Music: Richard Currier Words: Jim Piazza Born Thomas James Tune, Tommy...(More)

Music: Richard Currier Words: Jim Piazza Born Thomas James Tune, Tommy first introduced "New York At Christmas" to the stage in his off-Broadway review, White Tie and Tails, at The Little Schubert Theater on West 42nd Street, NYC. Tommy has sung and danced for three U.S. Presidents, Queen Elizabeth II, The Royal Family of Monaco. In 1991, Gwen Verdon inducted him into Broadway's Theatre Hall of Fame, and Hollywood soon followed suit when three years later he was honored with his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame appropriately placed directly in front of the Capezio Dancewear shop. He is both colleague and friend to luminaries worldwide: Twiggy / The Boy Friend / Nine, Liliane Montevecchi / Nine, Lucie Arnaz, Peggy Lee, Lillian Gish, Mary Martin, Morgana King, Howard Keel, Betty Hutton, Edward Everett Horton, Gregory Hines, Perry Como, Martha Raye, Jaye P. Morgan, Barbara Cook, Margaret Whiting, Harriet Nelson, Ozzie Nelson, Raquel Welch, Lauren Bacall, Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, Britt Ekland, Orson Wells, Phyllis Diller, Patrice Munsel, Joan Rivers, Johnny Carson, Stephanie Powers, Richard Chamberlain, Mae West, Angela Lansbury, Dom DeLuise, Michele Lee, Placido Domingo, David Frost, Chita Rivera, Bernadette Peters, Dinah Shore, Eva Gabor, Merv Griffin, Rosie O' Donnell, Lainie Kazan, Van Johnson, Jay Leno, Zero Mostel, Marge Champion, Drew Barrymore, Carol Channing, Josephine Baker, Tammy Grimes, Sir Laurence Olivier, Maggie Smith, Joan Plowright, Lee Grant, Bea Arthur, Shirley MacLaine, Ann Reinking, Ruth Gordon, Mike Nichols... and the list goes on... The President of The United States presented Tommy with The National Medal of Arts in November 2003. He added this honor to his already unprecedented nine Tony Awards in four different categories plus, eight Drama Desk Awards, two Obie Awards, two (Fred) Astaire Awards, the American Dance Award, the Drama League Award, and the George Abbott Award for Lifetime Achievement... and they keep coming! In 1965 Tommy first danced on Broadway in the chorus of "Baker Street". In 1967 he was in A "Joyful Noise" and 1968, "How Now Dow Jones". Five years and countless raves later Tommy received his first Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical in Michael Bennett's, "Seesaw". Tune's directing debut was the Off-Broadway hit, "The Club", in 1976. Back on Broadway, but this time as choreographer and co-director Tune gave us "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" followed by "A Day in Hollywood / A Night in the Ukraine", for which he won his second Tony Award, this time for Best Choreography. Tommy returned to Off-Broadway in 1981 to direct the highly controversial production of Carol Churchill's "Cloud 9". The next year Tommy brought us "Nine", The Musical for which he won his third Tony, his first for directing a Broadway Musical. A double Tony Award win followed for Tommy as Best Actor in a Musical and Best Choreography for the Broadway hit "My One and Only" co-starring Twiggy. "Grand Hotel", The Musical followed with Tony wins for Best Choreography and Best Direction and the following year, Tommy did what no artist had done before when he won the same two prestigious honors back to back this time for, "The Will Rogers Follies". Tommy has shied away from Hollywood moviemaking, appearing in only two films early in his career. Tommy played Ambrose Kemper in "Hello, Dolly" starring Barbra Streisand, Walter Matthau, Michael Crawford, Louis Armstrong and directed by Gene Kelly. Tommy played "Tommy" in Ken Russell's "The Boy Friend" and starred with Twiggy. In 1997 Tommy wrote, Footnotes, a memoir about his life in the theatre. The same year he recorded Slow Dancin', a CD compilation of his favorite romantic ballads. The end of the millennium was the beginning of a dream come when Tommy made his Las Vegas debut as the star of EFX, the ninety million dollar spectacular at the MGM Grand Hotel. Tommy's latest production, Doctor Dolittle, toured the US in 2006. He resides in New York City and is currently preparing two original musicals for the near future. He spends the rest of his time painting I first met Tommy through our mutual friend Michel Stuart in 1974. I went to his loft, "Giraffe House", to audition some new songs for him. Years later, Tommy chose to sing "New York at Christmas". My mother passed away a few days after his opening night at The Little Schubert. Tommy and his assistant, dear, dear Peter Glebo were kind enough to find me last minute seat whenever I called. The music to the intro would come up, it began to snow onstage, Tommy would begin to sing and I would cry, every time... I forgot to mention that Tommy is 6' 6 1/2" tall, a really big guy! Tommy is a truly brilliant, sweet and very kind man. I hope you enjoy the song, Sincerely, Richard Currier ©2007 currier/piazza music Discover Tommy @: http://www.tommytune.com/ ******************(Less)