Thomas Adrian Sands (born August 27, 1937) is an American pop music singer and actor. Working in show business as a child, Sands became an overnight sensation and instant teen idol when he appeared on '' Kraft Television Theater'' in January 1957 as "The Singin' Idol". The song from the show, " Teen-Age Crush", reached No. 2 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and No. 1 on Cashbox.

Early life

Sands was born into a musical family in Chicago, Illinois; his father, Ben born in Russia was Jewish and was a pianist, and his mother, Grace Dickson, a big-band singer. He moved with the family to

Shreveport Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the third most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Baton Rouge, respectively. The Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan area, with a population o ...

, Louisiana. He began playing the guitar at eight and within a year had a job performing twice weekly on a local radio station. At the beginning of his teen years, he moved to Houston, Texas, where he attended Lamar High School and joined a band with "Jimmie Lee Durden and the Junior Cowboys", consisting of Sands, Durden, and Billy Reno. They performed on radio, at county fairs, and did personal appearances. He was only 15 when Colonel Tom Parker heard about him and signed him to RCA Records.

Career

In 1957 Sands was featured on ''Hometown Jubilee'' on

KTLA KTLA (channel 5) is a television station in Los Angeles, California, United States, serving as the West Coast flagship of The CW. It is the largest directly owned property of the network's majority owner, Nexstar Media Group, and is the seco ...

television in Los Angeles.

''The Singin' Idol''

Sands's initial

recordings A record, recording or records may refer to: An item or collection of data Computing * Record (computer science), a data structure ** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity ** Boot sector or boot record, r ...

achieved little in the way of sales but in early 1957 he was given the opportunity to star in an episode of ''

Kraft Television Theatre ''Kraft Television Theatre'' is an American anthology drama television series running from 1947 to 1958. It began May 7, 1947 on NBC, airing at 7:30pm on Wednesday evenings until December of that year. It first promoted MacLaren's Imperial Chees ...

'' called "

The Singing Idol ''Sing Boy Sing'' is a 1958 musical–drama film released by 20th Century-Fox and starring newcomers Tommy Sands and Lili Gentle. The film was an expansion of the January 1957 '' Kraft Television Theatre'' episode "The Singin' Idol," also starri ...

". He played the part of a singer who was very similar to Elvis Presley, with guitar, pompadour hair, and excitable teenage fans. On the show, his song presentation of a Joe Allison composition called " Teen-Age Crush" went over big with the young audience and, released as a single by

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...

, it went to No. 2 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 record chart and No. 1 on the '' Cashbox'' chart. It became a gold record. His track, "The Old Oaken Bucket", peaked at No. 25 on the UK Singles Chart in 1960. He released his debut album ''

Steady Date with Tommy Sands ''Steady Date with Tommy Sands'' is the 1957 debut album by American singer Tommy Sands. A double page advertising spread in the April 13, 1957 issue of ''Billboard'' magazine described Sands as the "Hottest singer in the nation" and ''Steady Da ...

'' (1957). Sands' sudden fame brought an offer to sing at the Academy Awards show. He did another episode of ''Kraft Television Theatre'', "Flesh and Blood" (1957), playing the son of a gangster. He also made "The Promise" for ''

Zane Grey Theatre ''Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theatre'' is an American Western anthology television series that was broadcast on CBS from October 5, 1956, until September 20, 1962. Format Many episodes were based on novels by Zane Grey, to all of which Four Star F ...

'' (1957), playing the son of a character played by Gary Merrill.

20th Century Fox

Sands' teen idol looks landed him a motion-picture contract with

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...

to star in a 1958 musical drama called ''

Sing, Boy, Sing ''Sing Boy Sing'' is a 1958 musical–drama film released by 20th Century-Fox and starring newcomers Tommy Sands and Lili Gentle. The film was an expansion of the January 1957 '' Kraft Television Theatre'' episode "The Singin' Idol," also starri ...

'', the feature film version of "The Singin' Idol". Fox had enjoyed success with films starring other teen idols such as Elvis Presley and Pat Boone but ''Sing, Boy, Sing'' was a financial failure. Sands appeared on

CBS Television CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...

on January 9, 1958, in an episode of ''

Shower of Stars ''Shower of Stars'' (also known as ''Chrysler Shower of Stars'') is an American variety television series broadcast live in the United States from 1954 to 1958 by CBS. The series was broadcast in color which was a departure from the usual CBS pr ...

'', and played another singing star in "The Left-handed Welcome" for ''

Studio One in Hollywood ''Studio One'' is an American anthology drama television series that was adapted from a radio series. It was created in 1947 by Canadian director Fletcher Markle, who came to CBS from the CBC. It premiered on November 7, 1948 and ended on Septem ...

'' (1958). Sands supported Pat Boone in a musical for Fox, ''

Mardi Gras Mardi Gras (, ) refers to events of the Carnival celebration, beginning on or after the Christian feasts of the Epiphany (Three Kings Day) and culminating on the day before Ash Wednesday, which is known as Shrove Tuesday. is French for "Fat ...

'' (1958), which was a moderate hit. He also released the albums '' Sands Storm'' (1958), '' This Thing Called Love'' (1959), and ''

When I'm Thinking of You ''When I'm Thinking of You'' is an album by American singer Tommy Sands. It was arranged by Nelson Riddle and released in 1959. In his biography of Riddle, ''September in the Rain'', Peter J. Levinson wrote that Riddle's arrangements for Sands w ...

'' (1959). Sands appeared in the 1960 episode of '' Wagon Train'' titled "The Larry Hanify Story", as well as ''Wagon Train episodes in 1963, "The Gus Morgan Story", and in 1964 "The Bob Stuart Story". His later albums included ''

Sands at the Sands ''Sands at the Sands'' is a 1960 live album by American singer Tommy Sands recorded at the Sands Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Reception The initial ''Billboard'' magazine review from May 30, 1960 commented that " andsshowcases his hits and pro ...

'' (1960) and ''

Later films

Sands' second lead role in a feature was in the teen comedy ''

Love in a Goldfish Bowl ''Love in a Goldfish Bowl'' is a 1961 teen film directed by Jack Sher starring singing idols Tommy Sands and Fabian. Plot Gordon Slide and Blythe Holloway are two platonic best friends at a college, both from single-parent families. They are so ...

'' (1961) with Fabian Forte, which was not a success. More popular was a fantasy musical he made at Disney, '' Babes in Toyland'' (1961), co-starring

Annette Funicello Annette Joanne Funicello (October 22, 1942 – April 8, 2013) was an American actress and singer. Funicello began her professional career as a child performer at the age of twelve. She was one of the most popular Mouseketeers on the orig ...

. That year he and Funicello sang the

Sherman Brothers The Sherman Brothers were an American songwriting duo that specialized in musical films, made up of Robert B. Sherman (December 19, 1925 – March 6, 2012) and Richard M. Sherman (born June 12, 1928). Together they received various accolades in ...

' title song from the Walt Disney release of '' The Parent Trap''. Sands guested starred on "The Inner Panic" for ''

The United States Steel Hour ''The United States Steel Hour'' is an anthology series which brought hour long dramas to television from 1953 to 1963. The television series and the radio program that preceded it were both sponsored by the U.S. Steel, United States Steel Corpor ...

'' and was one of several pop stars who played US Rangers in Fox's '' The Longest Day'' (1962). Sands had married Nancy Sinatra whose father Frank offered Sands a role in ''

Come Blow Your Horn ''Come Blow Your Horn'' is Neil Simon's first play, which premiered on Broadway in 1961 and had a London production in 1962 at the Prince of Wales Theatre. Simon rewrote the script more than two dozen times over several years, resulting in a hit ...

'' but he turned it down. Sands studied acting in New York. Sands appeared alongside Fred Astaire in "Blow High, Blow Clear" for ''

Alcoa Theatre ''Alcoa Theatre'' is a half-hour American anthology series telecast on NBC at 9:30 pm on Monday nights from September 30, 1957 to May 23, 1960. The program also aired under the title ''Turn of Fate''. ''Alcoa Theatre'' was syndicated together ...

'' (1963). On May 14, 1963, Sands appeared, along with

Claude Akins Claude Aubrey Akins (May 25, 1926 – January 27, 1994) was an American character actor with a long career on stage, screen, and television. He was best known as Sheriff Lobo on the 1979–1981 television series ''B.J. and the Bear'', and l ...

and Jim Davis, in "Trapped", one of the last episodes of NBC's '' Laramie'' western series. In the story line, series character Slim Sherman (

John Smith John Smith is a common personal name. It is also commonly used as a placeholder name and pseudonym, and is sometimes used in the United States and the United Kingdom as a term for an average person. It may refer to: People :''In chronological ...

) finds an injured kidnap victim in the woods, portrayed by Joan Freeman.

Dennis Holmes Charles Dennis Holmes (born October 3, 1950) is an American film and television actor. He is known for playing Mike Williams in the American western television series '' Laramie''. Life and career Holmes was born in Encino, California. Betwee ...

, as series regular Mike Williams, rides away to seek help, but the kidnappers reclaim the hostage. Slim pursues the kidnappers but is mistaken as a third kidnapper by the girl's father, played by Barton MacLane. Sands played the girl's boyfriend, who had been ordered by her father to stop seeing her. Later in 1963, Sands made several appearances on ''Wagon Train'' including "The Davey Baxter Story", "The Larry Hanify Story," "The Gus Morgan Story" (with

Peter Falk Peter Michael Falk (September 16, 1927 – June 23, 2011) was an American film and television actor. He is best known for his role as Lieutenant Columbo in the long-running television series ''Columbo'' (1968–1978, 1989–2003), for which he ...

), and "The Bob Stuart Story". Sands had a support role in the feature film '' Ensign Pulver'' (1964) at Warners. He guest starred on '' Slattery's People'' ("Question: Why the Lonely?... Why the Misbegotten?") and had a support role in the war feature '' None But the Brave'' (1965), starring and directed by

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...

. Sands guest starred on ''

Kraft Suspense Theatre The ''Kraft Suspense Theatre'' is an American television anthology series that was produced and broadcast from 1963 to 1965 on NBC. Sponsored by Kraft Foods, it was seen three weeks out of every four and was pre-empted for Perry Como's ''Kraft Mu ...

'' ("A Lion Amongst Men", which earned him good reviews), '' Combat!'' ("More Than a Soldier"), '' Valentine's Day'' ("For Me and My Sal"), '' Mr Novak'' ("Let's Dig a Little Grammar", "And Then I Wrote..."), '' Branded'' ("That the Brave Endure"), ''

Bonanza ''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 13, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 432 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running western, the second-longest-running western series on U ...

'' ("The Debt"), and '' Hawaii Five-O'' ("No Blue Skies").

Career decline

Sands divorced Nancy Sinatra in 1965. "The doors to Hollywood seemed to slam shut after the divorce from Nancy", he said. "I couldn't get acting roles, my singing career on TV and in films was over." His last feature to date was ''

The Violent Ones ''The Violent Ones'' is a 1967 film directed by and starring Fernando Lamas. The story was written and created by Charles Davis, Fred Freiberger, Herman Miller, and Doug Wilson. The film was shot in the Alabama Hills, Mojave Desert and Lone Pine, ...

'' (1967) in which Sands had a supporting role. He moved to Hawaii in 1967.

Hawaii

In Hawaii, Sands operated the Tommy Sands Nightclub Tour for five years, and performed at the Outrigger Hotel in Waikiki. His later appearances included episodes of ''Hawaii Five-O'' ("No Blue Skies", "Hit Gun for Sale", "A Sentence to Steal"), and '' The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries'' ("Mystery on the Avalanche Express"). He occasionally returned to the mainland to work, appearing in dinner theatre. Sands returned permanently to the mainland of the US in 1981, settling in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He toured regularly performing concerts.

Personal life

Nancy Sinatra and Tommy Sanda Stump the Stars 1962

Tommy Sands and singer Nancy Sinatra married in 1960 and divorced in 1965. His career had declined significantly by 1965, triggering speculation that

had him "blacklisted" in the entertainment industry after their divorce. Such reports were denied by both Sands and Sinatra. In 1974, Sands married Sheila Wallace, a secretary, in Honolulu, where he had relocated in an attempt to revive his career.

Filmography

Film

Television

Discography

US singles discography

* Love Pains / Transfer – RCA 1953 * Life Is So Lonesome / A Dime and a Dollar – RCA 1954 * Don't Drop It / A Place For Girls Like You – RCA 1954 * Something's Bound To Go Wrong / Kissin' Ain't No Fun – RCA 1955 * Teen-Age Crush / Hep Dee Hootie (Cutie Wootie) – Capitol 1957 (U.S. No. 2, 2 wks.; No. 10 R&B; Cashbox #1) * My Love Song / Ring-A-Ding-Ding – Capitol 1957 No. 62 U.S. A-Side, No. 50 U.S. B-Side * Love Paris / Don't Drop It – RCA 1957 * Goin' Steady / Ring My Phone – Capitol 1957 No. 16 U.S. * Let Me Loved / Fantastically Foolish – Capitol 1957 * Man, Like Wow! / A Swingin' Romance – Capitol 1957 * Sing Boy Sing / Crazy 'Cause I Love You – Capitol 1957 No. 24 U.S. * Teen-Age Doll / Hawaiian Rock – Capitol 1958 No. 81 U.S. * After The Senior Prom / Big Date – Capitol 1958 * Blue Ribbon Baby / I Love You Because – Capitol 1958 No. 50 U.S. * The Worryin' Kind/Bigger Than Texas – 1958 No. 69 U.S. * Is It Ever Gonna Happen / I Ain't Gittin' Rid of You – Capitol 1959 * Sinner Man / Bring Me Your Love – Capitol 1959 * I'll Be Seeing You / That's The Way I Am – Capitol 1959 No. 51 U.S. * You Hold The Future / I Gotta Have You – Capitol 1959 * That's Love / Crossroads – Capitol 1960 * The Old Oaken Bucket / These Are The Things You Are – Capitol 1960 No. 73 U.S. No. 25 U.K. * On And On / Doctor Heartache – Capitol 1960 * The Parent Trap / Let's Get Together – Buena Vista 1961 (Annette Funicello And Tommy Sands) * I Love My Baby / Love in a Goldfish Bowl – Capitol 1961 * Remember Me (To Jennie) / Rainbow – Capitol 1961 * Jimmy's Song / Wrong Side of Love – Capitol 1961 * A Young Man's Fancy / Connie – ABC-Paramount 1963 * Only Cause I'm Lonely / Cinderella – ABC-Paramount 1963 * Ten Dollars and a Clean White Shirt / Won't You Be My Girl – ABC-Paramount 1964 * Kisses (Love Theme) / Something More – ABC-Paramount 1964 * Love's Funny / One Rose Today, One Rose Tomorrow – Liberty 1965 * The Statue / Little Rosita – Liberty 1965 * It's The Only One I've Got / As Long As I'm Travellin'- Imperial 1966 * Candy Store Prophet / Second Star to the Left – Imperial 1967 * Seasons in the Sun / Ain't No Big Thing – Superscope 1969

U.S. LP discography

* ''

'', Capitol 848, 1957 * '' Sing Boy Sing'', Capitol 929, 1958 * '' Sands Storm'', Capitol 1081, 1958 * '' This Thing Called Love'', Capitol 1123, 1959 * ''

'', Capitol 1239, 1959 * ''

'', Capitol 1364, 1960 (live) * ''

Dream with Me ''Dream with Me'' is the second full-length album (first on a major label) by American singer Jackie Evancho. It was released on June 3, 2011 on digital download format, and on June 14, 2011 in the standard CD format.Official Tommy Sands Web Site
at Rockabilly Hall of Fame

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sands, Tommy 1937 births Living people American male pop singers American male film actors American male television actors Male actors from Chicago Musicians from Shreveport, Louisiana RCA Victor artists Capitol Records artists Disney people Liberty Records artists Singers from Los Angeles ABC Records artists Male actors from Los Angeles Actors from Shreveport, Louisiana Singers from Louisiana American rockabilly musicians