Growing up in Texas, Tommy Heath was influenced by the sounds of The Beatles and Buddy Holly. By the late '70s, Heath had moved to California and, with guitarist Jim Keller, formed the band Tommy Tutone in San Francisco. Despite the musical trends of the time that saw punk and New Wave as the burgeoning musical styles, Heath and Keller drew on the classic sound of power pop for Tommy Tutone.

Signed to Columbia Records, the band released their self-titled debut in 1980. Hardly a smash, the album did produce one minor hit, the song "Angel Say No." Unremarkable as it was, the song did feature some wonderful vocal harmonies and a muscular melodic sound built around Keller's guitar riffs. "Angel Say No" crept into the US Top 40 in late June, spending two weeks at #38 as the album Tommy Tutone eked its way into the Top 100 on the album charts.

It might have been the end for Tommy Tutone, leaving them as a very minor footnote in the annals of pop music and irrelevant to pop culture. Instead, two years later and thanks to a phone number, the band would cement its place in the hearts of '80s music fans with a song that would become an enduring classic of the period - "867-5309/Jenny."

To hear this song, and many more hits from the '80s, log on to Pop Go The '80s

What You Can Expect If You Give Pop Go The '80s A Listen

Quick Reference To Pop Go The '80s Blog