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 A teen idol is a celebrity with a large teenage fan base. Teen idols are generally young but are not necessarily teenagers. An idol's popularity may be limited to teens, or may extend to all age groups. By region Asia East Asia possess ...

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, was a pianist, and his mother, Grace, a

big-band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s and ...

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, respectively. The Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan area, with a population of 393,406 in 2020, is ...

, 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 Thomas Andrew Parker (born Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk; June 26, 1909 January 21, 1997),

heard about him and signed him to

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also ...

Career

''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 starrin ...

". He played the part of a singer who was very similar to

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the " King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. His ener ...

, 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 not ...

, it went to No. 2 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100

record chart A record chart, in the music industry, also called a music chart, is a ranking of recorded music according to certain criteria during a given period. Many different criteria are used in worldwide charts, often in combination. These include ...

and No. 1 on the '' Cashbox'' chart. It became a

gold record Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...

. His track, "The Old Oaken Bucket", peaked at No. 25 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

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 D ...

'' (1957). Sands' sudden fame brought an offer to sing at the

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

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 Gary Fred Merrill (August 2, 1915 – March 5, 1990) was an American film and television actor whose credits included more than 50 feature films, a half-dozen mostly short-lived TV series, and dozens of television guest appearances. He starr ...

20th Century Fox

Sands'

looks landed him a

motion-picture A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

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 Disn ...

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 starrin ...

'', the feature film version of "The Singin' Idol". Fox had enjoyed success with films starring other teen idols such as

and

Pat Boone Patrick Charles Eugene Boone (born June 1, 1934) is an American singer and actor. He was a successful pop singer in the United States during the 1950s and early 1960s. He sold more than 45 million records, had 38 Top 40 hits, and appeared in mo ...

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 Entertainm ...

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 p ...

'', and played another singing star in "The Left-handed Welcome" for '' Studio One in Hollywood'' (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 "Fa ...

'' (1958), which was a moderate hit. He also released the albums ''

Sands Storm ''Sands Storm'' is a 1958 album by American singer Tommy Sands. Reception The initial ''Billboard'' magazine review from October 20, 1958 commented that "Sands has quite a varied program here...The lad puts a lot of heart and feeling into his r ...

'' (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 we ...

'' (1959). Sands appeared in the 1960 episode of ''

Wagon Train ''Wagon Train'' is an American Western series that aired 8 seasons: first on the NBC television network (1957–1962), and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and became number one in the Nielsen ratings ...

'' titled "The Larry Hanify Story", and also a later ''Wagon Train episode in 1963, "The Gus Morgan 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 pr ...

'' (1960) and ''

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.United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Si ...

Reserves.

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 Fabian Forte (born Fabiano Anthony Forte, February 6, 1943), professionally known as Fabian, is an American singer and actor. Forte rose to national prominence after performing several times on '' American Bandstand''. He became a teen idol o ...

, 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 i ...

' title song from the

Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...

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 United States Steel Corporation (U. S ...

'' and was one of several pop stars who played US Rangers in Fox's '' The Longest Day'' (1962). Sands had married

Nancy Sinatra Nancy Sandra Sinatra (born June 8, 1940) is an American singer and actress. She is the elder daughter of Frank Sinatra and Nancy Sinatra ( Barbato), and is best known for her 1966 signature hit " These Boots Are Made for Walkin'. Nancy Sinatr ...

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 Fred Astaire (born Frederick Austerlitz; May 10, 1899 – June 22, 1987) was an American dancer, choreographer, actor, and singer. He is often called the greatest dancer in Hollywood film history. Astaire's career in stage, film, and tele ...

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 ...

and Jim Davis, in "Trapped", one of the last episodes of

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

's '' Laramie''

western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

series. In the story line, series character Slim Sherman ( John Smith) 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 Barton MacLane (December 25, 1902 – January 1, 1969) was an American actor, playwright, and screenwriter. He appeared in many classic films from the 1930s through the 1960s, including his role as General Martin Peterson on the 1960s NBC ...

. 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 ''Ensign Pulver'' is a 1964 American Technicolor film in Panavision and a sequel to the 1955 film '' Mister Roberts''. The film stars Robert Walker Jr., Burl Ives, Walter Matthau and Tommy Sands and features Millie Perkins, Larry Hagman, K ...

'' (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 is a 1965 war film directed by Frank Sinatra, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Produced by Tokyo Eiga, Toho, and Artanis Productions (credited as Sinatra Enterprises), it was the first film international co-production between Japan and t ...

'' (1965), starring and directed by

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the " Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular entertainers of the 1940s, 1950s, and ...

. Sands guest starred on '' Kraft Suspense Theatre'' ("A Lion Amongst Men", which earned him good reviews), ''

Combat! ''Combat!'' is an American television drama series that originally aired on ABC from 1962 until 1967. The exclamation point in ''Combat!'' was depicted on-screen as a stylized bayonet. The show covered the grim lives of a squad of American so ...

'' ("More Than a Soldier"), ''

Valentine's Day Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring one or two early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine and, thr ...

'' ("For Me and My Sal"), ''

Mr Novak ''Mister'', usually written in its contracted form ''Mr.'' or ''Mr'', is a commonly used English honorific for men without a higher honorific, or professional title, or any of various designations of office. The title 'Mr' derived from earlier ...

'' ("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 ...

'' ("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 P ...

'' (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'' ("Hit Gun for Sale", "A Sentence to Steal"), and ''

The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries ''The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries'' (re-titled ''The Hardy Boys'' for season three) is an American television mystery series based on the ''Hardy Boys'' and ''Nancy Drew'' juvenile novels. The series, which ran from January 30, 1977, to Janu ...

'' ("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 Fort Wayne is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Indiana, United States. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is west of the Ohio border and south of the Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 as of the 2020 Censu ...

. He toured regularly performing concerts.

Personal life

Nancy Sinatra and Tommy Sanda Stump the Stars 1962

Tommy Sands and singer

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 Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the isla ...

, where he had relocated in an attempt in vain 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 A capitol, named after the Capitoline Hill in Rome, is usually a legislative building where a legislature meets and makes laws for its respective political entity. Specific capitols include: * United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. * Numerous ...

848, 1957 * ''

Sing Boy Sing ''Sing Boy Sing'' is a 1958 album by American singer Tommy Sands. The album is the soundtrack to the film of the same name that stars Sands and Lili Gentle. Track listing # "I'm Gonna Walk and Talk with My Lord" (Martha Carson) # "Who Baby" (B ...

'', Capitol 929, 1958 * ''

'', 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