Tommy Steele, English singer, guitarist, and actor
Sir Thomas Hicks, (born 17 December 1936), known professionally as Tommy Steele, is an English entertainer, regarded as Britain's first teen idol and rock and roll star. After being discovered at the 2i's Coffee Bar, he recorded a string of hit singles including "Rock with the Caveman" (1956) and the chart-topper "Singing the Blues" (1957). Steele's rise to fame was dramatised in The Tommy Steele Story (1957), the soundtrack of which was the first British album to reach number one on the UK Albums Chart. He starred in further musical films including The Duke Wore Jeans (1958) and Tommy the Toreador (1959), the latter spawning the hit "Little White Bull".
By the 1960s, Steele was an all-round entertainer, appearing in West End theatre productions and starring in musical films including Half a Sixpence (1967), The Happiest Millionaire (1967) and Finian's Rainbow (1968). He is also a songwriter, author and sculptor. He remains active as a performer. Steele was knighted in the 2020 Birthday Honours for services to entertainment and charity, and was awarded the Freedom of the City of London in 2021.