TAMI SHOW was a rock&pop / lite AOR group from Chicago, Illinois that originally consisted of sisters Claire & Cathy Massey (who sang vocals), guitarist Tommy Gawenda, bassist Mark Jiaras, drummer Ken Harck and keyboardist Peter Spero. The group took their name from a 1960s TV music show called “T.A.M.I. Show.”
Claire, Cathy and their sister, Kristin were previously in a band called Sirenz (Kristin recorded an album with them later). After that, Cathy & Claire went on to form in the early ’80s. The band completed the line up with the addition of drummer Ken Harck (coming from AORsters Wild Blue) and recorded a demo.
The TAMI Show opened for Charlie Sexton on his tour in 1986, but most people outside of the Midwest weren’t aware of the band. Then former Blondie bassist Nigel Harrison heard one of their tapes at a club, and passed it on to record famous producer Mike Chapman (Blondie, Pat Benatar), who helped the group get a record deal with major label Chrysalis Records.
The resulted self-titled debut “Tami Show” was released in 1987, with the first peaked at #88 on the Billboard Hot 100. This ten tracker is pure second half of the ’80s female-fronted lite AOR with some biting guitars and the Massey sisters beautiful vocals / harmonies, polished, with a clean production.
For fans of Wild Blue, Fiona, late 80s Pat Benatar, etc.
Few bands make it on the strength of their songs alone. In the mid-Eighties, promotion and lots of hair spray have catapulted more than one act into the Top 10. Chicago’s TAMI Show wanted to make it the old-fashioned way – working its way to the top. For over 2 years, TAMI Show did endless tours venturing to various cities.
The foundation for the group was laid down in 1982. Tommy Gawenda, a guitar hero who won praise for his work in Chicago bands Pezband and USSA, heard Cathy and her sister Claire perform with their band, Sirenz. Impressed by the sisters’ haunting harmonies and striking stage presence, he approached the women after their set about getting a band together.
With the addition of a bass player and drummer, the fledgling group practiced in Gawenda’s basement. Though they believed they had a good sound, they decided they needed seasoning before they took their act on the road.
In 1985, Mark Jiaras, bass player for the Way Moves, joined them.
When former Blondie bassist Nigel Harrison heard one of their tapes at a club and inquired about them, the band’s future was about to change. Harrison, who was in Chicago working as musical consultant on Michael J. Fox’s film “Light Of Day,” arranged for them to meet with a representative of Chrysalis Records.
“TAMI Show sounded so professional I thought they had already been signed,” Harrison said in a phone interview. “When I found out they weren’t, I couldn’t believe it. I called up Chrysalis and told them they had to hear this band.”
“I think what first attracted me to them was a special quality that made me want to find out more about them,” he said. “Talent always surfaces to the top of the pile. They had a sweetness to them that was very reminiscent of the bands from the 1960s, but they were very 1980s at the same time. The fact that they had two great-looking women fronting the band was a bonus.”
TAMI Show recorded the debut album with producer Mike Chapman in Los Angeles.
The band released another album in 1991, the separate ways. Claire Massey continues to record music; she has released solo albums and worked on various musicals.
Highly Recommended
Tracklist:
1 All For You 4:33
2 It's Alright 4:34
3 She's Only Twenty 4:07
4 Just Like In The Movies 4:32
5 Stranger 5:58
6 Cupid's Soldier 4:12
7 Always On My Mind 4:13
8 Close Your Eyes 3:48
9 New Romance 4:10
10 Don't Say No 4:33
Tami Show – Tami Show – 1987, FLAC+MP3, CD-Rip w/ Scans
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