The Jamies were an American singing group, led by siblings Tom and Serena Jameson, based in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

. They are best known for the song " Summertime, Summertime."

Career

" Summertime, Summertime," the group's 1958 single for

Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony is a Japanese multinational conglomerate (company), cong ...

, reached #26 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Billboard Singles Allmusic.com Both "Summertime" and its

b-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

, "Searching for You", are often described as

doo-wop Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a subgenre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, ...

because of their time period and their

a cappella Music performed a cappella ( , , ; ), less commonly spelled acapella in English, is music performed by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Rena ...

harmonies In music, harmony is the concept of combining different sounds in order to create new, distinct musical ideas. Theories of harmony seek to describe or explain the effects created by distinct pitches or tones coinciding with one another; harm ...

. Several singles followed "Summertime, Summertime" (many written by Tom Jameson), but none of these were

hits Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * '' H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block * ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998 * ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014, a British compilation album s ...

. In 1962, "Summertime, Summertime" was re-released and became a hit again, this time peaking at No. 38. The song's fame far eclipsed the band's;

The Fortunes The Fortunes are an English harmony beat music, beat group. Formed in Birmingham, the Fortunes first came to prominence and international acclaim in 1965, when "You've Got Your Troubles" broke into the US, Canadian, and UK Top 40, Top 10s. Aft ...

, the Doodletown Pipers,

Hobby Horse In folklore, a hobby horse is a costumed character that features in some traditional seasonal customs, processions and similar observances around the world. In England, they are particularly associated with May Day celebrations, mummers' plays a ...

Jan and Dean Jan and Dean were an American rock music, rock duo consisting of William Jan Berry (April 3, 1941 – March 26, 2004) and Dean Ormsby Torrence (born March 10, 1940). In the early 1960s, they were pioneers of the California Sound and vocal surf m ...

, and

Sha Na Na Sha Na Na was an American rock and roll and doo-wop revival group formed in 1969. The group performed a song-and-dance repertoire based on 1950s hit songs that both revived and parodied the music and the New York City street culture of the 1 ...

all

covered Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of ...

the tune, and it was used in commercials for

Buick Buick () is a division (business), division of the Automotive industry in the United States, American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM). Started by automotive pioneer David Dunbar Buick in 1899, it was among the first American automobil ...

Ken-L Ration Ken-L Ration is a brand of canned and dry dog food. In 1922, canned pet food became popularly known on the market after Ken-L Ration, the first to release horse meat in their pet food after purchasing cheap horse meat from PM Chappel. Ken-L Rati ...

Burger Time Dog Food,

Applebee's Applebee's Restaurants LLC. is an American company that develops, franchises, and operates the Applebee's Neighborhood Grill + Bar restaurant chain. The Applebee's concept focuses on casual dining, with mainstream American dishes such as salads, ...

and

McDonald's McDonald's Corporation, doing business as McDonald's, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain. As of 2024, it is the second largest by number of locations in the world, behind only the Chinese ch ...

. It was also featured in the 1978

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

Fingers A finger is a prominent digit on the forelimbs of most tetrapod vertebrate animals, especially those with prehensile extremities (i.e. hands) such as humans and other primates. Most tetrapods have five digits (pentadactyly), Chambers 1998 p. 60 ...

.'' Tom Jameson died from

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...

on July 19, 2009, at the age of 72. Arthur Blair died at age 82 on January 8, 2020, in Fruitland, Idaho.

Members

*Thomas Earl "Tom" Jameson (1937–2009) *Serena Jameson (Thomas Jameson's sister, who sang alto) *Jeannie Roy *Arthur Blair (1937–2020) * Sherman Feller (1918–1994) (Group manager, later became more famous as the public address announcer for the

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Founded in as one of the Ameri ...

Fenway Park Fenway Park is a ballpark located in Boston, Massachusetts, less than one mile from Kenmore Square. Since 1912, it has been the home field of Major League Baseball's (MLB) Boston Red Sox. While the stadium was built in 1912, it was substantia ...

.) He did not co-write "Summertime, Summertime", as is commonly thought, but took co-writing credit, half of the songwriting royalties, and the publishing rights, as was common practice by managers at the time. (See external links below.) Tom Jameson was the sole writer/arranger of "Summertime, Summertime."

Singles

*" Summertime, Summertime" b/w "Searching for You" (

, 1958 single 9281 10-inch 78rpm; 5-9281 7-inch 45rpm) - US No. 26 *"Snow Train" b/w "When the Sun Goes Down" (Epic, 1958) *"Don't Darken My Door" b/w "Evening Star" (

United Artists United Artists (UA) is an American film production and film distribution, distribution company owned by Amazon MGM Studios. In its original operating period, it was founded in February 1919 by Charlie Chaplin, D. W. Griffith, Mary Pickford an ...

, 1959) *"Summertime, Summertime" reissue (1962) - US No. 38

References

External links

Tom Jameson obituary
''(Web Archive)''

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jamies, The Doo-wop groups Epic Records artists Fontana Records artists United Artists Records artists