 In 1965, an unemployed James was contacted by Pittsburgh disc jockey "Mad Mike" Metrovich.Metrovich had begun playing The Shondells' version of "Hanky Panky", and the single had become popular in that area.James then decided to re-release the song, traveling to Pittsburgh where he hired the first decent local band he ran into, The Raconteurs, to be the new Shondells (the original members having declined to re-form).