Sunday, August 19, 2012

AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Troy Shondell

Artist:Troy Shondell
Song:This Time
Album:This Time: The Best Of Troy Shondell





This Time was the biggest hit for teen idol Troy Shondell in 1961. He is perceived as a one hit wonder but some of his other songs charted so technically he is not a one hit wonder. He has been a part of the Nashville music scene since the late 60s. He was born Gary Shelton May 14, 1930 in Fort Wayne, IN. His father taught him to play piano and then became Shondell's manager when he started performing. As a teen, one of Shondell's songs A Prayer and a Drive In was recorded by Little Anthony & The Imperials. As Gary Shelton, he recorded the single My Hero for Mercury's Smash label in 1958. Then his name was changed to Troy Shondell and the single Kissin' At The Drive In was released in 1959. Then Shondell's dad died and he went home to take over the family business. Shondell started gaining a following in Chicago clubs. He had a couple of regional hits on Mark Records. But This Time was picked up for distribution by Goldcrest Records. When the song started to get national radio airplay, Liberty Records picked it up nationally and it reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1961. Subsequent singles did not do well. This CD from the British label Acrobat is the only authorized Troy Shondell comp. Beware of CDs that have alternate versions of This Time. By the late 60s, Shondell moved to Nashville and got into music publishing. He became a regional director of ASCAP. A couple of his late 70s recordings hit the country charts. In recent years, Shondell has recorded a couple of CDs as Gary Shelton. I believe these are Christian music CDs. It appears that he owns a recording studio as he has several credits as a recording engineer. He also tours the oldies circuit. Here's Troy Shondell performing This Time on the 1989 TV show Rockin' At The Palace.

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