Tom Tom Club

Tom Tom Club was formed by Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth. Graduates from the Rhode Island School of Design, they moved to New York City where they founded Talking Heads as a trio with David Byrne. Chris played drums, Tina played bass and David sang and played guitar. In early 1981, Talking Heads took a hiatus after five years of touring internationally and four studio albums. Chris and Tina began the Tom Tom Club. When legendary reggae producer Lee “Scratch” Perry failed to show up for the scheduled recording sessions in the Bahamas, Chris Blackwell gave the OK for Chris and Tina to produce the album themselves. Tom Tom Club's first single was “Wordy Rappinghood,”. It went to the top of the charts in 17 countries.. The group’s second single was “Genius of Love.” Released in the UK before North America, the track was bubbling up in the underground with dozens of unsolicited remixes and versions - soon earning the Tom Tom Club debut a Gold album. Mariah Carey hit #1 with “Fantasy,” her version of “Genius of Love” featuring Ol’ Dirty Bastard. “Genius of Love” continues to be frequently sampled by artists including Tupac Shakur and many others. Frantz and Weymouth were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Talking Heads received a GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award and continue to record music.