Although I have yet to meet Tom Green I have had the pleasure of listening to several of his CD's highlighting his unique vocal abilities. The variety and versatility of his voice has drawn him fans and friends from around the world. Many have contacted me over the past year asking for an interview. After a long delay, I would like to introduce to you-----
The Early Years
I was raised in Milwaukee Wisconsin (USA). I was a city kid. My brother and sisters were considerably older than me, so I was exposed to the music from their generation. When they were teenagers they would have "record" parties, where they played the newest 45s of their favorite artists. I liked them all, but I loved Elvis the most and would always ask them to play Elvis' songs for me. When the party was over, my mother said that I would drag one of the dining room chairs over to the phonograph and stand on the chair, watching the record go-around. But on March 24, 1960 I saw something that changed my life, the Frank Sinatra Timex special. When Elvis Presley performed on this special something about him just reached out and grabbed me. I was only 4 years old, but the next day I took some coins off of my mother's dresser and walked several blocks from home to a record store and purchased a copy of "Stuck On You".
On weekends my older sisters would have dates. My mother would fuss over the girls as they got ready, but after they left the house mom would ask me if I wanted to go to a movie... and I would always pick out an Elvis movie. To me, Elvis was the coolest guy ever. And of course I'd learn every new song from each movie.
All through my school years I was teased because of my love of Elvis. But he was my hero and I was never ashamed to say so. I wore black dress pants, a crisp white shirt and slicked back hair in an era where kids wore jeans and tie-dyed t-shirts. One day in class the teacher was talking about how things were when he went to school, stating: "When I went to school, kids dressed-up, why we looked like..." (he scanned the room) "like... Tom". I must have turned 100 shades of red.
