and othe ...

Inductee as a member of famed R&B group

The Flamingos The Flamingos are an American doo-wop group formed in Chicago in 1953. The band became popular in mid-to-late 1950s and are known for their 1959 cover version of "I Only Have Eyes for You". They have since been hailed as one of the finest and m ...

Early life

Born to Georgianna Derico, Hunt started his life in Pittsburgh, where his school friends

nickname A nickname is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place or thing. Commonly used to express affection, a form of endearment, and sometimes amusement, it can also be used to express defamation of character. As a concept, it is ...

d him Tommy, and it has stayed with him throughout his entire life. Music dominated his life and he was sent to

reform school A reform school was a penal institution, generally for teenagers mainly operating between 1830 and 1900. In the United Kingdom and its colonies reformatories commonly called reform schools were set up from 1854 onwards for youngsters who were ...

after spending his learning hours practicing for and entering

talent show A talent show is an event in which participants perform the arts of singing, dancing, lip-syncing, acting, martial arts, playing an instrument, poetry, comedy or other activities to showcase skills. Many talent shows are performances rather ...

s. He was released from reform school when he was 10, and he and his mother moved to

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

The Flamingos

After a stint in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

, Hunt went AWOL in order to be with his mother, who was dying. He served time in prison for deserting and, after his release, returned to Chicago where he formed a group called The Five Echoes. While performing in a

club Club may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Club'' (magazine) * Club, a ''Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character * Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards * Club music * "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea'' Brands and enterprises ...

, he was approached by Zeke Carey of The Flamingos, and asked to take Carey's place, as he had recently been drafted. Hunt was kept on after Carey returned. In 1959, their biggest

hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...

was "

I Only Have Eyes for You "I Only Have Eyes for You" is a romantic love song by composer Harry Warren and lyricist Al Dubin, written for the film ''Dames'' (1934) when Dick Powell introduced it. Several successful recordings of the song were made in 1934; later, there we ...

" which remains their most popular song, being used in film soundtracks and on

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...

s to this date.

Solo career

Hunt left the group in 1961 due to musical differences, but within three days he was approached by

Luther Dixon Luther Dixon (August 7, 1931 – October 22, 2009) was an American songwriter, record producer, and singer. Dixon's songs achieved their greatest success in the 1950s and 1960s, and were recorded by Elvis Presley, the Beatles, the Jackson 5, B.B ...

and released "Parade of Broken Hearts" which was slow to be picked up by the

radio station Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radio ...

s. In New York, a

disc jockey A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include Radio personality, radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music f ...

called Jocko Henderson introduced the song but played the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

by mistake. The track aired was "Human", Hunt's biggest

in the

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

His 1962

, " I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself", written by

Bacharach Bacharach (, also known as ''Bacharach am Rhein'') is a town in the Mainz-Bingen district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' of Rhein-Nahe, whose seat is in Bingen am Rhein, although that town is not withi ...

and

David David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

, and produced by

Leiber and Stoller Lyricist Jerome Leiber (April 25, 1933 – August 22, 2011) and composer Michael Stoller (born March 13, 1933) were American songwriting and record producing partners. They found success as the writers of such Crossover music, crossover hit songs ...

, was the first recording of the song, which later became a major hit for

Dusty Springfield Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien (16 April 1939 – 2 March 1999), known professionally as Dusty Springfield, was an English singer. With her distinctive mezzo-soprano sound, she was a popular singer of blue-eyed soul, Pop music, p ...

Dionne Warwick Marie Dionne Warwick (; born December 12, 1940) is an American singer, actress, and television host. Warwick ranks among the 40 biggest U.S. hit makers between 1955 and 1999, based on her chart history on ''Billboards Hot 100 pop singles cha ...

and others. Hunt became a regular, performing at

The Apollo The Apollo Theater is a music hall at 253 West 125th Street between Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard (Seventh Avenue) and Frederick Douglass Boulevard (Eighth Avenue) in the Harlem neighborhood of Upper Manhattan in New York City. It is a n ...

in New York alongside such

artists An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse refers to a practitioner in the visual arts only. However, the ...

Jackie Wilson Jack Leroy Wilson Jr. (June 9, 1934 – January 21, 1984) was an American singer and performer of the 1950s and 60s. He was a prominent figure in the transition of rhythm and blues into soul. Nicknamed "Mr. Excitement", he was considered a mas ...

Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gay Jr., who also spelled his surname as Gaye (April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984), was an American singer and songwriter. He helped to shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player and later as a solo ar ...

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...

Diana Ross Diana Ross (born March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame as the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown's most successful act during the 1960s and one of the world's best-selling girl groups o ...

and

The Supremes The Supremes were an American girl group and a premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s. Founded as the Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successful ...

The Shirelles The Shirelles were an American girl group formed in Passaic, New Jersey in 1957. They consisted of schoolmates Shirley Owens (later Shirley Alston Reeves), Doris Coley (later Doris Kenner-Jackson), Addie "Micki" Harris (later Addie Harris McFadd ...

Chuck Berry Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the " Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and developed rhythm and blues into th ...

Bo Diddley Ellas McDaniel (born Ellas Otha Bates; December 30, 1928 – June 2, 2008), known professionally as Bo Diddley, was an American guitarist who played a key role in the transition from the blues to rock and roll. He influenced many artists, incl ...

, and

Sam and Dave Sam & Dave were an American soul and R&B duo who performed together from 1961 until 1981. The tenor (higher) voice was Sam Moore (born 1935) and the baritone/tenor (lower) voice was Dave Prater (1937–1988). Nicknamed "Double Dynamite", "The S ...

. To the best of his knowledge, Hunt remains the only person to have his

photograph A photograph (also known as a photo, image, or picture) is an image created by light falling on a photosensitive surface, usually photographic film or an electronic image sensor, such as a CCD or a CMOS chip. Most photographs are now create ...

framed twice in the Apollo foyer, both with The Flamingos and as a solo artist. Several years, and a couple of minor hits later, Hunt sang for the U.S. Army in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. By 1969, he left his homeland, traveled back to Germany, through

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

and across the

English Channel The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...

to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

Northern soul

After several performances in the theater clubs throughout the UK, Hunt sang at the second anniversary of the

Wigan Casino The Wigan Casino was a nightclub in Wigan, England. Operating between 1973 and 1981, it became known as a primary venue for Northern soul music. It carried forward the legacy created by clubs such as the Twisted Wheel in Manchester, the Chateau ...

, and there followed success on the northern soul scene. Hunt was approached by

Russ Winstanley Russ Winstanley (born October 1952) is an English DJ, originating from Beech Hill, in Wigan, Lancashire. Early life He attended Wigan Grammar School. Career He is best known for his championing of Northern Soul music at the Wigan Casino. Sinc ...

and Mike Walker of the Casino, and released several hits on

Spark Records Spark Records was a record label started by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller around 1954 in Los Angeles, California. Artists released on Spark Records included Willy & Ruth, The Sly Fox, Ervin "Big Boy" Groves, and The Robins. Leiber and Stoller even ...

. The first was a

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

of a

song A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetitio ...

formerly sung by

Roy Hamilton Roy Hamilton (April 16, 1929 – July 20, 1969) was an American singer. By combining semi-classical technique with traditional black gospel feeling, he brought soul to Great American Songbook singing. Hamilton's greatest commercial success ca ...

, entitled "Crackin' Up". It peaked at No. 39 in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

in October 1975. This was followed by another

chart A chart (sometimes known as a graph) is a graphical representation for data visualization, in which "the data is represented by symbols, such as bars in a bar chart, lines in a line chart, or slices in a pie chart". A chart can represent tabu ...

success "Loving on the Losing Side" (UK No. 28, 1976). 1982/83 saw Hunt win the Male Vocalist of the Year, presented by ''Club Mirror''. His track, "One Fine Morning", reached No. 44 in the UK chart in December 1976.

Later years

With the decline of the northern soul, Hunt's shows dwindled and he hit the cabaret circuit further afield, moving to

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

in 1986, and traveling the world. In 1996, the first of his recognitions came in the form of The Rhythm and Blues Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award for The Flamingos contribution to music. In 1997, Hunt relocated to the UK and embarked on a revived northern soul scene. In later years, having turned his hand to

songwriting A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music gen ...

, Hunt penned his

autobiography An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life. It is a form of biography. Definition The word "autobiography" was first used deprecatingly by William Taylor in 1797 in the English peri ...

, ''Only Human, My Soulful Life,'' with author, Jan Warburton, which was released in December 2008. Hunt started a new live show as Tommy Hunt & The New Flamingos, with members of the Spanish vocal group Velvet Candles. This show was presented on June 3, 2011, during the Screamin' Summer Festival in (

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

, Spain.

Awards

The award for The Flamingos from the

Vocal Group Hall of Fame The Vocal Group Hall of Fame (VGHF) is an American-based hall of fame that honors vocal groups throughout the world in every genre of music. Headquartered in the Columbia Theatre in Sharon, Pennsylvania, it includes a theater and a museum. It was ...

came in 2000, followed by the Doo-Wop Hall of Fame in 2001. The Flamingos were inducted into The

for their thirty-year contribution to music.

Discography

''The Five Echoes with the Fats Coles Band''

Sabre 102 - "Lonely Mood" / "Baby Come Back to Me" – 1953 (Black Vinyl)
Sabre 102 - "Lonely Mood" / "Baby Come Back to Me" – 1953 (Red Vinyl)

''The Five Echoes''

Sabre 107? - "Why Oh Why" / "That's My Baby" – 1954

''The Flamingos''

Decca 30335 - "The Ladder of Love" / "Let's Make Up" – 1957
Decca 30454 - "Helpless" / "My Faith in You" – 1957
Decca 30687 - "Where Mary Go" / "The Rock and Roll March" – 1958
End 1035 - "Lovers Never Say Goodbye" / "That Love Is You" – 1958
End 1040 - "But Not for Me" / "I Shed a Tear at Your Wedding" – 1959
End 1044 - "At the Prom" / "Love Walked In" – 1959
End 1045 - "I Only Have Eyes for You" / "At the Prom" – 1959
End 1046 - "I Only Have Eyes for You" / "Goodnight Sweetheart" – 1959
Decca 30880 - "Ever Since I Met Lucky" / "Kiss-a-Me" – 1959
End 1055 - "Love Walked In" / "Yours" – 1959
Decca 30948 - "Jerri-Lee" / "Hey Now!" – 1959
End 1062 - "I Was Such a Fool" / "Heavenly Angel" – 1959
End 1065 - "Mi Amore" / "You, Me and the Sea" – 1960
End 1068 - "Nobody Loves Me Like You" / "You, Me and the Sea" – 1960
End 1070 - "Besame Mucha" / "You, Me and the Sea" – 1960
End 1073 - "Mi Amore" / "At Night" – 1960
End 1079 - "When I Fall in Love" / "Beside You" – 1960
End 1085 - "That's Why I Love You" / "Ko Ko Mo" – 1960
End 1092 - "Time Was" / "Dream Girl" – 1960
End 1099 - "My Memories of You" / "I Want to Love You" – 1960

''Tommy Hunt - U.S. singles''

Scepter 1219 - "Human" / "Parade of Broken Hearts" – 1961
Scepter 1226 - "The Door Is Open" / "I'm Wondering" – 1962
Scepter 1231 - "So Lonely" / "The Work Song" – 1962
Scepter 1235 - "Didn’t I Tell You She’ll Hurt You" / "Poor Millionaire You’re So Fine" – 1962
Scepter 1236 - "And I Never Knew" / "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself" – 1962
Scepter 1252 - "Do You Really Love Me" / "Son, My Son" – 1963
Scepter 1261 - "I Am a Witness"* / "I'm with You" – 1963 *written by
Ed Townsend Edward Benjamin 'Ed' Townsend (April 16, 1929 – August 13, 2003) was an American singer, songwriter, producer and attorney. He performed and composed "For Your Love", a rhythm and blues doo wop classic, and co-wrote "Let's Get It On" with Marvi ...

Scepter 1275 - "It’s All a Bad Dream" / "You Made a Man out of Me" – 1964
Atlantic 2278 - "I Don’t Want to Lose You" / "Hold On" – 1965
Capitol 5621 - "I’ll Make You Happy" / "The Clown" – 1966
Dynamo 101 - "The Biggest Man" / "Never Love a Robin" – 1967
Dynamo 105 - "Words Can Never Tell It" / "How Can I Be Anything" – 1967
Dynamo 110 - "Complete Man" / "Searchin’ for My Love" – 1967
Dynamo 113 - "I Need a Woman of My Own" / "Searchin’ for My Baby (Lookin’ Everywhere)" – 1967
Dynamo 124 - "Born Free" / "Just a Little Taste (Of Your Sweet Lovin')" – 1968
Private Stock 45,115 - "Loving on the Losing Side" / "Sunshine Girl" – 1976
Collectables Col 030077 - "Oh No Not My Baby" / "Human"* – 1981 *Flip by Tommy Hunt
Town 103 - "The Work Song" / "Please Stay"* – 198? *Flip by The Ivory's

''Tommy Hunt - UK singles''

Top Rank Jar-605 - "The Door Is Open" / "I'm Wondering" – 1962
Polydor 236 - "Mind Body and Soul" / "One Mountain to Climb" – 1972
Spark 1132 - "Crackin' Up" / "Get Out" – 1975
Spark 1146 - "Loving on the Losing Side" / "Sunshine Girl" – 1976
Spark 1148 - "One Fine Morning" / "Sign on the Dotted Line" / "Loving You" – 1976

''Albums''

Scepter SRM 506 (mono) / Scepter SPS 506 (stereo) - ''I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself'' – 1962
Tracks: I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself / The Work Song / Parade of Broken Hearts / You're So Fine / She'll Hurt You So / And I Never Knew / Human / Didn't I Tell You / The Door Is Open / Poor Millionaire / So Lonely / I'm Wondering

Dynamo DM 7001 (mono) / Dynamo DS 8001 (stereo) - ''Tommy Hunt's Greatest Hits'' – 1967
Tracks: The Biggest Man / Comin' on Strong / Words Can Never Tell It / Never Love a Robin / How Can I Be Anything (Without You) / All in the Game / I Believe / Human / Born Free / Everybody's Got a Home (But Me)

Spark SRLP 117 - ''Live at Wigan Casino'' – 1976
Tracks: I Can’t Turn You Loose / Get Ready / My Girl / Knock on Wood / Never Can Say Goodbye /// Help Me Make It Through the Night / Crackin’ Up / Baby I Need Your Loving

Spark SRLP 120 - ''Sign Of The Times'' – 1976
Tracks: Loving on the Losing Side / Upon My Soul / Get Out / A Miracle Like You / You Got Me Where You Want Me / A Sign of the Times /// Sign on the Dotted Line / Loving You Is / Crackin’ Up / Help Me Make It Thru' the Night / Sunshine Girl / Never Can Say Goodbye

Kent 059 - ''Your Man'' – 1986
Tracks: Love / She’ll Hurt You Too / Didn’t I Tell You / This and Only This / It’s All a Bad Dream / I Am a Witness / Make the Night a Little Longer / Oh Lord What Are You Doing to Me /// Human / Your Man / Don’t Make Me Over / The Parade of Broken Hearts / I Might Like It / You Made a Man out of Me / Just a Little Taste of Your Sweet Lovin’ / Promised Land

References

Bibliography

*Hunt, Tommy. ''Only Human, My Soulful Life'', Bank House Books,

External links

Official SiteMySpace SiteAcerecords.co.ukPittsburgh Music History Tommy Hunt Profile
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hunt, Tommy 1933 births Living people Musicians from Pittsburgh American male singers The Flamingos members Northern soul musicians Singers from Pennsylvania Scepter Records artists