Tommy Sands

Tommy Sands (b. Chicago, August 27, 1937 - ) -- Singer, songwriter, and actor. A member of the Rockabilly Hall of Fame, Tommy Sands was a teen idol, actor, and pop singer, who settled in Fort Wayne in 1981. A native of Chicago, he grew up mainly in Shreveport, Louisiana, and Houston, Texas. With a knack for show business, Sands made many musical appearances on the radio and in public venues as a young child. At only fifteen, Colonel Tom Parker signed him to a record deal with RCA. Although his recordings were not terribly successful, he won the attention in 1957 of Kraft Television Theatre, for which starred in an episode as the "singing idol" (a character part that was modeled after Elvis). During the episode, he sang "A Teenage Crush," which was such a smash that Capitol Records arranged for him to record the song as a single, which went to #2 on the Billboard chart. From 1957 to 1959, he released three albums and appeared in several movies and television series. One of his most memorable roles was playing the lead opposite Annette Funicello in a Disney version of the operetta Babes in Toyland by Victor Herbert in 1961. From 1960 to 1965, he was married to Nancy Sinatra. After the divorce, his career declined, and, in 1967, he moved to Honolulu, where he owned a night club and a clothing line. He also in appeared in some episodes of Hawaii Five-O.