Tom was born in Fort Payne on April 23, 1957, but grew up in Gadsden. His older brother loved music and haunted jukebox dumps, and had a huge collection of 45s that he was very generous in letting Tom listen to constantly.  He gave him a small transistor radio when he was around 4 years old and he kept that glued to his ear, listening to WVOK out of Birmingham (Joel Rumor or Rumore or however it was spelled) and WAAX out of Gadsden.  His brother Walt was the main reason he grew to love music so much. 

He moved to Huntsville in 1971 and played trumpet for 2 years in the marching band in Gadsden, but when he moved to Huntsville he didn’t like the band director so he quit and talked his parents into selling the trumpet and getting a set of drums.  Tom taught himself to play and in 1973 a group at his high school asked him to join as drummer (this was BIG deal since everyone at the school knew and loved this group Ashwood Run, formerly Savage!)  Of course when they graduated in 1975 and everyone went off to college, the group broke up. 

The lead guitarist named Roger Wallace was forming a band with Stan and Les Hisaw, and they wanted him to join.  They told him Les would be the drummer, but they needed a singer.  Roger told them Tom could sing, he talked Tom into auditioning and he got the gig.  The group was called Truth (not the gospel band) and Tom was petrified being out front at first with no drum kit to hide behind but he got used to it.  He sang lead for a couple of years, but when the drummer left the group Tom took over drumming and still sang lead, but to conserve his voice they added a female singer. 

Truth played all over the Southeast from 1975 until 1979 when they ultimately split up Tom went to work at TBE.  Tired, disillusioned and disgusted with the music business, he sold his drums and gave up the idea of being a famous rock and roll star.  After a while Tom found he missed performing & decided to try it again on a part-time basis.  He bought a decent guitar (he had played guitar since 1973 but on a cheap beat-up no-name instrument that a friend gave him) and began doing some solo gigs at local bars and restaurants. 

Somewhere around 1983 he met a guy named Tom Magruder and they formed a trio called Still Life with Stan Hisaw of Truth.  Stan left after a short time to pursue Christian rock, and Tom and he went on as a duo, with Magruder on guitar and Tom on bass.  In 1985 they added a female singer named Terry Lambert who stayed with them for about a year until she got married and moved to Tennessee in 1986.  Still Life had a very active career through the ‘80s and early ‘90s, playing at the D’Livery Stable, Café 101, Darryl’s, the Kaffeeklatsch, Sport’s Page and Page II and Page III, as well as many private parties, weddings and other functions. 

Finally in 1993 after they were both married and Tom's and his wife their family, Tom and Magruder called it quits. Tom left the music scene for about 10 years he didn’t sing for anyone but his kids.

In 2002 he was approached by someone at TBE to form a musical group of employees who would sing/perform at a company party, and he got the bug to perform again.  This group didn’t last long, but then in (approximately September of 2005) the Flashbacks called, and now his dynamic vocals and showmanship have advanced the Flashbacks to yet again another level in the Flashbacks history. Tom adds a dimension of vocability that helps the Flashbacks become even more enjoyable. Sit back and reminisce with Tom and the Flashbacks as they take you on a musical journey through time!