Tommy Sands
Thomas Adrian "Tommy" Sands (born August 27, 1937 in Chicago , Illinois ) is an American country , rockabilly and pop musician and actor. After Sands had a national hit with Teen-Age Crush in 1957 , he started a career as a singer and actor.
Life
Childhood and youth
Sands was the son of Scottish-Irish immigrants who also worked in show business. His father was a pianist and his mother a singer in Art Kassel's Big Band . In Chicago he gained his first experience as a child in the WBKB-TV Barn Dance . He learned to play the guitar at the age of seven, and at that age was already performing at the Louisiana Hayride , a country show broadcast on KWKH. At the time, the family was already living in Louisiana , but Sands graduated from high school in Houston , Texas .
Career
Sands began his professional career in the country scene. Since he had already performed as a child, he had enough show experience as a teenager. He was managed from 1952 by Colonel Tom Parker , who later also looked after Elvis Presley . In 1951 Sands made his first recordings for the small Freedom label, and Colonel Parker got him a recording deal with RCA Victor in 1953 , but his records were not particularly successful. After high school, Sands moved to Los Angeles because he had discovered acting for himself. He was a regular guest on Tennessee Ernie Ford's radio show and briefly joined the cast of Cliffie Stones Hometown Jamboree .
In January 1957, Sands starred on the NBC show The Singing Idol , which was loosely based on the story of Elvis Presley. At first, the role was intended for Presley himself, but since he refused, Sands was hired. His performance of the song Teen-Age Crush there made Sands a star almost overnight. He got a contract with Capitol Records and played rock and roll songs for the label, which made the single a number two hit on the Billboard Hot 100 .
Sands no longer played country, but much more popular rockabilly, rock'n'roll and from the late 1950s also pop. His young age and good looks quickly made him a teenage idol, and Capitol had other hits like Goin 'Steady (# 16), The Worryin' Kind (# 69) or Ring My Phone (# 16), none of which approached the success of his debut single. His 1957 album Steady Date with Tommy Sands reached number four on the album charts. In 1958 he was given the opportunity to star in the film Sing, Boy, Sing , which was followed by other films. The title song of the same name for Sing, Boy, Sing came in at number 24 on the Hot 100, the album also at number 17.
In the long run, however, Sands could not establish himself, neither in the record business, as his hits disappeared again in the late 1950s, nor in film and television, as his career there finally came to an end in the 1970s. Between 1961 and 1967 Sands was under contract with Buena Vista , ABC-Paramount and Imperial Records , among others .
Between 1960 and 1965, Sands was married to Nancy Sinatra and lived with her in Hollywood . He has a daughter from another relationship and continues to perform today.
Discography
Singles
| year | title | # | Remarks | Chart position (Hot 100) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RCA Victor | ||||
| 1953 | Transfer / Love Pains | 47-5435 | ||
| Spanish Conquita / Roses Speak Louder Than Words | 47-5510 | |||
| A Dime and a Dollar / Life Is So Lonesome | 47-5628 | |||
| I Know About the Bees / Never Let Me Go | 47-5697 | |||
| Don't Drop It / A Place For Girls Like You | 47-5800 | |||
| Hankerin '/ Don't You Know I Love You | 47-5860 | |||
| Kissin 'Ain't No Fun / Something's Bound to Go Wrong | 47-6007 | |||
| Don't Drop It / Love Pains | 47-6868 | |||
| Capitol Records | ||||
| 1957 | Teen-Age Crush / Hep De Hootie | 3639 | 2 / - | |
| 1957 | Ring-a-Ding-a-Ding / My Love Song | 3690 | 50/62 | |
| 1957 | Going Steady / Ring My Phone | 3723 | 16/16 | |
| 1957 | Let Me Be Loved / Fantastically Foolish | 3743 | ||
| 1957 | Man, like wow! / A swingin 'romance | 3810 | ||
| 1957 | Sing Boy Sing / Crazy 'Cause I Love You | 3867 | 24 / - | |
| 1958 | Teenage Doll / Hawaiian Rock | 3953 | ||
| 1958 | Big Date / After the Senior Prom | 3985 | ||
| 1958 | Blue Ribbon Baby / I Love You Because | 4063 | 50 / - | |
| 1958 | The Worryin 'Kind / Bigger Than Texas | 4082 | 69 / - | |
| 1959 | I Ain't Gittin 'Rid of You / Is It Ever Gonna Happen | 4160 | ||
| 1959 | Sinner Man / Bring Me Your Love | 4231 | ||
| 1959 | I'll Be Seeing You / That's the Way I Am | 4259 | 51 / - | |
| 1959 | You Hold the Future / I Gotta Have You | 4316 | ||
| 1960 | Crossroads / That's Love | 4366 | ||
| 1960 | The Old Oaken Bucket / These Are the Things You Are | 4405 | ||
| 1960 | On and On / Doctor Heartache | 4470 | ||
| Love In a Goldfish Bowl / I Love My Baby | 4580 | |||
| Rainbow / Remember Me | 4611 | |||
| 1961 | Jimmy's Song / Wrong Side of Love | 4660 | ||
| Got Me a Baby / Wondrous One | 5535 | |||
| Buena Vista Records | ||||
| The Parent Trap / Let's Go Together | C-803 | with Annette | ||
| The Parent's Trap / Let's Go Together | F-803 | |||
| ABC Paramount Records | ||||
| 1963 | A Young Man's Fancy / Connie | 10466 | ||
| Cinderella / Only 'Cause I'm Lonely | 10480 | |||
| Ten Dollars and a Clean White Shirt / Won't You Be My Girl | 10539 | |||
| Seasons in the Sun / Ain't No Big Thing | 10591 | |||
| Liberty Records | ||||
| Love's Funny / One Rose Today, One Rose Tomorrow | 55807 | |||
| The statue / Little Rosita | 55842 | |||
| Imperial Records | ||||
| 1966 | As Long As I'm Traveling On / Only One I've Got | 66174 | ||
| 1967 | Candy Store Prophet / Second to the Left | 66229 | ||
| I would never do that /? | 6623? | |||
| Superscope Records | ||||
| Seasons in the Sun / Ain't No Big Thing | 5-A007 | |||
Albums
- 1957: A Steady Date with Tommy Sands (Capitol)
- 1958: Sing Boy Sing (Capitol)
- 1959: Sands Storm (Capitol)
- 1959: Teenage Rock (Capitol)
- 1959: This Thing Called Love (Capitol)
- 1960: Sands at the Sands (live) (Capitol)
- 1960: When I'm Thinking of You (with Nelson Riddle, Capitol)
- 1961: Dream with Me (with Nelson Riddle, Capitol)
- 1961: The Parent Trab (Soundtrack, Buena Vista)
- 1961: Babes in Toyland (Soundtrack, Buena Vista)
- 1977 (?): Tommy Sands (Brunswick)
- 2004: The James Dean Story (Capitol)
Filmography (selection)
- 1958: Sing, Boy, Sing
- 1958: Blue Nights ( Mardi Gras )
- 1961: Riot in Toyland ( Babes in Toyland )
- 1961: Blond, sweet and very naive ( Love in a Goldfish Bowl )
- 1962: The Longest Day ( The Longest Day )
- 1964: Operation Pacific ( Ensign Powder )
- 1965: None but the Brave ( None But The Brave )
- 1967: The Violent Ones
- 1968–1976: Hawaii Five-Zero (TV series, 3 episodes)
Web links
- Entry on Allmusic
- Tommy Sands on Hillbilly-Music.com (English)
- Entry into the Rockabilly Hall of Fame
- Discography with audio samples
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Sands, Tommy |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Sands, Thomas Adrian (real name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American country, rockabilly, and pop musician and actor |
| DATE OF BIRTH | August 27, 1937 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Chicago , Illinois |