screengrab – credit, Tommy Tutone official YouTube
If you call 867-5309 these days, Jenny doesn’t answer, but a telemedicine professional will.
After seeing the emotional toll cancer took on some of his friends, the man behind Tommy Tutone’s 1981 smash hit “867-5309/Jenny,” has teamed up with global nonprofit Cancer Support Community to turn the most famous phone number in music into a hotline for people impacted by the disease.
Armed with an ear-worm of a chorus, “867-5309/Jenny” lapped up 1980s radio play until it was one of the most famous phone numbers in the country.
Tommy Heath, the group’s frontman, told People Magazine in an exclusive interview that he hopes “when someone is depressed and confused, they’ll go, ‘Hey, I’ll call 867-5309. Somebody’s waiting there to help me.’ And I hope they smile at that point.”
Heath said that at his age, whether on tour or at home, the effects of cancer are all around.
“I have some family members who are struggling with cancer. I’m out on tour with a lot of bands and suddenly somebody’s not there,” he explains, adding it’s “affecting us all.”
With the help of Cancer Support Community, Heath hopes the fame of his song can offer a route to relief for those struggling with the emotional toll of a diagnosis or chemotherapy battle.
“Anyone impacted by cancer can call CSC-867-5309 [272-867-5309] to receive immediate support, trusted information, and personalized guidance from trained specialists at Cancer Support Community,” said the organization’s CEO Sally Werner.
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Werner says that so far the response to the helpline has been really positive. Callers have felt informed, and less alone.
Heath himself is dealing with a minor case of skin cancer, but it won’t stop him from going on tour this summer, where, yes, he will play “867-5309/Jenny,” and presumably tell the crowd all about exactly who it is that will answer the phone, 45 years after the hit was released.
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