Timmy Thomas Award-winning singer Timmy Thomas was born on November 13th, 1944 in Evansville Indiana, to a family of twelve children. All of his siblings were musically inclined and received early music education by way of their father, a Methodist minister. During Thomas senior year in high school, he won a scholarship to attend Stan Kentons jazz clinic at Indiana University. He was also awarded a scholarship to Lane College in Jackson, Tennessee, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in music and signed a contract with Gold Wax records in Memphis releasing his debut single, Have Some Boogaloo. In 1967, after working as an administrator at Florida Memorial College, he opened Timmys Lounge in Miami. As a lounge owner, Thomas would find inspiration for his soon to be worldwide fame and after completing his Masters degree in mental health, Thomas recorded the hit song Why Cant We Live Together, which represented the reflection of worldwide hatred. He was able to get his record played on South Florida radio station WEDR, because the station would play music by local artists who were not yet signed to major labels. In 1973 Why Cant We Live Together was rated #1 on the Billboard R&B pop Album charts and #3 for pop on Billboard Singles charts. The hit song was later nominated for a Grammy Award. In 1991, Thomas signed with Brian Carter Music (BCM) in Germany and recorded Glad To Be Back. Once again returning to the top in 1994, Why Cant We Live Together was the theme song used during the first free election for South Africas president Nelson Mandela. It seems wherever there is uncertainty or unrest in the world, no matter how small or big, my song gets recognized, said Thomas. Some of Thomas other awards include certified gold albums in the US, South Africa, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Australia and certified gold singles in the U.S. Appreciative of his influence and success around the world, he began a new chapter in his musical career. In 1995, Thomas began teaching a music at Shadow Lawn Elementary School in Miami. I prefer to teach music at the elementary school level because Im dealing with young people who I can get to appreciate the classic composers like Mozart and Beethoven. His songs continue to impact society. Since composing the head, why cant we live together, it has been used countless times by other artists such as Steve Winwood, Sade and Santana, and for the movie Radio a movie about a mentally challenged African American man. 2014 ushers a return for Thomas with a Martin Luther King tribute remake of Why Cant We Live Together which demonstrates his continued strength as an artist spreading the message of peace through his music. Thomas is also preparing to join his family from TK Records on a 2015 world tour, educating fans on the impact of the late Henry Stones TK labels and how they changed the face of music in the 1970s. In addition to his storied musical career, Thomas is also a community servant with affiliations in several community service, church, and social groups, including: Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Airlines Ambassadors, Ministry of Music at Trinity CME Church, and is also a 33rd degree Freemason. Thomas is married to Lillie B. Thomas and the father of Litina, Tremayne, Travis and Tamara.
Posted on: Sat, 27 Sep 2014 07:19:59 +0000
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