Tommy Tutone took the stage on the first night of the Temecula Valley Wine and Balloon Festival. The evening’s “Hot Air Balloon Glow” was just about to go off when they took the stage. Yes…They…because Tommy Tutone is the name of the band, and the lead singer is Tommy Heath. Everyone knows that popular song, the one that made the band famous, but Tommy Heath and fellow members still write and perform. In fact, he actually gave me an advanced copy of his new album he’s been working on.
Heath recently released a single, “My Little Red Book,” which is a tribute to the 1966 cover of the Burt Bacharach tune, done by the band Love. While the song is not on the new album, tonight, he played it live, along with THAT song you all know. The song that almost sparked lawsuits, caused many people to change their phone number, and to this very day still provides pranksters a reason to live! Of course I’m talking about “867-5309 (Jenny),” the song that propelled the band into international stardom and kicked off a lifetime of people memorizing a random phone number over their own.
The new album, tentatively titled “Slow Learner (Fast Dancer),” features the similar rock sounds the band is known for, while showing more of the traditional blues-rock Heath is familiar with. Interestingly, it seems like there might even be some country influences as you listen. With a unique take on a classic Jim Croce song, and a myriad of the styles from the band, I can’t wait to listen to the polished version of this brand new album. Tommy, don’t lose our number, we want that new album!