Big Tom..

Sands1981 · 27-03-2017 1:38am #1

My Mam loves him. She always has. I grew up listening to him and a little space in my heart loves him too. He was the first person I ever saw sing live. I went to see him for many years after.

Today was Mothers Day as you know. Me and Mam are separated but she rang me a 100 times in drink playing Big Tom down the phone. I then rang her back with another Big Tom song. And then another one....it makes her happy..

I have had a drink myself.

We all have Mams and Dads who love stuff we love because they love and it keeps us close to them.

Big Tom reminds me of Mam and Margo and Philomena Begley helped me sleep many a night when I was young.

I still play them to this day. A part of my heart will go when Big Tom goes.

My Mam goes back to another place when she hears Big Tom and she is a kind of lost person now. So its bittersweet for me.

Long Live Big Tom.

Jack the Stripper · 27-03-2017 1:56am

Big Tom is a legend.

corner of hells · 27-03-2017 2:04am

Big Tom was a cat who lived out our back when we were kids.

gammygils · 27-03-2017 2:08am

Big Tom is still The King! :pac:

Kermit.de.frog · 27-03-2017 2:10am

Who the fcuk is "Big Tom"?

Princess Consuela Bananahammock · 27-03-2017 2:11am

Kermit.de.frog wrote: »

Who the fcuk is "Big Tom"?

Do ya not have google where you are? (And don't ask "what the fcuk is google?")!

Sands1981 · 27-03-2017 2:12am

He sure is Jack. There are only two things I want from my Mam when she goes....One is a photo of her and my other Dad with Big Tom, and the other is her Mass Card of Michael Gaughan.

My Mam absolutely loves Big Tom.

My favourite songs of him are Sing Me Back Home. Give My Love to Rose. Old Love Letters, Gentle Mother and Be Careful of Stones that you Throw...And a whole heap of others.

I play a lot of different kinds of music but I always go back to Big Tom at some point in the night. He had a great voice. I will cry when he goes, just like I will cry when Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson go..

I already cried when Merle Haggard, Waylon, Tammy and Johnny went....

My heart will feel very sad when Dear oul' Dolly goes too,

Dolly is a Queen

harney · 27-03-2017 2:15am

Kermit.de.frog wrote: »

Who the fcuk is "Big Tom"?

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=who+is+big+tom

Personally, the main shock factor in this thread is that he is apparently still alive!

Jack the Stripper · 27-03-2017 2:22am

Sands1981 · 27-03-2017 2:27am

Ah Harney and Kermit ( sorry I have no idea how to quote your posts in mine...someone tell me how_)

Kermit, I wish you knew who he was, he helped soothe many an emigrants heart back in the day.

Harney, The fact he is still alive is a beautiful thing to the likes of me. I want him to outlive my Mammy.

He was a huge part of my childhood. I still love that big man.

Sands1981 · 27-03-2017 2:34am

Jack, I lived in Galway for awhile not far from the four country roads. It is a great song. The late late show had Big Tom singing this song with Philomena and Daniel etc coming on at the end. Big Tom was shook though and far from his prime. I went to see him long after he was able....when his band members had to do most of the singing and the big man just done certain numbers.....

He was still worth seeing though. He is an absolute gem. I learned to jive through him. His voice was everything :-)

Sands1981 · 27-03-2017 2:41am

Thankyou Princess:-)

learn_more · 27-03-2017 3:11am

Kermit.de.frog wrote: »

Who the fcuk is "Big Tom"?

If you know who Kermit the Frog is you should know who Big Tom is.

endacl · 27-03-2017 3:28am

Big Tom? He's OK, but he couldn't hold a candle to Medium Tom.

Sands1981 · 27-03-2017 3:49am

endacl.....To be fair , when someone is a part of everything you can remember, then they can hold a candle towards anything and anything

Big Tom will always mean a lot to many men and women who left this island and found happiness in the dance halls and ballrooms in England.

endacl · 27-03-2017 3:53am

Sands1981 wrote: »

endacl.....To be fair , when someone is a part of everything you can remember, then they can hold a candle towards anything and anything

Big Tom will always mean a lot to many men and women who left this island and found happiness in the dance halls and ballrooms in England.

Seriously. Check out Medium Tom.

DanielODonnell · 27-03-2017 4:07am

He makes a great wee cup of tea now

Sands1981 · 27-03-2017 4:13am

Daniel...your username is ironic to me as on my 18th,,,,I was in a dancehall that the real Daniel was singing in. My Mam wrote a request for me on a beermat for him to sing a song for me and he did....I still have the beer mat...

LordSutch · 27-03-2017 4:48am

Kermit.de.frog wrote: »

Who the fcuk is "Big Tom"?

Local 'Country & Western' singer from the early 1980s, I think?

Wasn't it Big Tom & the Mainliners?

Sands1981 · 27-03-2017 5:07am

Lord Sutch...there was nothing about Big Tom that was local...he is quite iconic really.
You are quite right that he was once Big Tom and The Mainliners. then he became Big Tom and The Travellers. I am quite chuffed that you remembered him in some kind of way.......so Thank you for that. Sincerely

Turtyturd · 27-03-2017 5:25am

How does she feel about big Harry.....or big Dick?

LordSutch · 27-03-2017 5:46am

Sands1981 wrote: »

Lord Sutch...there was nothing about Big Tom that was local...he is quite iconic really.
You are quite right that he was once Big Tom and The Mainliners. then he became Big Tom and The Travellers. I am quite chuffed that you remembered him in some kind of way.......so Thank you for that. Sincerely

I also remember 'Gina Dale Haze & the Champions', or something like that? ...not that I was into to any of that stuff, but I remember the "interesting names" of local, & not so local bands from those years

)

Witchie · 27-03-2017 8:40am

LordSutch wrote: »

Local 'Country & Western' singer from the early 1980s, I think?

Wasn't it Big Tom & the Mainliners?

Sands1981 wrote: »

Lord Sutch...there was nothing about Big Tom that was local...he is quite iconic really.
You are quite right that he was once Big Tom and The Mainliners. then he became Big Tom and The Travellers. I am quite chuffed that you remembered him in some kind of way.......so Thank you for that. Sincerely

He was around in the 60s and 70s too. My dad was in a band called The Ventures and they used to have to compete with Tom and his crew, also being from county Monaghan. Dad tells a story about how his band and Tom's were playing at dances within a few miles of each other in Tyrone. Tom and his crew left their gig early coz there were only a few people there and came to my dad's gig as it was hopping.

A few months later the same thing was happening but Big Tom had just released "Gentle Mother" and it was a major hit and the Ventures ended up having hardly anyone at their gig.

As for Big Tom himself, he seems a nice craythur any time I have met him but his music and that of all that Irish Country music is the worst atrocitiy to music and makes me want to kill people. But hey, that is just my opinion.

FrancieBrady · 27-03-2017 8:46am

Witchie wrote: »

As for Big Tom himself, he seems a nice craythur any time I have met him but his music and that of all that Irish Country music is the worst atrocitiy to music and makes me want to kill people. But hey, that is just my opinion.

The day will come when bringing your children to Big Tom and making them listen to him will be seen as a heinous form of child abuse. Poor souls will be drinking on Sunday nights and all that stuff. Terrible.

Winterlong · 27-03-2017 8:47am

I did not like his drug phase when he was 'Big Tom and the Mainliners'.

stimpson · 27-03-2017 9:26am

harney wrote: »

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=who+is+big+tom

Personally, the main shock factor in this thread is that he is apparently still alive!

Google image search returned this:

NSFW

He's looking well.

The Backwards Man · 27-03-2017 9:33am

There's many's a middle aged housewife the length and breadth of the country that can attest to the fact that the 'Big Tom' moniker refers to more than just his larger than life South Ulster persona. Or so the stories go anyway.

Ralf and Florian · 27-03-2017 9:39am

Is this the most awkward record cover of all time?

big-tom-and-paul-murray-sunday-child-denver-records.jpg

Witchie · 27-03-2017 9:39am

I wonder does that apply to the "member" of fellow Monaghan Country star Gloria's band.....he is known as Big Mickey.

infogiver · 27-03-2017 9:55am

Sands1981 wrote: »

My Mam loves him. She always has. I grew up listening to him and a little space in my heart loves him too. He was the first person I ever saw sing live. I went to see him for many years after.

Today was Mothers Day as you know. Me and Mam are separated but she rang me a 100 times in drink playing Big Tom down the phone. I then rang her back with another Big Tom song. And then another one....it makes her happy..

I have had a drink myself.

We all have Mams and Dads who love stuff we love because they love and it keeps us close to them.

Big Tom reminds me of Mam and Margo and Philomena Begley helped me sleep many a night when I was young.

I still play them to this day. A part of my heart will go when Big Tom goes.

My Mam goes back to another place when she hears Big Tom and she is a kind of lost person now. So its bittersweet for me.

Long Live Big Tom.

There's loads of people I know who would give their right arm if their mother was here to ring them playing a bit of "Four Roads" OP, even with a bit of a drink. Sure what harm. God bless you and your mam.

Winterlong · 27-03-2017 9:57am

Margo was the real talent in that family.

Big Tom..

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