Tommy Overstreet (September 10, 1937– November 2, 2015) was an American country music singer. Often referred to as "T.O." by fans and radio disc jockeys, Overstreet had five top-five hit singles in the Billboard country charts and 11 top-10 singles. His popularity peaked in the 1970s. He lived in Hillsboro, Oregon.
Thomas Cary Overstreet was born in Oklahoma City, and an early interest in music was encouraged by his cousin Gene Austin, a singer who had garnered notable fame in the 1920s with his recordings of My Blue Heaven and Ramona. Overstreet's musical career started when he was 17, while studying broadcasting at the University of Texas, he began playing in local clubs under the name Tommy Dean from Abilene, and toured frequently with his cousin.
After a stint in the Army, he moved to Los Angeles in the early 1960s to begin a songwriting career, contributing material to pop crooner Pat Boone. After returning to Texas, he formed a group called The Shadows and shortly after made his first recordings at Norman Petty’s studio in Clovis, New Mexico, along with Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs. Later he recorded in New York City at Roulette Records, with Doc Severinsen on trumpet, Sam ‘The Man’ Taylor on saxophone and the Ray Charles Singers singing backup, but none of these recordings were released at the time.
In 1967, he moved to Nashville, where he became the regional Professional Manager of Dot Records in addition to signing with the label as a recording artist. His debut single, 1969’s Rocking A Memory (That Won't Go To Sleep), was a minor hit, and his next record, If You’re Looking For A Fool, did even better. In 1971, he scored his first top ten entry with Gwen (Congratulations), the title track from his debut LP, followed by I Don’t Know You (Anymore).
In 1972, Tommy scored his biggest hit, Ann (Don’t Go Runnin’), which reached number two on the charts. A series of top ten hits followed, the best-known one in the UK was Heaven Is My Woman’s Love, covered by Frank Jennings Syndicate, who not only performed it on TV’s Opportunity Knocks (which they won in 1975) but also titled their top-selling EMI album after the catchy song.
In 1967, Overstreet was hired to manage Dot Records in Nashville, Tennessee. In 1970, he decided to pursue a recording career, quickly establishing himself as a country hit maker that very year with a top-five hit, "Gwen (Congratulations)", which peaked at number five on the Billboard country music chart. Overstreet made frequent guest appearances on the TV variety show Hee Haw. His highest charting Billboard hit was 1972's "Ann (Don't Go Runnin')", which went to number two.
His other top-20 hits were "I Don't Know You Anymore" (number five in 1971), "Heaven is My Woman's Love" (number three in 1972), "Send Me No Roses" (number seven in 1973); "I'll Never Break These Chains" (number seven in 1973), "(Jeannie Marie) You Were a Lady" (number seven in 1974), "If I Miss You Again Tonight" (number eight in 1974), "I'm a Believer" (number 9 in 1975), "That's When My Woman Begins" (number six in 1975), "If Love was a Bottle of Wine" (number 11 in 1976), "Don't Go City Girl on Me" (number five in 1977), "Yes, Ma'am" (number 12 in 1978), and "Fadin' In, Fadin' Out" (number 11 in 1978).
At the height of his career he was out on the road performing in excess of 300 concerts a year. This took a toll on his personal life, that in later years he regretted. In the 1980s, with his second wife, he was one of the first country performers to relocate to Branson, Missouri, where his fast-paced variety show proved to be highly popular. By the end of the 1990s, ill health forced him to cut down on his touring so he moved to a small farm in Hillsboro, Oregon. In June 2013 he made the news when fire destroyed a barn and caused $100,000 of damage to his property.
.jpg)
Overstreet died at his home in Oregon on November 2, 2015. He had been suffering from a variety of undisclosed ailments in recent years.
(Edited from Wikipedia & Alan Cackett)