A TRIBUTE TO BUDDY HOLLY - performed by Thomas Hickey. Thomas has resided in Belleville, IL all of his life and is currently employed as a high school math teacher.
Tom’s love for music sparked an interest in a “new” form of entertainment known as karaoke in the summer of 1992, when he first took the stage. He performed a variety of music, but soon realized that he had a unique talent for singing Buddy Holly tunes. After finding the black horn-rimmed glasses, sport coat, and thin black tie,
Tom began performing “Peggy Sue” in various contests and was awarded “Midwest Karaoke Championship” in the summer of 1993. He was also asked to perfom in a live tribute to the Ed Sullivan Show at the Casa Loma Ballroom In St. Louis.
Being a huge Elvis fan, Tom frequently attended the Memories Of Elvis show starring Steve Davis. Tom and Steve soon became good friends, and Tom would often sing at karaoke shows that Steve was hosting. In 2004, Tom was invited to be the opening act at a Memories Of Elvis show and perform with the TCB Band. Tom has been working with this organization ever since and performs about 50 shows every year. Fans are treated to such Buddy classics as “Oh Boy,” “That’ll Be The Day,” “Rave On,” and of course, “Peggy Sue.”Tom has been featured on Channel 5′s Show Me St. Louis as well as Fox 2 News In The Morning with Tim Ezell.Tom loves what he does, which is evident in his energetic stage performance! Most importantly, he wants to keep the roots of rock and roll along with the image and memory of Buddy Holly alive and well.