Tommy Boyce

Tommy Boyce
Background information
Birth nameSidney Thomas Boyce
Born(1939-09-29)September 29, 1939
Charlottesville, Virginia, U.S.
DiedNovember 23, 1994(1994-11-23) (aged 55)
Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.
GenresPop
OccupationSinger-Songwriter
Formerly ofDolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart
The Tommy Band

Sidney Thomas Boyce was an American singer songwriter and producer. He was a part of the songwriting team Boyce and Hart with Bobby Hart, who wrote hit songs for Jay and the Americans, Paul Revere & the Raiders and wrote a large chunk of material for the Monkees.

Some of Boyce's first songwriting credits (without Bobby Hart) include "Be My Guest", a 1959 hit Fats Domino, as well as two hits for Curtis Lee, "Pretty Little Angel Eyes" and "Under the Moon of Love". He worked as a producer in the United Kingdom in the 1970s before returning to Nashville. He took his own life in 1994.

Early life

Boyce was born in Charlottesville, Virginia in 1939.[1] His first name is Sidney but in his career went by his middle name, Thomas (Tommy). His father was a minister.

Career

At his fathers request, he wrote a song called "Be My Guest" intended for Fats Domino. Boyce waited six hours outside the hotel room Domino was staying in, persuaded him to take a demo and promised to listen to it.[2] Domino recorded the song in 1959, eventually selling over a million copies and going to no. 8 in the US.[3]

Hart released three singles as a solo artist in 1962, that all charted within the 100s section of the Billboard 200.

In 1959, Boyce met Bobby Hart. A year later he played guitar on Hart's solo record "Girl in the Window". With him he wrote many hit songs, most notably for The Monkees. Other songs include "Come a Little Bit Closer" for Jay and the Americans, "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone" for Paul Revere & the Raiders.[4] For the Monkees, they wrote "Last Train to Clarksville", "I Wanna Be Free", "Valleri" and the shows theme song "(Theme From) The Monkees".[5]

Boyce wrote both biggest hits for Curtis Lee, "Pretty Little Angel Eyes" and "Under the Moon of Love".[6][7][8] In 1965, he wrote "Action" for Freddy Cannon which became the theme song for Where the Action Is.[9] Also in 1965, he wrote "Peaches 'N' Cream" for The Ikettes.[10]

In 1973, Boyce released an worked under the pseudonym Christopher Cloud.[11] He also used the alias "Tomme" for the album, and a photo of his face covered by a cloud was used as the album cover for his first and only album released under Christopher Cloud.[12] In 1976, he and Hart worked with Micky Dolenz and Davy Jones of the Monkees to record songs they had written for the band nearly a decade before; as they weren't allowed to record the album as "The Monkees", the album was released as Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart.

He also produced songs for Darts including "Daddy Cool/The Girl Can't Help It" while living in the United Kingdom in the 1970s. In 1979, he formed The Tommy Band, an unsuccesful group. He moved to Tennessee where he remained until his death. He taught songwriting on Beale Street.

According to the Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll, Boyce and Hart wrote more than 300 songs together and song featuring works by the two had sold an estimated 42 million records.[13]

Kassner Music acquired the rights to his song catalogue.[14]

Death

Boyce died in Nashville, Tennessee on November 23, 1994 after taking his own life with a firearm.[5] He had struggled with depression, and had a brain aneurysm before his death. He left behind his wife, Carolyn.[15]

Songwriting credits

Not included songs written with Bobby Hart

  1. "Brand New Boogie at 10AM"
  2. "Friendly Sabotage", "Celebration"
  3. "Do You Want Me for Five Minutes?"
  4. "Thank God For Rock'n Roll"
  5. "I Heard It All Thru The Wall"

References

  1. ^ Houghton, Cillea (2023-06-27). "The Story Behind the 1960s Hit Songwriting Duo Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart". American Songwriter. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  2. ^ a b Shannon, Bob; Javna, John (1986). Behind The Hits:Inside Stories of Classic Pop and Rock and Roll. New York: Warner Books. p. 141. ISBN 0-446-38171-3.
  3. ^ Rees, Dafydd; Crampton, Luke (1999). Rock Stars Encyclopedia. New York: DK Publishing. p. 307. ISBN 0-7894-4613-8.
  4. ^ Kopp, Bill (2022-09-29). "5 great tunes from the pen of Tommy Boyce that you should know". Goldmine Magazine: Record Collector & Music Memorabilia. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  5. ^ a b "OBITUARIES : Tommy Boyce". The Independent. 1994-12-23. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  6. ^ a b Curtis Lee - Under The Moon Of Love / Beverly Jean, 1961, retrieved 2025-06-20
  7. ^ a b c Music, Kenny Denton (2021-07-14). "Tommy Boyce Songwriter To The Monkees And Many More". Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h "🎶 Tommy Boyce – Top songs as writer – Music VF, US & UK hits charts". www.musicvf.com. Retrieved 2025-06-22.
  9. ^ Joseph Murrells - The Book of Golden Discs - 1978 - Page 188 Freddy Cannon ACTION Warner [USA]. The fourth million seller for Freddy, and his first on the Warner label. An action-packed beat number with a tremendous vocal sound, written by Tommy Boyce and Steve Venet. The disc reached the No 13 position in both the U.S.A. (with 9 weeks in the bestsellers) and Britain with subsequent global million sale.
  10. ^ https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/60s/1965/CB-1965-03-13.pdf
  11. ^ Leszczak, Bob (2014). Encyclopedia of Pop Music Aliases, 1950–2000. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 37. ISBN 9781442240087. Retrieved August 3, 2015.
  12. ^ Hart, Bobby; Ballantyne, Glenn (2015). Psychedelic Bubble Gum: Boyce & Hart, The Monkees, and Turning Mayhem Into Miracles. SelectBooks, Inc. ISBN 9781590792919.
  13. ^ Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p. 217. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
  14. ^ kassnerflorence (2023-01-27). "Kassner Music Acquires U.S. Rights in Tommy Boyce Catalogue". Kassner Music. Retrieved 2025-06-21.
  15. ^ "Songwriter commits suicide". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
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