Thomas Adrian Sands, known professionally as Tommy Sands, was born on August 27, 1937, in Chicago, Illinois. He is an American pop music singer and actor who grew up in a family of artists; his mother, Grace Dickson, was a singer, and his father, Ben Sands, was a pianist. After his parents' divorce, Tommy Sands moved with his mother to Shreveport, Louisiana, where he began playing guitar at the age of eight and was soon recruited by radio station KWKH for weekly performances. His career took off when he landed the lead role of The Singin' Idol, a 1957 episode of Kraft Television Theatre, where he performed "Teen-Age Crush." The song reached number 2 on the Billboard chart and sold over 1 million copies within a week. This success led to a five-year contract with Capitol Records. That year, he released his debut album Steady Date with Tommy Sands, followed by Sands Storm (1958) and When I'm Thinking of You (1959). In 1960, Tommy Sands released the live LP Sands at the Sands, following a concert at Las Vegas' Copa Room. He also served in the U.S. Air Force from May to November 1960. Subsequent albums include the soundtrack LPs Babes in Toy Land (1961) and The Parent Trap (1961), as well as 1969's Seasons in the Sun. Throughout his career, Tommy Sands has collaborated with notable artists such as Elvis Presley and Hank Williams and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the music category, located on Vine Street.
